Unity Shader Programming: Beginners To Advanced Techniques

Master Unity Shader Programming from basics to advanced with our comprehensive course designed for all skill levels!

What you'll learn

Fundamentals of Unity 5 shader programming.

Creating and customizing shader properties and variables.

Developing various shaders, including textures, water effects, and normal maps.

Implementing lighting models and custom lighting in shaders.

Writing and optimizing shaders for mobile platforms.

Creating and adjusting screen effects for unique visual experiences.

Advanced shader techniques, including CG Inc files and heat maps.

Using the profiler to enhance shader performance.

Applying advanced shader effects like fur and night vision.

Requirements

Basic understanding of Unity and its interface. Familiarity with basic programming concepts. Access to Unity 5 or later versions. Willingness to experiment and practice with shader programming. Basic knowledge of C# programming is beneficial but not mandatory.

Description

Course Introduction: Welcome to the "Comprehensive Unity Shader Programming: From Beginners to Advanced Techniques" course! This course is designed to equip you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to master shader programming in Unity. Whether you're just starting or looking to enhance your existing skills, this course will take you through a structured learning journey from the fundamentals to advanced shader techniques. You'll learn how to create stunning visual effects, optimize performance, and implement complex shaders using Unity's ShaderLab and CG programming. Get ready to dive into the exciting world of shader development and unleash your creativity in game and application development!Section 1: Unity Shader Programming - BeginnersIn this beginner's section of Unity Shader Programming, students are introduced to the fundamentals of shader programming in Unity 5. The journey starts with an overview of shader programming, highlighting the differences between Unity4 and Unity5 shaders. Students then delve into creating basic shaders through both theoretical and practical labs, gaining hands-on experience in shader development. Essential shader properties and variables are explored, including subshader variables and packed arrays, enabling students to customize shader behaviors. The section covers creating various types of shaders, such as scrolling textures, water effects, normal maps, and transparent shaders, providing a comprehensive understanding of shader functionalities. Advanced techniques like blending textures using Lerp, drawing circles in terrain, and implementing lighting models are also discussed. Students will write custom lighting, toon shaders, Phong shaders, Blinn Phong shaders, and anisotropic specular shaders. The section concludes with an introduction to global illumination (GI) and light baking, reflection probes, and light probe groups, equipping students with the foundational knowledge required for more advanced shader programming.Section 2: Unity Shader Programming - IntermediateBuilding on the basics, the intermediate section delves into more complex aspects of Unity shader programming. Students begin by learning about vertex functions and the animation of vertices, followed by extrusion shaders and creating unique effects like snow shaders and volumetric explosions. The curriculum covers the creation of fragment shaders, including the use of Grab Pass shaders for effects like glass and stained glass normals. Further, students explore writing and optimizing shaders for mobile platforms, utilizing the profiler to enhance performance. The section also introduces screen effects, custom shader image effects, and various visual adjustments such as depth effect, brightness, saturation, contrast, and blend modes. Unique effects like old film and night vision are explored in detail, providing students with the skills to create visually captivating shaders.Section 3: Unity Shader Programming - AdvancedIn the advanced section, students tackle the creation of custom CG Inc files and CG include shaders, enabling more efficient and reusable shader code. Advanced shader techniques such as creating fur and heat maps are covered, along with their practical applications and further exploration. This section equips students with the ability to develop highly complex and performance-optimized shaders for professional use. By the end of this section, students will have a comprehensive understanding of advanced shader programming concepts, preparing them for sophisticated shader development projects in Unity.Course Conclusion: Congratulations on completing the "Comprehensive Unity Shader Programming: From Beginners to Advanced Techniques" course! Throughout this journey, you've gained a deep understanding of shader programming in Unity, starting from basic shader creation to advanced topics like custom lighting models, screen effects, and shader optimization. Armed with these skills, you're now equipped to create visually compelling games and applications, optimize shader performance, and experiment with cutting-edge shader techniques. Keep exploring, experimenting, and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with shaders in Unity. Happy shader programming!

