Unity Released New Shader Graph Node Reference Samples

Unity's Shader Graph team released new Node Reference Samples, available for 2021 LTS, 2022 LTS, and future releases. It is a massive collection of over 140 Shader Graph assets meant to be used as a reference to learn how each node works.

Every graph represents a node which you can find in the node library. It has a description of the node, explains its functionality, and shows how its math works. Opening its reference file will give you access to the descriptions, examples, and breakdowns of the node, helping you learn how to use it. 

For more clarity, Unity provides an example of a sample. Here is the Dot Product node:

At the top of the graph, we have the node and a basic description of what the dot product operation does.

On the left, we have the Under The Hood section, which breaks down the dot product operation into more basic math so you can see exactly what’s happening when you use the Dot Product node. Notice that there are helpful tips and descriptions of what’s happening and why.

This section shows you what you can do with the Dot Product node. We can see the node can be used to desaturate a color or as a handy method for texture channel selection and that the dot product is used as the basis for diffuse lighting calculations.

There are also other nodes' descriptions presented on Unity's website. Here are some of them:

• DDX Node
• Normal Vector
• Lerp Node
• Normal Blend Node

Shader Graph can be difficult to grasp, but it provides benefits for new users. It makes it easier to understand how nodes work by breaking down operators into simple math. Moreover, instead of just reading about nodes, you can see them in action. The examples also provide inspiration for new ideas.

Experienced users will understand specific nodes’ operations better and can create their own variations of nodes.

This sample set is just the first in a series, Unity is planning to release more, spaced a few months apart.

This is not everything Unity has brought to the table recently. The company also announced that Unity 6 with its performance enhancements will arrive next year.

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