Techniques and Passes

Techniques provide the rendering muscle. A technique encapsulates the effect state that determines a rendering style. A technique is made up of one or more passes.

Techniques

The syntax for calling a technique is as follows:

technique [ id ]  [< annotation(s) >] 
    { pass(es) }

Where:

• id is an optional unique name.
• annotation is zero or more optional pieces of user-specific information. See Add Information to Effect Parameters with_Annotations.
• pass(es) is zero or more passes. Each pass contains state assignments. See below.

Passes

A pass contains the state assignments required to render.

pass  [ id ]  [< annotation(s) >] 
    { state assignment(s) }

Where:

• id is an optional unique name.
• annotation is one or more optional piece of user-specific information. See Add Information to Effect Parameters with_Annotations.
• assignment(s) assigns zero or more state values, or evaluates one or more expressions. See Effect States and Expressions.

Passes ignore all but the last assignment in a set of repeated assignments to the same state.