A .VSH file is typically understood as a vertex shader program that runs on the GPU, converting 3D model vertices into proper screen positions via MVP-style matrices and sending attributes such as UVs, normals, or vertex colors to the next rendering stage, although the `.vsh` extension can also serve as a custom or binary format depending on the engine using it.
The easiest way to determine what your .VSH file actually does comes from checking the evidence around it, beginning with opening it in a text editor to see whether GLSL-style features such as `vec3` and `gl_Position` appear, or if HLSL-type cues like `cbuffer` and semantics such as `TEXCOORD` show up, and then looking at its folder placement—especially shader-related directories—and searching project code for references that explicitly load or tag it as a vertex shader.
Here’s more in regards to VSH format have a look at our page. If the file opens as indecipherable characters rather than readable text, it’s likely a binary form—maybe a compiled shader or a compressed/encrypted engine asset—and in such cases only the engine or toolchain can interpret it, so the reliable method is to combine the extension hint with checking the actual content, the folder context, and the project’s load references, which usually confirms the `.VSH` file’s actual role.
The “.vsh” extension isn’t enforced by any official rule, but rather from a simple naming habit developers use so they can spot shader roles at a glance, with “v” meaning vertex and “sh” meaning shader, which also makes pairs like .vsh and .fsh easy to link together as vertex and fragment shaders in the rendering flow.
Another reason “.vsh” became common is the need for clean shader organization, allowing automated tools to compile and package shaders separately from normal files; over time communities adopted suffixes like .vs/.ps, and “.vsh” naturally settled in as a short, descriptive label that works well in paired naming schemes.
Because naming is convention-driven, developers often apply unique naming habits depending on shader stage, engine lineage, or legacy toolchains, so two separate “.vsh” files can both be vertex shaders but use distinct languages or formats—GLSL, HLSL, or engine-modified variants—meaning “.vsh” helps identify and process shaders but doesn’t impose universal rules.
