Exploring the Unity 2018 Visual Shader Editor

Unity 2018's beta was released earlier today and includes a number of exciting new features. One of them is a new visual shader editor called the Shader Graph. Shader Graph is a visual tool which allows you to connect nodes to define a shader without having to interact directly with code or understand anything about computer graphics.

While both Unity 2018 and the Shader Graph tool are both in beta we're going to attempt to use them to build a simple shader without touching code once. We'll take advantage of the Vernoi noise generation included with the tool and animate it over time. We'll also explore importing a texture in the Shader Graph and using it to simulate lava or energy over a texture. The effect is simple but for a demonstration covers many of the normal things you'll want to do.

Given that the tool is a beta still some of the hickups we encounter should be expected, however they do make taking advantage of the tool difficult. It's far from perfect but, despite that, offers a powerful suite of tools for anyone looking to tinker with shaders or just prototype that new effect quickly before writing it out in code. It's a good first step that hopefully grows over time. Additionally, since this tool is so new very little documentation for it exists, as this grows it should make the tool easier and easier to use as well.

Hopefully as it matures it becomes a powerful tool in the Unity toolbox.

What do you think? Is this something you'd like to use? Give it a try with the links below or let me know what you think in the comments!

[rasclausen]

to get the XYZ values independently you have to use a split node, and you can use a combine node to combine values, I played around with it yesterday. a bit sad that there is no vertex animation yet, but that should be in the works

[samueldeodato]

More than the new unity shader editor this video help me with understand shader itself... really thank for that

[alexaquaza]

Finally!!!! Unity is finally becoming beast.Please make a series on using this Visual Shader Tool.

[jaykinbacon]

HSV = Hue, Saturation,
You can pan the UV maps by either using a panner node if it exist, otherwise you'd have to add a time and append to either a constant value of 1 or 0, and then use the X, Y coordinate to the UV for panning one direction.
To do a water/Lava mix, you can either do do things, using interpolate or lerp and mix two texture (Rocks and magma) together, have it various over the time using time panner or at least adjust the lerp value to change the way the rock/lava is presented. (You could also add in the Tessellation map to make things look interesting).

[Misterlikeseverythin]

Now Unity will have comparable lighting, material making and way way way better Animator than UE4. Finally what we wanted!!!

[jorgebarreiros]

Hey man great video! One question do you know if vertex shader will be available in the visual shader editor? Being able to deform a mesh, is that gonna be possible with this visual editor?

[justgaming]

Good you made the video earlier than anyone

[JosivanCienciaETecnologia]

The entire video: " i don't know what the f*** i'm doing..."

[harrysanders]

Cant believe it, finally like unreal. Thanks for the vid.

[xalener]

this is amazing and I'm gonna use the hell out of it but did they add the ability to change the camera translation speed in the 3d viewport yet?

[PolyMadd]

Where the hell is the Shader Editor Window found???

[proxid_]

Hi :D, in the right panel u can add properties to shader: floats, textures etc. then in nodes window add property node and choose the property u want to use and then u can edit it through inspector.

[rpfake]

Can you test the new c# job system or is that not included in the beta yet?

[hatac]

Yes if you have not played with the visual editing tools sold in the shop you will get stuck. Unity is migrating the best tools from the shop into the game. Some staffer has a "your hired" button on their shop browser.

[Maxartz]

There is a 'tiling and offset' for the UV's and with that you could make the UV's scroll or offset.

[cyuxi]

It seems the situation is quite inevitable now. I have already owned SF and ASE for years, and it will be really sad to witness their retirement one day.

[kinami]

Any idea why i dont have the option to open the shader graph? 2018 beta seems kinda weird to me.. no idea why its not working properly

[neo]

Could you rescale videos to 480p so that text can be seen better ?

[bronzekoala]

YESS finaly shader nodes! Love it! Hope it won't be premium only.

[mastermati]

I have just downloaded Unity 2018.1.0b8, and have no idea where this button "Create shader graph" has gone?!