The Force Alternatives
The Force is described as 'web-based IDE/code editor for WebGL complete with audio input control, OSC support, texture panel and more' and is a Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to The Force for a variety of platforms, including Online / Web-based, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android Tablet. The best alternative is Shadertoy, which is free. Other great apps like The Force are Shader Editor, SHADERed, GSN Composer and KodeLife.
The Force alternatives are mainly Code Editors but may also be IDEs. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of The Force.
Shadertoy is the first application to allow developers all over the globe to push pixels from code to screen using WebGL since 2009.
- Free • Open Source
- Android
- Android Tablet
- F-Droid
Create and edit GLSL shaders on your Android phone or tablet and use them as live wallpaper. A live-coding editor with syntax-highlighting lets you see results transparently in the background as you code and provides ample workspace to focus on your ideas.
- Free • Open Source
- Windows
- Linux
SHADERed is a lightweight tool for creating and testing HLSL and GLSL shaders. It is easy to use, open source and frequently updated with new features.
The GSN COMPOSER is a free web-based visual programming environment for online multimedia processing. Typical areas of usage are education, research, entertainment, special effects, or arts.
KodeLife is a fast, lightweight, live-coding IDE for shader development. It's available natively across Mac, Windows and Linux desktops and supports all flavors of OpenGL GLSL, as well as platform specific shading languages such as the Metal Shading Language and DirectX HLSL.
- Freemium • Proprietary
- iPhone
- iPad
Shade transforms your device into a professional node-based shader editor. Build stunning, connected shader graphs that render in real time. You'll find full support for keyboard shortcuts, drag-and-drop, and documentation built right in.
RenderMonkey™ Toolsuite | AMD Developer Central
RenderMonkey is an integrated development environment (IDE) that can be used to write shaders in HLSL, GLSL, and GLES.
Discontinued
Last version is from 2008.
An online GSGL Shader Gallery and live development tool. You can freely add to it without an account.
The Book of Shaders provides a gentle, step-by-step guide through the abstract and complex universe of Fragment Shaders. Besides scores of insightful illustrations, the site includes a very intuitive live-coding editor for users to easily see changes as they code.
