Unlock Your Creative Potential with Fragments: A Platform for Learning Shaders
Are you a creative coder looking to explore the world of shaders? Discover Fragments, a revolutionary platform designed to help you learn and experiment with creative coding techniques.
The Inspiration Behind Fragments
Ben McCormick, a design engineer and shader artist from Perth, Australia, founded Fragments as a response to his own challenges in creative coding. Frustrated by the lack of resources that bridge the gap between shader fundamentals and actionable techniques, Ben created this platform to facilitate both learning and creativity.
How It All Began
In his twenties, Ben envisioned building an audio visualization tool reminiscent of the MilkDrop plugins for Winamp. Although he struggled initially with graphics programming and shaders, his passion led him on a long journey filled with learning and experimentation. Each failure added to his understanding, pushing him closer to creating the imaginative projects he always dreamed of.
The Lightbulb Moment
The turning point for Ben came when he participated in the Genuary 2025 challenge. Despite feeling disheartened by his early attempts, he kept experimenting, which led to a breakthrough in finding his unique creative process. This momentum inspired him to launch Fragments, with the goal of empowering others to explore similar journeys.
A Unique Resource for Creative Coders
Unlike traditional courses, Fragments is a comprehensive collection of creative coding techniques, strategies, and resources. Here’s what you can find:
10 Creative Coding Techniques
Explore methods like Flow Fields, Raymarching, and Pixel Sorting to create visually stunning patterns.
15+ Utilities
Access a range of utilities that simplify your TSL workflow, from noise functions to procedural color palettes.
120+ Sketches
Dive into a library of completed projects, complete with source code and breakdowns to help you understand and remix them.
Boilerplate Projects
Get started quickly with fully cloneable projects that come equipped with essential utilities.
Built on Three.js Shading Language (TSL)
Fragments leverages TSL due to its balance of reliability and modern features, including support for WebGPU. The robust Three.js community further enriches the learning experience.
Looking Forward
What started as Ben’s personal experiment has transformed into a thriving resource for creatives. With each new technique, the possibilities for innovation are endless. If you’ve been struggling between grasping the basics and creating original work, Fragments is your solution.
Conclusion
Fragments not only empowers creative coders to learn the essentials of shader programming but also encourages experimentation and artistic expression. Whether you’re just starting or looking to take your skills to the next level, Fragments can provide the tools you need to succeed.
Related Keywords:
Creative Coding, Shader Techniques, Fragments Platform, Three.js, Learning Shaders, Shader Art, Visual Programming
