Graphics Shaders: Theory and Practice - Hardcover

Bailey and Cunningham provide a comprehensive, well-written overview of graphics shaders. ... Although the book uses the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) for its examples, it gives enough theoretical background for readers to learn the fundamentals for any graphics language. ... The book also addresses scientific visualization and the GLSL API to call GLSL functions from an OpenGL program. A final chapter offers ideas for using shaders in very entertaining ways. ... Highly recommended. [Appropriate for] graduate students through professionals/practitioners in computer graphics.
―C. Tappert, CHOICE, December 2009

... a pick for any college-level, advanced computer library catering to programming professionals. ... discusses different types of shaders, how to use the glman program for free, and how to blend shaders into an interactive game environment. Libraries will find it a powerful, appealing lend for intermediate programmers seeking extra spice for their projects.
―Midwest Book Review, August 2009

Programmable graphics shaders, programs that can be downloaded to a graphics processor (GPU) to carry out operations outside the fixed-function pipeline of earlier standards, have become a key feature of computer graphics. This book is designed to open computer graphics shader programming to the student, whether in a traditional class or on their own. It is intended to complement texts based on fixed-function graphics APIs, specifically OpenGL. It introduces shader programming in general, and specifically the GLSL shader language. It also introduces a flexible, easy-to-use tool, glman, that helps you develop, test, and tune shaders outside an application that would use them.