---
id: wiki-2026-0508-fragment-shading
title: Fragment Shading
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Pixel Shader, Fragment Shader]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.9
verification_status: applied
tags: [graphics, gpu, shaders, webgl]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: glsl
  framework: webgl
---

# Fragment Shading

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 rasterized fragment 마다 매 한 번 실행되어 final color 를 계산"**. 매 GPU pipeline (vertex → primitive assembly → rasterization → **fragment** → blending) 의 final programmable stage. 2026 시점 WebGPU + WGSL 가 WebGL2 + GLSL 의 후속, native 는 Metal MSL / HLSL SM 6.x / Vulkan SPIR-V.

## 매 핵심

### 매 input / output
- **Input**: interpolated vertex output (UV, normal, world pos), uniforms, textures.
- **Output**: 매 RGBA color (+ optional depth, MRT).
- 매 fragment ≠ pixel — 매 multi-sampling / overdraw 시 매 fragment 가 pixel 보다 많을 수 있다.

### 매 pipeline (rasterization)
1. Vertex shader → clip space.
2. Primitive assembly + clipping.
3. Rasterization → 매 fragment 생성.
4. **Fragment shader** → color.
5. Depth/stencil test + blending → framebuffer.

### 매 cost factor
- **Overdraw**: 매 같은 pixel 이 여러 번 shaded.
- **Texture bandwidth**: 매 sample count + filter.
- **ALU**: 매 복잡한 BRDF, lighting loop.
- **Branch divergence**: warp / wave 내 분기.

### 매 응용
1. PBR lighting (Cook-Torrance, GGX).
2. Post-processing (bloom, SSAO, FXAA, TAA).
3. Procedural texture / SDF.
4. Compute-like (pre-WebGPU 의 GPGPU hack).

## 💻 패턴

### GLSL — basic textured + Lambert
```glsl
// fragment.glsl (WebGL2 / GLSL ES 3.00)
#version 300 es
precision highp float;
in vec2 vUV;
in vec3 vNormalW;
in vec3 vPosW;
uniform sampler2D uAlbedo;
uniform vec3 uLightDirW;
out vec4 outColor;

void main() {
    vec3 albedo = texture(uAlbedo, vUV).rgb;
    float ndl = max(dot(normalize(vNormalW), -normalize(uLightDirW)), 0.0);
    outColor = vec4(albedo * (0.1 + 0.9 * ndl), 1.0);
}
```

### GLSL — GGX specular (PBR)
```glsl
float D_GGX(float NoH, float a) {
    float a2 = a * a;
    float f = (NoH * a2 - NoH) * NoH + 1.0;
    return a2 / (3.14159 * f * f);
}
float V_SmithGGXCorrelated(float NoV, float NoL, float a) {
    float a2 = a * a;
    float gv = NoL * sqrt(NoV * NoV * (1.0 - a2) + a2);
    float gl = NoV * sqrt(NoL * NoL * (1.0 - a2) + a2);
    return 0.5 / (gv + gl);
}
```

### WGSL — fragment (WebGPU 2026)
```wgsl
struct VsOut { @builtin(position) pos: vec4f, @location(0) uv: vec2f };
@group(0) @binding(0) var samp: sampler;
@group(0) @binding(1) var tex: texture_2d<f32>;

@fragment
fn fs_main(in: VsOut) -> @location(0) vec4f {
    return textureSample(tex, samp, in.uv);
}
```

### GLSL — SDF circle (procedural)
```glsl
float sdCircle(vec2 p, float r) { return length(p) - r; }
void main() {
    vec2 uv = gl_FragCoord.xy / uResolution.xy * 2.0 - 1.0;
    float d = sdCircle(uv, 0.5);
    float a = smoothstep(0.0, 0.005, -d);
    outColor = vec4(vec3(1.0), a);
}
```

### Three.js custom material
```ts
import * as THREE from "three";
const mat = new THREE.ShaderMaterial({
  uniforms: { uTime: { value: 0 } },
  vertexShader: `varying vec2 vUv; void main() {
    vUv = uv; gl_Position = projectionMatrix * modelViewMatrix * vec4(position, 1.0);
  }`,
  fragmentShader: `uniform float uTime; varying vec2 vUv;
    void main() { gl_FragColor = vec4(vUv, 0.5 + 0.5*sin(uTime), 1.0); }`,
});
```

### Discard for cutout (alpha test)
```glsl
vec4 c = texture(uAlbedo, vUV);
if (c.a < 0.5) discard; // 매 early-Z 깨질 수 있음 — 매 주의
outColor = c;
```

### Post-process (full-screen quad)
```glsl
// FXAA-lite
vec3 rgbNW = texture(uTex, vUV + vec2(-1.0, -1.0)/uRes).rgb;
vec3 rgbNE = texture(uTex, vUV + vec2( 1.0, -1.0)/uRes).rgb;
vec3 rgbSW = texture(uTex, vUV + vec2(-1.0,  1.0)/uRes).rgb;
vec3 rgbSE = texture(uTex, vUV + vec2( 1.0,  1.0)/uRes).rgb;
vec3 rgbM  = texture(uTex, vUV).rgb;
outColor = vec4((rgbNW + rgbNE + rgbSW + rgbSE + rgbM) / 5.0, 1.0);
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| Web 2026 | WebGPU + WGSL (Chrome/Edge/Safari 17+) |
| Web legacy | WebGL2 + GLSL ES 3.00 |
| Native Apple | Metal + MSL |
| Native cross-plat | Vulkan + SPIR-V (cross-compile from HLSL/Slang) |
| Heavy overdraw | Z-prepass / depth sort / Hi-Z |
| Branch-heavy | uniform branch 또는 per-tile compute |

**기본값**: 2026 신규 web project 는 WebGPU. 매 wide compatibility 필요하면 WebGL2 fallback.

## 🔗 Graph
- 부모: [[GPU Pipeline]] · [[Computer Graphics]]
- 변형: [[Vertex Shader]] · [[Compute Shader]] · [[Geometry Shader]] · [[Mesh Shader]]
- 응용: [[PBR]] · [[Post-Processing]] · [[Ray Marching]] · [[Shadertoy]]
- Adjacent: [[Rasterization]] · [[Texture Sampling]] · [[Anti-Aliasing]] · [[GPGPU]]

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: shader code review / lighting model 도출 / WebGL→WebGPU 마이그레이션.
**언제 X**: 매 raw rendering loop 의 micro-perf — 매 GPU profiler (Nsight, Xcode GPU) 가 우선.

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **Texture sample in non-uniform branch**: 매 derivative 깨짐 (mipmap LOD).
- **discard everywhere**: 매 early-Z 무력화 → fillrate 폭증.
- **High precision 남용**: 매 mobile 에서 highp 필요 부분만.
- **CPU readback every frame**: 매 GPU sync stall.
- **Loop count = uniform without unroll hint**: 매 driver 별 perf 변동.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified (Khronos GLSL 4.60 spec, WebGPU spec 2025, Real-Time Rendering 4ed, Filament docs).
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — fragment shader + WebGPU/WGSL 2026 정리 |
