NOVA Shader: Uber shader for Particle System

Docs (English, 日本語) | Samples (English, 日本語) | Demo (English, 日本語)

NOVA Shader is a multi-functional shader for the Particle System that supports Universal Render Pipeline (URP). General-purpose functions commonly used in visual effects are implemented so you can create high-quality effects efficiently.

Author: @Ugokashiya

It implements some distinctive features like Flow Map, Flip-Book (sequential texture animation), Dissolve, Fade, Rotation, Animated Tint Map, Emission, Distortion, and so on.

Features

For more information, please refer to the following documents, Samples and Demo.

Setup
- Requirements
  - Install
Usage
Uber Unlit Shader
Uber Lit Shader
- Render Settings
- Surface Maps
Distortion Shader
Abort Shadow Caster
Use with the Custom Vertex Streams
Use Mesh GPU Instancing
- Enable Mesh GPU Instancing
- Set up the Custom Vertex Streams
Automatic set up the Custom Vertex Streams.
- Fix Now
Editor APIs Reference
Licenses

Setup

Requirements

This library is compatible with the following environments.

Unity 2021.3 or higher
Universal Render Pipeline
Shader Model 3.5

Note that Shader Model 4.5 is required to use Mesh GPU Instancing. And also, if you want to use Mirror Sampling, your hardware needs to support Inline Sampler States. And if you are using 3D Texture or 2D Texture Array, the compression format must support them.

And this document assumes that you have already set up the Universal Render Pipeline. For more information about the Universal Render Pipeline, please refer to the Unity Manual

Install

To install the software, follow the steps below.

Open the Package Manager from Window > Package Manager
"+" button > Add package from git URL
Enter the following
- https://github.com/CyberAgentGameEntertainment/NovaShader.git?path=/Assets/Nova

Or, open Packages/manifest.json and add the following to the dependencies block.

{
    "dependencies": {
        "jp.co.cyberagent.nova": "https://github.com/CyberAgentGameEntertainment/NovaShader.git?path=/Assets/Nova"
    }
}

If you want to set the target version, write as follows.

https://github.com/CyberAgentGameEntertainment/NovaShader.git?path=/Assets/Nova#1.0.0

Note that if you get a message like No 'git' executable was found. Please install Git on your system and restart Unity, you will need to set up Git on your machine.

To update the version, rewrite the version as described above.
If you don't want to specify a version, you can also update the version by editing the hash of this library in the package-lock.json file.

{
  "dependencies": {
      "jp.co.cyberagent.nova": {
      "version": "https://github.com/CyberAgentGameEntertainment/NovaShader.git?path=/Assets/Nova",
      "depth": 0,
      "source": "git",
      "dependencies": {},
      "hash": "..."
    }
  }
}

Usage

Add Renderer Feature

First, set up the Renderer Feature to apply Distortion. Click Add Renderer Feature > Screen Space Distortion from the bottom of the Inspector of the ForwardRendererData asset.

Add Screen Space Distortion

Confirm that Screen Space Distortion has been added as shown below.

Screen Space Distortion

Note
This setting is not necessary if you do not use the Distortion Shader.

Activate Depth Texture

Next, activate Depth Texture to use the Soft Particles or Depth Fade features. Check Depth Texture in the UniversalRenderPipelineAsset Inspector.

Depth Texture

Depth Texture setting is also found in each Camera, so set it as necessary.

Note
This setting is not necessary if neither Soft Particles nor Depth Fade is used.

Create and assign the Material

Next, create a material with the Nova shader. Create a material and set the shader to Nova/Particles/UberUnlit and assign a texture to the Base Map.

Material

After creating a Particle System and assigning this material, you will see particles with the specified texture.

Particle

For more information on each shader and each function, see the sections below.

Uber Unlit Shader

The Uber Unlit shader is a multifunctional shader with no lighting applied. Use this shader for particles that do not need lighting, such as glowing effects.

To use this shader, assign the Nova/Particles/UberUnlit shader to your material. The following is the description of each property that can be set from the Inspector.

Render Settings

The Render Settings control how the Material is rendered.

Render Settings

Property Name		Description
Render Type		You can specify the type of rendering from the following options. Opaque Cutout Transparent (Default) If you select Cutout, the CutOff property will be displayed. When Transparent is selected, the Blend Mode property will be displayed.
	CutOff	This property is visible only when the Render Type is set to Cutout. Controls the threshold to clip semi-transparent areas. The higher this value is, the more alpha will be cropped.
	Blend Mode	This property is visible only when the Render Type is set to Transparent. You can specify the color blend method from the following options. Alpha (Alpha Blending / Default) Additive Multiply
Render Face		You can specify the rendering face from the following options. Front (Default) Back Both
Render Priority		If the Render Type is the same, the one with the lower Render Priority will be drawn first.
Vertex Alpha Mode		You can specify how to use the alpha value of the vertex color from the following options. Alpha: Use as alpha value (Default). Transition Progress: Use as Progress in Alpha Transition function (see below).
ZWrite		You can set ZWrite value. Auto: ZWrite is disabled when the Render Type is set to Transparent, and it is enabled when the Render Type is set to any other values. Off: ZWrite is always disabled. On: ZWrite is always enabled.
ZTest		You can set ZTest value. Disabled Never Less Equal Less Equal (Default) Greater Not Equal Greater Equal Always

Vertex Deformation

With Vertex Deformation, you can control the deformation of vertices.

