claude-dev-suite Unity Rendering
Pipeline selection
| Pipeline | Use when | Avoid when |
|---|---|---|
| URP | Mobile, indie, mid-fidelity, broad platform reach, custom Renderer Features | Cinematic AAA, volumetrics, screen-space GI |
| HDRP | High-end PC/console, photoreal, advanced lighting | Mobile, WebGL, low-spec hardware |
| Built-in | Legacy projects, very specific shaders not portable | New projects (default to URP) |
Switching pipeline mid-project is painful — pick once, upfront.
Shader Graph (URP/HDRP)
Vertex stage → object-space → world-space transforms, vertex displacement
Fragment → albedo, normal, metallic, smoothness, emission, AO
Custom Function node → write HLSL inline for branchless ops
Subgraph → reusable groups; export as .shadersubgraph
Author URP shaders in Shader Graph by default. Drop to handwritten ShaderLab/HLSL only when SG can't express the math (e.g. compute, geometry, custom render textures).
Volume framework (URP/HDRP)
// Per-camera profile override
var volume = camera.GetComponent<Volume>();
if (volume.profile.TryGet<Bloom>(out var bloom)) {
bloom.intensity.value = 1.5f;
bloom.threshold.value = 0.9f;
}
Global volume + per-trigger local volumes; use weights for smooth transitions (e.g. entering interior).
Renderer Features (URP)
Add custom passes (outline, fog, decal) by extending ScriptableRendererFeature + ScriptableRenderPass. Inject at BeforeRenderingTransparents, AfterRenderingPostProcessing, etc.
public class OutlineFeature : ScriptableRendererFeature {
public Material outlineMat;
OutlinePass _pass;
public override void Create() => _pass = new OutlinePass(outlineMat);
public override void AddRenderPasses(ScriptableRenderer r, ref RenderingData d)
=> r.EnqueuePass(_pass);
}
GPU Resident Drawer / BatchRendererGroup (Unity 6)
Big draw-call wins for static + lots of instances. Toggle GPU Resident Drawer in Quality settings; objects must be Static + share materials/meshes; auto-instances them on the GPU.
Lighting
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| Static scenes (level geo) | Baked Global Illumination (Progressive Lightmapper GPU) + Light Probes for dynamic objects |
| Outdoor day-night cycle | Mixed lighting (Shadowmask) + dynamic skybox |
| Stylized cel-shading | Custom Shader Graph with ramp texture |
| HDRP photoreal | Volumetric lights + Screen-Space GI + Adaptive Probe Volumes |
Reflection Probes: bake on key viewpoints; use box projection for indoors; pure realtime probes only for hero objects.
Anti-patterns
| Anti-pattern | Fix |
|---|---|
| Different shader per material variant | Material Property Block via Renderer.SetPropertyBlock |
| Switching shaders at runtime | Pre-warm with shader variants collection asset |
| Per-frame material instantiation | renderer.material clones — use sharedMaterial for reads, MaterialPropertyBlock for per-instance overrides |
| Camera.Render() in Update | Use Render Texture + Camera.targetTexture once |
| Mixing pipelines (URP shader on Built-in) | Convert via Edit > Render Pipeline > Universal > Convert Selected Materials |
Production checklist
- Pipeline asset set in Graphics + Quality settings
- Volume profiles configured for global + relevant local triggers
- Shader variants collection generated and preloaded for the build
- Static objects flagged Static; lighting baked
- Light Probes / Reflection Probes placed
- Frame Debugger inspected — no surprise opaque draws on UI
- HDRP-only: Adaptive Probe Volumes configured if static GI is critical