Overview

Section 1: Unity Shader Programming - Beginners

Lecture 1 Introduction to Unity 5 Shader Programming

Lecture 2 Theory - Creating A Basic Shader

Lecture 3 Lab - Creating A Basic Shader

Lecture 4 Migrating from Unity4 to Unity 5 Shaers

Lecture 5 Migrating from Unity4 to Unity 5 Shaers Continues

Lecture 6 Understanding Shader Properties

Lecture 7 Create Properties

Lecture 8 Create Subshader Variable

Lecture 9 Using Packed Arrays

Lecture 10 Use Albedo Color

Lecture 11 Creating A Scrolling Texture

Lecture 12 Water Effect Shader

Lecture 13 Creating A Normal Map Shader

Lecture 14 Normal Map Test Shader

Lecture 15 Bump Intensity

Lecture 16 Creating A Transparent Shader

Lecture 17 Creating a Holographic Shader

Lecture 18 Silhouette Shader

Lecture 19 Blending Textures Using Lerp

Lecture 20 Blending Textures Using Lerp Continues

Lecture 21 Drawing Circle in Terrain

Lecture 22 Mat Radius

Lecture 23 Lighting Models

Lecture 24 Writing the First Custom Lighting

Lecture 25 Writing Toon Shader

Lecture 26 Writing Toon Shader Continues

Lecture 27 Writing Phong Shader

Lecture 28 Phong Secular Shader

Lecture 29 Writing Blinn Phong Shader

Lecture 30 Blinn Phong Shader – Half Vector

Lecture 31 Writing Anisotropic Specular Shader

Lecture 32 Writing Anisotropic Specular Shader Continues

Lecture 33 GI And Light Baking

Lecture 34 More on GI And Light Baking

Lecture 35 Creating Reflection Probe

Lecture 36 Light Probe Groups

Section 2: Unity Shader Programming - Intermediate

Lecture 37 Introduction to Vertex Function

Lecture 38 Animating Vertices

Lecture 39 Animating Vertices Continues

Lecture 40 Extruding Vertices

Lecture 41 Extrusion Shader

Lecture 42 Creating Snow Shader

Lecture 43 Creating Snow Shader Continues

Lecture 44 Volumetric Explosions

Lecture 45 Volumetric Explosions - SG Program

Lecture 46 First Fragment Shader

Lecture 47 First Fragment Shader Continues

Lecture 48 Use of Grab Pass Shader

Lecture 49 How Grab Pass Shader Works

Lecture 50 Writing a Glass Shader

Lecture 51 Glass Stained Normals

Lecture 52 Writing 2D Water Shader

Lecture 53 More 2D Water Shader

Lecture 54 Shader Adjustment

Lecture 55 Optimizing the Shader

Lecture 56 Using the Profiler

Lecture 57 Using the Profiler Continues

Lecture 58 Writing a Mobile Shader

Lecture 59 Optimize Shaders

Lecture 60 Introduction to Screen Effects

Lecture 61 Custom Shader Image Effects

Lecture 62 Changing the Screen Effects

Lecture 63 Depth Effect

Lecture 64 Brightness Saturation

Lecture 65 Contrast

Lecture 66 Contrast Continues

Lecture 67 Blend Modes

Lecture 68 Blend Mode Image Effect

Lecture 69 Overlay Image Effect

Lecture 70 Old Film Effect

Lecture 71 More on Old Film Effect

Lecture 72 Old Film Effect Shader

Lecture 73 Effect Final Color

Lecture 74 Old Film Effect Explained

Lecture 75 Night Vision Effect

Lecture 76 More on Night Vision Effect

Lecture 77 Blend Effect

Lecture 78 Night Version Effect Shader

Section 3: Unity Shader Programming - Advanced

Lecture 79 Creating Custom CG Inc Files

Lecture 80 CG Include Shader

Lecture 81 Creating Fur

Lecture 82 More on Creating Fur

Lecture 83 Creating Heat Map

Lecture 84 More on Creating Heat Map

Aspiring Game Developers: Individuals aiming to enhance their game development skills with shader programming.,Graphic Artists: Artists looking to incorporate advanced visual effects into their Unity projects.,Experienced Developers: Developers wanting to deepen their knowledge of shader programming and optimization.,Students and Educators: Those in academic settings who want to learn or teach advanced Unity shader techniques.,Technical Artists: Professionals who bridge the gap between programming and visual art in game development.,Hobbyists and Enthusiasts: Anyone with a passion for game development and visual effects who wants to explore the capabilities of Unity shaders.,Freelancers: Freelancers looking to offer advanced shader programming services to clients.,Professionals in Related Fields: Professionals in animation, VFX, and related fields who want to incorporate Unity shaders into their work.,Indie Game Developers: Independent developers seeking to add polished visual effects to their games.,Career Changers: Individuals transitioning into game development or technical art roles who need comprehensive training in shader programming.