Vertex Deformation

Property Name

Description

Texture

Sets the Vertex Deformation Map. The specifications are as follows.

Push vertices in the normal direction of the object space based on the value of a single specified texture channel.
You can select a channel by Channels property.
Areas of the texture with a value of zero will not be pushed out, and areas with larger values will be pushed out more towards the exterior.

Note that you need to uncheck sRGB Color in the texture import setting because the pixels will be used as values, not colors.

Intensity

Sets the Vertex Deformation intensity.

Base Map

Base Map controls the base color texture and its settings.

Base Map

Property Name		Description
Mode		You can specify the type of the Base Map from the following options. Single Texture: Use 2D texture (Default). Flip Book: Use Flip-Book animation. Flip Book Blending: Use Flip-Book animation with interpolated frames. The required texture type will change depending on the mode you selected.
Texture		Set the Base Map. If you specify Flip Book as the Mode, you need to set Texture2DArray. And if you specify Flip Book Blending, you need to set Texture3D.
Rotation		Set the amount of rotation of the Base Map.
	Offset	Shifts the center coordinate of rotation.
Mirror Sampling		If true, mirrors the texture to create a repeating pattern.
Flip-Book Progress		This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Flip Book or Flip Book Blending. The progress of the Flip-Book or Flip-Book Blending.

Tint Color

Tint Color controls the color to be multiplied.

Tint Color

Property Name		Description
Mode		You can specify the area to apply the Tint Color from the following options. None: Disable the Tint Color (Default). All: Apply to the entire surface. Rim: Apply to the rim.
	Progress	This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Rim. The larger this value is, the more only the areas near the edges will be colored.
	Sharpness	This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Rim. The larger this value is, the sharper the edge of the rim will be.
	Inverse	This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Rim. If checked, reverse the range of the rim.
Color Mode		You can specify how you set the Tint Color. Single Color: Single Color (Default). Texture 2D: Specified by the texture. Texture 3D: Specified by the 3D texture (Animatable).
Color		This property is visible only when the Color Mode is set to Single Color. The color to be multiplied.
Texture		This property is visible only when the Color Mode is set to Texture 2D or Texture 3D. The texture whose color will be multiplied.
Progress		This property is visible only when the Color Mode is set to Texture 3D. The progress of the 3D Texture.
Blend Rate		The color multiplication factor. If this value is zero, the color will not be applied; if it is one, the color will be multiplied as is.

Flow Map

You can use the Flow Map to distort the Base Map to the specified directions.

Flow Map

Property Name			Description
Texture			Sets the Flow Map. The specifications are as follows. Shifts the UV values of the Base Map based on the texture color channels. The color channels used is determined by the X value and Y value of the Channels properties. The smaller the value from 0.5, the more the UV value shifts in the negative direction, and vice versa. Note that you need to uncheck sRGB Color in the texture import setting because the pixels will be used as values, not colors.
Intensity			Sets the Flow Map intensity.
Targets			Set the targets to which the flow map will be applied (multiple selections are possible). Base Map Tint Map Alpha Transition Map Emission Map

Parallax Map

Parallax Map can create a parallax effect.

Parallax Map

Property			Description
Mode			Specifies the mode of the parallax map from the following options: Single Texture: Regular 2D texture (default) Flip Book: Flip-Book animation Flip Book Blending: Flip-Book animation with blending The texture type changes depending on the selected mode.
Texture			Sets the parallax map. If Flip Book is selected in Mode, a Texture2DArray needs to be set. If Flip Book Blending is selected in Mode, a Texture3D needs to be set. The specifications of the parallax map are as follows: Changes the surface's concavity based on the color value of the specified channel The value of 0 is the original state, and the closer it gets to 1, the more concave it becomes Since a texture is used as a value, not a color, be sure to uncheck the sRGB Color checkbox in the texture settings.
Strength			Sets the strength of the parallax map when applied.
Targets			Sets the targets to apply the parallax map (multiple selection possible). Base Map Tint Map Emission Map

Color Correction

Color Correction correct the colors up to this point.

Color Correction

Property Name

Description

Mode

You can specify how to correct the colors.

None: Disable the Color Correction (Default).
Greyscale: Chage the colors to greyscale.
Gradient Map: Use the gradient map.

Texture

This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Gradient.

Sets the Gradient Map. The specifications are as follows.

