What are the different Unity render pipelines?
Rendering a pipeline is how Unity organizes and performs all the operations required for scene rendering. It takes the various assets, such as shaders, 3D models, and lights and transforms them into a format that is easier for GPU to process.
Types of rendering pipelines
There are three main types of rendering pipelines.
Built-in render pipeline
Built-in pipeline is the default pipeline in Unity that is suitable for a large range of projects or platforms. It offers limited customization thereby compromising the performance and effects of your game.
Choosing the built-in pipeline might not be the most efficient choice for high-quality graphical effects.
Features
The major features of the built-in pipeline are given below.
Forward rendering: This pipeline supports
forward rendering Each object is rendered in one or more pass, depending on the light it receives Deferred shading: It also offers deferred rendering techniques to create realistic effects.
Dynamic shadows: It provides dynamic shadow casting for both the spotlights and the directional.
Customization: The pipeline offers various customizable options by writing custom
shaders Programs that run on GPU and determine how objects are rendered. The built-in render pipeline is suitable for the platforms such as older hardware or mobile devices.
Sample project
The above scene uses the built-in pipeline in Unity. This is a side by side view of the project in the Scene view and in the Game view.
The scene is built without adding lighting details and other reflection probes.
Universal Render Pipeline (URP)
URP is a Lightweight Render Pipeline (LWRP), a more efficient pipeline in Unity. This pipeline is known for its quality and speed on mobile devices, consoles, or VR, thereby delivering better performance effects than the built-in render pipeline.
Features
The major features of URP are given below.
Shader graph: This pipeline offers visual scripting interfaces to create shaders without writing code.
Scriptable Render Pipeline: URP allows the developers to customize the rendering pipeline to fit their project requirements.
2D renderer: The pipeline provides optimizable rendering for 2D projects.
Post-processing stack: To enhance the visuals, the pipeline offers a collection of post-processing effects to add to your simulations.
Support for GPU instance: It aids in optimized rendering by rendering multiple instances with only a single call.
The targeted platforms for URP are Mobiles, PCs, or high-end consoles.
Games such as People Playground, Neon White, and The Looker are built using Universal Render Pipeline in Unity.
Sample URP project
The above scene uses the universal pipeline in Unity. This is a side-by-side view of the project in the Scene view and in the Game view.
The scene is built using reflection probes and the light probes to create realistic lighting effects.
Notice the lighting effects throughout the pictures.
High-Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP)
HDRP pipeline is designed to develop high-end simulations and games demanding higher-quality graphics. It is based on scripting, giving you more control over your games or simulations.
Even though HDRP offers the highest quality graphics with advanced lighting and shading features, it comes at the expense of higher computational resources. So, it does not work well with less powerful or older hardware.
Features
The major features of HDRP are given below.
Physically Based Rendering (PBR): HDRP uses PBR to simulate the behavior of light in real-world materials accurately.
Shader graph: It offers the creation of visual custom shaders. Like URP, it also offers a visual interface for creating shaders.
Real-time lights: The pipeline enables the use of disc-shaped and rectangular area lights to create realistic scenarios.
Ray tracing: HDRP offers ray tracing technique that can simulate the lighting of a scene realistically by rendering reflections, shadows, refraction and indirect lighting.
Atmospheric effects: It adds realistic atmosphere effects, such as rain, fog, or clouds.
Decals: It enables the addition of textures and materials as layers on top of the existing surfaces.
Subsurface scattering: It renders translucent materials, such as wax, skin, or vegetation.
The targeted platforms for HDPR are high-end hardware such as consoles and PCs.
Games such as The Upturned, Ghost Watchers, and the Rise of Humanity are built using HDRP in Unity.
Sample HDRP project
The scene uses the high-definition rendering pipeline in Unity. This is a side-by-side view of the project in the Scene view and in the Game view.
The scene is built using reflective puddles, reflection probes, full frame
Notice the lighting effects and tiny details in objects throughout the pictures.
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