The world we live in seems to naturally present itself before our eyes. Streets, trees, buildings, crowds — everything appears solid and clear. Just as children cannot comprehend the irreversibility of death, we have never truly questioned the world our eyes perceive.

But have you ever wondered what exactly your eyes “see”?

When we look at an ordinary flower, what comes to mind is a weave of colors and shapes, an intuitive judgment that “it is there.” But what is this “it”? How do we know “there”? Are we really seeing “existence itself,” or just a projection constructed by our brain based on light and memory?

We are used to the world’s appearance and rarely doubt it. But if we were to understand this visual world from the ground up, starting with a flower might be just right.

A flower growing somewhere in Shenzhen, I don’t know its name, but it’s quite common.

The first part of this tutorial — “Igniting Interest” — invites you to temporarily set aside the belief that “what is seen is real,” to re-examine the world around you, and from this observation, open the door to curiosity about graphics and virtual construction. The entire work consists of seven chapters, each guiding you step-by-step from questioning perception to understanding the technical world:

• Chapter 1 discusses “The Appearance of the World and Our Eyes,” questioning the reality of what we see. Do these things really exist? When we say “it’s there,” what exactly do we mean?
• Chapter 2 delves into the perception of color, space, and time. Do we truly understand what color, space, and time are? Are these concepts objectively real, or fabrications of the brain?
• Chapter 3 explores how the brain constructs space and perceives motion, observing how perception forms and how humans process information when seeing “change.”
• Chapter 4 introduces WebGL, the key bridge connecting the virtual and the real. This technology enables us to reconstruct the visual world inside a browser.
• Chapter 5 focuses on Shaders, the tools for sculpting pixels and light, which give the virtual world detail, texture, and life.
• The final chapter returns to an essential question: “Why do we build worlds with code?” This is not only a technical question but also an existential one. We seek no philosophical answers, only a space to reflect from practical and creative perspectives.

You don’t need any professional background, just a pair of eyes willing to see the world anew. Let’s start with a flower and see the entire universe.

Begin reading Chapter 1.