Replace the luminance with the colors of the gradient map.
Change the U value for sampling the gradient map according to luminance.
Therefore, we need to use a texture with a horizontal gradient.

Alpha Transition

Alpha Transition controls the alpha value using a texture.

Alpha Transition

Property Name			Description
Mode			You can specify Alpha Transition Mode from the following options. None: Disable the Alpha Transition (Default). Fade: Transition using the fade texture. Dissolve: Transition using the dissolve texture.
Map Mode			You can specify the type of the Alpha Transition Map from the following options. Single Texture: Use 2D texture (Default). Flip Book: Use Flip-Book animation. Flip Book Blending: Use Flip-Book animation with interpolated frames. The required texture type will change depending on the mode you selected.
Texture			Sets the Alpha Transition Map. The specifications are as follows. Changes the alpha value based on the texture color channel. The color channels used is determined by the X value of the Channels properties. The smaller the R value, the easier it is to disappear, and vice versa. If you specify Flip Book as the Mode, you need to set Texture2DArray. And if you specify Flip Book Blending, you need to set Texture3D. Note that you need to uncheck sRGB Color in the texture import setting because the pixels will be used as values, not colors.
Flip-Book Progress			This property is visible only when the Map Mode is set to Flip Book or Flip Book Blending. Sets the progress of Flip-Book or Flip-Book Blending.
Transition Progress			Sets the progress of Transition.
Edge Sharpness			This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Transition. Sets the sharpness of the edge.

Emission

The Emission control how the particles are glowing.

Emission

Property Name			Description
Mode			You can specify the area to be glowed. None: Disable the Emission (Default). All: The entire surface will glow. By Texture: The area specified by the texture will glow. Edge: Edges (areas where alpha is greater than 0 and less than 1) will glow.
Map Mode			This property is visible only when the Mode is set to By Texture. You can specify the Mode of the Emission Map from the following options. Single Texture: Use 2D texture (Default). Flip Book: Use Flip-Book animation. Flip Book Blending: Use Flip-Book animation with interpolated frames. The required texture type will change depending on the mode you selected.
Texture			This property is visible only when the Mode is set to By Texture. Sets the Emission Map. The specifications are as follows. The larger the texture color channles value, the more likely it is to glow. The color channels used is determined by the X value of the Channels property. If you specify Flip Book as the Mode, you need to set Texture2DArray. And if you specify Flip Book Blending, you need to set Texture3D. Note that you need to uncheck sRGB Color in the texture import setting because the pixels will be used as values, not colors.
Flip-Book Progress			This property is visible only when the Mode is set to By Texture and the Map Mode is set to Flip Book or Flip Book Blending. Sets the progress of Flip-Book or Flip-Book Blending.
Color Type			You can specify the type of the emission color from the following options. Color: Use the specified single color as the emission color. Base Color: Use the RGB values up to this point as the emission color. Gradient Map: Use a gradient map to specify the emission color. Gradient Map can only be selected when Mode is set to By Texture or Edge.
Color			This property is visible only when the Color Type is set to Color. Sets the emission color as HDR color.
Keep Edge Transparency			This property is visible only when the Mode is set to Edge. If checked, the edges will not be transparent.
Gradient Map			This property is visible only when the Color Type is set to Gradient Map. Sets the Gradient Map. The specifications are as follows. When Mode is By Texture: Sampling the R value of the Emission Map as the U value of the Gradient Map. When Mode is Edge: Sample alpha values as U values of the Gradient Map. You need to use a texture with a horizontal gradient as the Gradient Map.
Intensity			Sets the intensity of the emission.

Transparency

Control the transparency in various ways.

Transparency

Property Name		Description
Rim		If checked, the rim will be transparent.
	Progress	Sets the progress of transparency.
	Sharpness	The larger this value is, the sharper the edge will be.
	Inverse	Inverse the transparency area.
Luminance		If checked, areas with low brightness will be transparent.
	Progress	Sets the progress of transparency.
	Sharpness	The larger this value is, the sharper the edge will be.
	Inverse	Inverse the transparency area.
Sort Particles		If checked, soft particles will be enabled. To use this feature, the Depth Texture in URP settings must be enabled.
	Intensity	The larger this value, the larger the transparent area.
Depth Fade		Makes the areas near and far from the camera transparent. To use this feature, the Depth Texture in URP settings must be enabled.
	Distance	Set the transparency range. The area closer than Near and farther than Far from the camera will be transparent.
	Width	The distance from the beginning of transparency to the end of complete transparency.

Uber Lit Shader

The Uber Lit shader is a multifunctional shader with lighting applied. Use this shader for particles that need lighting, such as mesh effects. This shader reflects lighting compliant with Unity's PBR lighting specification.

To use this shader, assign the Nova/Particles/UberLit shader to your material. This shader is based on the Uber Unlit shader with additional processing and properties.

The description of the added properties is as follows.