Moving Dots: Animating Points in OpenGL ES
From a single static point to motion — the next step in the OpenGL ES journey.
Summary
Once you can draw a point, the natural question is: how do you make it move? This article takes the single point from earlier in the OpenGL ES series and brings it to life — introducing time, uniforms and the loop that turns stillness into animation.
A point that never moves is just a dot. This entry in the OpenGL ES series introduces time and uniforms to turn that static point into motion — the first real animation drawn entirely on the GPU.
Key ideas
- 01 Animation in shaders is a function of a time uniform you feed each frame.
- 02 Uniforms are the bridge between your app's clock and the GPU.
- 03 Small changes to position over time create smooth, GPU-driven motion.
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