Language Reference
Besides the syntactic sugar afforded by shape blocks and other high‑level constructs, Shape‑Z provides a powerful GLSL‑style math system.
Variables
let pos = vec3(0.0, 0.0, 0.0);
let pos = 0; // promotes to vec3(0.0, 0.0, 0.0)
let pos = vec2(0.5); // promotes to vec3(0.5, 0.5, 0.5)
All three statements create a variable named pos, but they demonstrate different ways of supplying the value. Shape‑Z internally stores every value as a vec3, so scalars and 2‑component vectors are automatically promoted.
Vector components can be accessed or modified individually via the .x, .y, and .z suffixes:
let p = vec3(1.0, 2.0, 3.0);
let h = p.y; // h == 2.0
p.z = 0.0; // p is now vec3(1.0, 2.0, 0.0)
You can define variables anywhere in the code and at any block level. However Shape-Z does not support variables per block, every variable is stored in a flat array internally in the VM for performance reasons. If you redefine a variable Shape-Z will re-use the pre-existing variable slot and overwrite the previous value.
Inbuilt Math Functions
The table below lists functions that are available in every expression. Most mirror standard GLSL behaviour, while a few domain‑specific helpers—such as value_noise—extend the set.
| Function | Args | Description |
|---|---|---|
abs(x) | 1 | Absolute value, component‑wise |
atan(x) | 1 | Arctangent of x (radians) |
atan2(y, x) | 2 | Arctangent of y/x preserving quadrants (radians) |
ceil(x) | 1 | Smallest integer ≥ x |
clamp(x, min, max) | 3 | Clamps x to the range [min, max] |
cos(x) | 1 | Cosine of x (radians) |
cross(a, b) | 2 | 3‑D cross product |
degrees(x) | 1 | Converts radians to degrees |
dot(a, b) | 2 | Dot (scalar) product |
floor(x) | 1 | Largest integer ≤ x |
fract(x) | 1 | Fractional part of x |
length(v) | 1 | Euclidean length of vector v |
log(x) | 1 | Natural logarithm of x |
max(a, b) | 2 | Component‑wise maximum |
min(a, b) | 2 | Component‑wise minimum |
mix(a, b, t) | 3 | Linear interpolation: a(1‑t) + b t |
mod(x, y) | 2 | Component‑wise remainder of x / y |
normalize(v) | 1 | Returns v scaled to unit length |
point_at(p) | 1 | Converts a normalized (u,v,d) into world space along the current segment |
pow(x, y) | 2 | Component‑wise power x^y |
radians(x) | 1 | Converts degrees to radians |
sin(x) | 1 | Sine of x (radians) |
smoothstep(edge0, edge1, x) | 3 | Smooth Hermite interpolation between edge0 and edge1 |
smooth_union(d1, d2, k) | 3 | Softly blends two signed‑distance fields with blend radius k |
sqrt(x) | 1 | Square root of x |
step(edge, x) | 2 | Returns 0 if x < edge else 1 |
tan(x) | 1 | Tangent of x (radians) |
value_noise(octaves, scale) | 2 | Fractal value‑noise sample; octaves (float) sets the number of layers, scale (vec3) controls the frequency |
white_noise() | 0 | Pseudo‑random value in [0, 1] tied to the current voxel |