High-Level Shader Language

HLSL is analogous to the GLSL shading language used with the OpenGL standard.

It is very similar to the Nvidia Cg shading language, as it was developed alongside it.

Early versions of the two languages were considered identical, only marketed differently.

[3] HLSL shaders can enable profound speed and detail increases as well as many special effects in both 2D and 3D computer graphics.

Note that games may claim to require a certain DirectX version, but don't necessarily require a GPU conforming to the full specification of that version, as developers can use a higher DirectX API version to target lower-Direct3D-spec hardware; for instance DirectX 9 exposes features of DirectX7-level hardware that DirectX7 did not, targeting their fixed-function T&L pipeline.

A scene containing several different 2D HLSL shaders. Distortion of the statue is achieved purely physically, while the texture of the rectangular frame beside it is based on color intensity. The square in the background has been transformed and rotated . The partial transparency and reflection of the water in the foreground are added by a shader applied finally to the entire scene.