Creating a Beautiful Level in Unity

Objective: To look back over the features that were implemented in both the Universal and High Render Pipelines (URP/HDRP) Sci-Fi Lab rooms.

What started out as a very empty and dull looking project using the default standard render pipeline has turned into a masterpiece with HDRP! With a bit of love, it was incredible to see what the Unity Engine Render Pipelines had to offer in bringing a project to life by creating a very immersive experience for the player.

Standard Pipeline

Let’s take a look at some of the features that were used in the URP Sci-Fi lab room:

• Creating a Custom Procedural Skybox
• Utilising Point, Spot and Area Lights
• Light Source Culling
• Altering existing Texture Maps using Photoshop/GIMP
• Altering FBX files in Filebase
• Adding Emissions to a Texture or FBX file
• Adjusting Texture Maps in Photoshop/GIMP
• Post Processing using Volumes
• Occlusion Culling
• Particles
• Reflection Probes

Universal Render Pipeline (URP)

Let’s also take a look at some of the features used in the HDRP Sci-Fi lab room:

• Height Maps with Tessellation and Pixel Displacement
• Decals
• Standard and Layered Lit
• Post Processing using Global Volumes (using multiple)
• Emission Channels
• Area/Point/Spot Lights
• Fog Particle Effects with Volumetric Lights
• Light Layers
• Cookies
• Realtime/Mixed and Baked Lighting
• Interior Light Probes
• Reflection Probes (using multiple)
• Screen Space Reflections
• Occlusion Culling

High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP)

The stand out for me here in this scene by far has been the Screen Space Reflections, Cookies and the Volumetric Lights in the Fog.