After our first look under the hood of Qt in our Insights article in 2021 we now have an update for you.
Qt6 brought new module features but also some limitations. For example, Qt6 no longer provides preconfigured shader effects as known from Qt5, but only a shader effect API. Our Qt Specialist Lukas couldn't accept that.
Open Source – Qt Shader Effects Module
Therefore, we are thrilled to present the Qt shader effects module to the open-source community. While the QmlPlugin was created out of necessity, we were keen to share it with the community.
With Qt6, the whole shader system changed, so now it is possible to write shaders not only for OpenGL, but also for Vulkan, DirectX, Metal, etc. So far, so good, but using the Qt5 shader effect is no longer possible. Qt itself has extracted a Qt Quick MultiEffect Module. However, it can only be used for a fee under a commercial license.
In our Qt shader effects module, we have implemented parts of the Qt shader effects module to provide the module as QmlPlugin under the MIT license.
Download and enhance
The shader effects module can be used freely and extended without claiming correctness and at your own risk. Check out the sample application there to see how the different shaders work. The project structure was created with cmake.
We would love to see the module improved and extended with more shader effects by the open-source community in this GitHub project. So join us and make it happen!