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Volume Shader BM test, a developers guide
BM is a name, not a second kernel
People search Volume Shader BM for the Mandelbulb GPU clip and for native Android and iOS apps. This site is Volume Shader on volumeshader.com. The live canvas is Run Volume Shader. BM is not a separate GPU architecture and not a file you download. Naming and origin notes sit on What is Volume Shader.
- Same WebGL volume on this site, no GitHub project required
- Optional store apps are separate products
- FPS here is frames of this kernel, in this browser
Why the test is WebGL 1.0
The page talks to the GPU through WebGL. Version 1.0 is the floor so older Android browsers still start. WebGPU can go further on supported desktops. These pages do not switch APIs mid run. If the canvas fails, try another browser before you assume the GPU is gone. All four tests are on live GPU tests.
The Advanced kernel editor
On Run Volume Shader, Advanced opens a GLSL kernel editor. That panel changes the ray march loop, not the rest of the site. Leave it closed if you want a score you can compare. Complexity buttons already change iteration count and ray steps. Those presets are the fair path. A longer read on Simple through Extreme is preset shaders.
- Closed editor, Standard complexity: the usual compare
- Open editor: you are measuring your kernel, not Volume Shader
- Apply rebuilds the shader. Undo restores the site kernel.
When a custom kernel is useful
Use the editor if you already write GLSL and want to see how a change in the loop moves FPS on this device. Do not paste a random shader from a forum and call the number a Volume Shader result. Quote a custom run with the fact that the kernel changed. For a first run with the stock scene, start at getting started.
What this page is not
This is not an SDK, not a DCC plugin, and not a tutorial on writing production volume shaders for film. Graphics people also use volume shaders for smoke and clouds. Here the word means this benchmark. Native tools still win for driver clocks, watts, and published 3DMark scores. Split those jobs on browser vs Furmark and 3DMark.