VulkanPostFX

An experimental external ZIP shader pack loader and early-stage shader translation framework for the modern Minecraft Vulkan rendering path.

The current goal is not to fully replicate Iris / OptiFine pipeline compatibility in one step, but to first establish:

• external ZIP shader pack discovery
• runtime resource injection
• post-effect entry loading
• initial shader translation based on external packs

Current Progress

The project already supports the following core features:

• scanning external ZIP shader packs under run/shaderpacks/
• reading and parsing pack.json inside shader packs
• explicitly selecting the active pack via active_pack_id
• materializing external ZIP packs into runtime resource packs
• injecting external post_effect/main.json into the game resource pipeline
• actually loading external post chains through ShaderManager
• an initial translated wrapper of Verdant Light 1.3.0

This means the project is no longer at the stage of merely “reading ZIP files” or “pretending to load them.” It already implements:

external ZIP shader pack -> runtime resource pack -> external post chain execution

Project Positioning

What this is

This is an experimental shader pack loader for the modern Minecraft Vulkan backend.

What this is not

This is not yet a mature drop-in replacement for Iris / OptiFine with full shader semantic compatibility.

A more accurate description of the current state would be:

• a ZIP shader pack loader prototype
• a post-effect-driven shader translator
• a working proof of concept for the Vulkan path

Implemented Features

1. External Pack Loading

Supports loading the following from ZIP shader packs:

• pack.json
• post_effect/main.json
• shaders/post/*.vsh
• shaders/post/*.fsh

2. Runtime Namespace Rewriting

External packs are rewritten into isolated runtime namespaces to avoid conflicts with built-in resources.

3. Runtime Resource Pack Injection

External ZIP contents are materialized into runtime resource packs during startup / resource reload and injected into the client resource system.

4. External Post Chain Execution

The project can now confirm that external post chains are actually found and executed, rather than simply falling back to built-in debug effects.

5. Initial Shader Porting

It is already possible to extract and translate the final look layer from traditional shader packs into a runnable Vulkan post-effect version.

Current Limitations

The current version still has clear boundaries. Please keep them in mind before use.

Not fully supported yet

The following traditional shader pipeline components are not fully supported at this stage:

• gbuffers_*
• shadow.*
• composite.*
• screen-space reflections (SSR)
• volumetric fog
• depth-driven material separation
• full dimension-specific shader routing (such as world1/, world-1/)

Currently suitable for porting

The most suitable parts to port right now are:

• final.fsh
• final grading
• vignette
• highlight compression
• tonemapping
• screen-space look layers

Known Issues

• Some translated packs still have brightness mismatch
• Some color tones may still deviate from the original pack’s intended style
• runtime resource pack metadata is still being refined and standardized
• not every original shader pack can simply be used as-is

Current Available Sample

Verdant Light 1.3.0 Vulkan Wrapper

The repository already includes an initial Vulkan-translated version based on Verdant Light 1.3.0.

This is not a full lossless recreation of the original shader pack. Instead, it:

• keeps the original pack resources as reference material
• extracts the most portable final look layer
• runs the external ZIP pack through the current loader’s real post-effect pipeline

Usage

1. Place a shader pack

Put the ZIP shader pack into:

run/shaderpacks/

I have uploaded the template pack on the detail page.

2. Select the active pack

Edit the config file:

run/config/vulkanpostfx.json

Example:

{ "active_pack_id": "verdantlight130vulkan" }

3. Launch the game

When the client starts, the loader will:

• scan ZIP files
• parse the active pack
• materialize runtime resources
• inject them into the client resource system
• attempt to load the corresponding external post chain

4. Toggle the debug / external effect

By default, press F8 to toggle the current debug / external post-effect.

Architecture Overview

[shaderpacks/*.zip] | v [Manifest Parse] | v [Active Pack Selection] | v [Runtime Materialization] | v [Runtime Resource Pack Injection] | v [post_effect/main.json] | v [ShaderManager Post Chain Loading] | v [External ZIP Shader Execution]

Most Suitable Development Direction Right Now

The recommended next steps are not to keep stuffing more traditional shader files into the project, but to:

1. continue improving final-path translation quality
2. correct brightness / exposure mismatches
3. improve fidelity for sky, water, and highlights
4. gradually introduce more complex composite semantics
5. eventually explore a more complete Vulkan shader compatibility layer

Design Philosophy

The core idea of this project is not to force all traditional shader semantics into Vulkan at once, but rather:

first establish a truly executable chain, then gradually bring back the visual logic that matters

In other words:

• first make external packs actually run
• then gradually make the visuals resemble the original shader pack
• only after that pursue larger-scale compatibility

Notes

This is still a fast-evolving experimental project. If you are looking for a ready-made, fully compatible replacement for Iris / OptiFine, the current version is not there yet. But if you care about:

• Vulkan shader workflows
• external ZIP shader pack loading
• an experimental translation framework for modern Minecraft
• gradually migrating traditional shader semantics into a new rendering path

then this project is built exactly for that.