This course is your no-fluff entry point into writing custom shaders for Unity 6. You’ll start with the absolute basics—drawing a simple circle on screen—and work your way up to advanced effects like volumetric rendering, stencil buffers, and URP post-processing. No prior shader knowledge is needed, just a willingness to experiment.

🎯 What you’ll learn

• Write custom shaders using the HLSL shading language from scratch.
• Create shaders for the Universal Render Pipeline (URP).
• Use Shader Graph to build shaders without writing code.
• Implement advanced effects like tessellation, transparency, and post-processing.

✅ Requirements

• Skills: Basic knowledge of using Unity is assumed. No shader or programming experience required.
• Tools: A copy of Unity (free for students) and a code editor like Visual Studio.
• Hardware: A computer capable of running Unity.

📝 Description

This course cuts through the theory and gets you writing shaders immediately. You’ll start with simple 2D fragment shaders—drawing shapes, creating patterns, and manipulating colors. The goal is to build an intuitive feel for how the GPU processes pixels in parallel.

From there, you’ll move into 3D, learning how to work with Unity’s built-in lighting using Surface Shaders. You’ll cover bump mapping, Fresnel effects, and environment mapping, giving your objects realistic material properties. The course then pushes into advanced territory: tessellation, stencil buffers, and volumetric rendering.

A major focus is the Universal Render Pipeline (URP), now the default in Unity 6. You’ll learn to convert existing shaders and build new ones specifically for URP, including a toon shader and custom post-processing effects. For those who prefer a visual approach, the final section covers Shader Graph, where you’ll create rim lighting, reflections, and refractive glass without writing a single line of code.

The teaching style is practical and iterative. Each concept is demonstrated with a working shader, and you’re encouraged to tweak values and experiment. The course includes dozens of starter and completed scenes, so you can always see the expected result.

🧑‍🎓 Who this course is for

• Unity developers who need custom shaders for a specific game feature.
• Developers who want to learn the HLSL language for use in other engines like Unreal.
• Artists who want to create shaders visually using Shader Graph.
• Anyone who has been intimidated by shaders and wants a gentle, structured introduction.

🧑‍🏫 About the Author

Nicholas Lever has spent the last five years working directly with the team at Unity to create official learning resources, including e-books. He brings that insider knowledge to this course, ensuring you learn best practices and current workflows. His teaching style is clear, encouraging, and focused on practical application, as reflected in the course’s high ratings.

🏁 Final Result

• A portfolio of dozens of custom shaders, from procedural patterns to URP post-processing effects.
• The ability to write and adapt HLSL shaders for any Unity project.
• A solid understanding of the shader pipeline, enabling you to create any visual effect you can imagine.