apHarmony offers HLSL programming services.  Whether you are looking to build an HLSL shader for 3D graphics, 2D post-processing, or even leverage the GPU for advanced mathematical calculations, we will be happy to bring our team to your software project.  Please feel free to give us a call at 630-855-7522 for a free evaluation and quote.

HLSL graphics programming enables 2D and 3D application to leverage the DirectX graphics processor to perform real-time scene rendering.  Depending on the shader requirements, various post-process effects can be implemented for further realism or artistic vision.  Whether looking to achieve photo-realistic perfection, or unleash creativity through other effects such as faux cel animation, the render engine can be used to simplify the development process and provide high-quality renderings.

In order to achieve high-performance realistic graphics, a variety of advanced rendering techniques will need to be implemented at the shader level to help speed processing and provide more depth to the image.  Since the actual computing power of the GPU is often limited, HLSL developers need to leverage other rendering techniques to approximate the level of detail necessary to create a high-resolution image.  The first and most prevalent technique is normal mapping.  This technique consists of first modeling a high-resolution version of an object, and then reducing the polygon count through intelligent optimization in a 3D modeling program.  The 3D modeling program will then enable “baking” a normal map from the high-poly model to the low-poly model.  The baked normal map can then be applied to the 3D graphics in the HLSL shader to bring the much-higher resolution depth at a lower processing cost.

In conjunction with the normal map, shadow maps can also be implemented to add further depth to the image.  Shadow maps can add shadows to places where light would not normally enter, such as crevices in a tight mesh.  These shadows are often ignored or distorted by simple normal maps, and the shadow maps will bring further depth to the image.

For a free evaluation and quote on an HLSL programming project, please feel free to give us a call at 630-855-7522.