Unity: Understanding URP, HDRP, and Built-In

Unity is a cross-platform game engine that is used to develop video games and other interactive media. Unity offers several built-in features, including the ability to create 3D and 2D games, virtual and augmented reality applications, and simulations. One of the key features of Unity is the ability to use different rendering pipelines to create high-quality visuals. This article will explore the three main rendering pipelines in Unity: Universal Render Pipeline (URP), High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP), and Built-in.

Understanding URP

Universal Render Pipeline (URP) is a lightweight pipeline that is designed to provide high-quality graphics while maintaining optimal performance. URP is a forward-rendering pipeline that supports the latest rendering techniques, such as dynamic lighting, GPU instancing, and post-processing effects. URP is designed to be compatible with a wide range of platforms, including mobile devices and low-end computers.

Advantages of URP

One of the main advantages of using the URP rendering pipeline in Unity is its performance. URP is designed to be lightweight and efficient, which means it can provide high-quality graphics even on low-end hardware. Games developed with URP can run smoothly on a wide range of devices, including mobile devices and low-end computers. Although using URP does sacrifice some visual quality and feature set relative to HDRP, the ability to scale to a variety of target hardware can offset the visual cost.

Another advantage of URP is its high level of customization as a scriptable render pipeline. It is somewhat easy to inject renderer features and render passes that extend or replace default aspects of URP's SRP. The customizable nature of URP can enable you to create your own rendering solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of your game. This level of customization can greatly enhance the visual quality of a game, but it can also require more time and resources to implement.

URP also supports flexible lighting and post-processing effects.

The performance, customization, and support for the latest rendering techniques make URP an ideal choice for developers who want to create good-looking games that run smoothly on a variety of devices. While URP may not support advanced Unity features like ray tracing and volumetric lighting, it still provides a powerful rendering pipeline that can create high-quality graphics for a variety of games.

Compatibility with other Unity features

The URP rendering pipeline in Unity is designed to be lightweight and efficient, which makes it compatible with a wide range of platforms and devices, including mobile devices and low-end computers. This efficiency allows URP to provide high-quality graphics that run smoothly on a variety of hardware.

URP is also designed to be compatible with the Shader Graph and the Visual Effect Graph, which allow developers to create custom shaders and visual effects. The Shader Graph is a visual tool that allows developers to create custom shaders without writing code, while the Visual Effect Graph allows developers to create complex particle effects and other visual effects using a similar visual interface. The compatibility with these tools makes it easier for developers to create high-quality visual effects that enhance the visual quality of a game.

However, URP may not include default support for the latest advanced graphics features that are included in HDRP such as ray tracing, volumetric clouds, and volumetric lighting.

Overall, the lightweight and efficient design of URP makes it an ideal choice for developers who want to create high-quality graphics that run smoothly on a wide range of platforms and devices. Compatibility with the Shader Graph and the Visual Effect Graph also makes it easier for developers to create custom shaders and visual effects that enhance the visual quality of a game. While URP may not be compatible with some of the most advanced HDRP features, it is still a powerful rendering pipeline that can provide high-quality graphics for a variety of games.

URP usage in production

Neon White is a speed run-focused first person shooter game with stylized graphics. It was developed using URP by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive.

You can also check out this massive list of games using the Unity URP SDK via SteamDB.

Understanding HDRP

High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) is a pipeline that is designed to provide high-quality graphics for high-end hardware, such as gaming consoles and high-end computers. HDRP is a physically-based pipeline that supports the latest rendering techniques, such as ray tracing, volumetric clouds, volumetric lighting, and HDR lighting. HDRP is designed to provide highly realistic graphics with accurate reflections

Advantages of HDRP

The HDRP rendering pipeline in Unity offers a number of advantages that make it an ideal choice for developers who want to create highly realistic graphics. One of the main advantages of HDRP is its ability to create highly realistic graphics that push the boundaries of what is possible in real-time rendering.

HDRP supports advanced rendering techniques, such as ray tracing, which can simulate realistic reflections and shadows. This technique allows for accurate reflections that are based on the actual geometry of the scene, rather than using pre-baked reflections. This creates a much more realistic look, especially in scenes with reflective surfaces.

HDRP also supports volumetric lighting, which can simulate the scattering of light in the atmosphere. This technique allows for realistic lighting effects that simulate the way light interacts with particles in the air, such as fog or dust. This can greatly enhance the visual quality of a scene, especially in outdoor or atmospheric environments.

Additionally, HDRP supports HDR lighting, which can provide a greater range of brightness and color. This technique allows for a wider range of colors and brightness levels in the scene, creating a more realistic look that more closely matches the way our eyes perceive light.

HDRP's advantages lie in its ability to create highly realistic graphics that push even the latest hardware. The support for advanced rendering techniques such as ray tracing, volumetric lighting, and HDR lighting makes HDRP an ideal choice for developers who want to create games that rely on a high degree of graphical fidelity. Just make sure you don't need to target low-end hardware like mobile.

Compatibility with other Unity features

The HDRP rendering pipeline in Unity is designed to be compatible with advanced Unity features, such as ray tracing and volumetric lighting. These features can greatly enhance the visual quality of a game, but require more processing power to run smoothly.

Ray tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the way light interacts with objects in the scene. It allows for realistic reflections and shadows, which can greatly enhance the visual quality of a game. However, ray tracing is computationally expensive and requires more processing power to run smoothly. HDRP is designed to be compatible with ray tracing, which means developers can create highly realistic graphics with accurate reflections and shadows.

Volumetric lighting is another rendering technique that simulates the scattering of light in the atmosphere. This technique allows for realistic lighting effects that simulate the way light interacts with particles in the air, such as fog or dust. Like ray tracing, volumetric lighting is computationally expensive and requires more processing power to run smoothly. HDRP is designed to be compatible with volumetric lighting, which means developers can create highly realistic lighting effects that enhance the visual quality of a game.

Like both Built-In and URP, HDRP is designed to be compatible with Shader Graph and Visual Effect Graph. These features allow developers to create high-quality visual effects without sacrificing performance. Shader Graph is a visual tool that allows developers to create custom shaders without writing code. Visual Effect Graph allows developers to create complex particle effects and other visual effects using a similar visual interface. The compatibility with these tools makes it easier for developers to create high-quality visual effects that enhance the visual quality of a game without sacrificing performance.

Overall, the compatibility of HDRP with advanced Unity features, such as ray tracing and volumetric lighting, along with its compatibility with Shader Graph and Visual Effect Graph, make it an ideal choice for developers who want to create highly realistic graphics that push the boundaries of what is possible in real-time rendering.

HDRP was used by Skater XL

Skater XL is a skateboarding game developed by Easy Day Studios. The game features volumetric fog, motion blur, HDR rendering, and other advanced graphics features supported by HDRP.

SteamDB also provides a list of thousands of games developed using HDRP.

Built-in

Built-in is the default rendering pipeline in Unity. Built-in is designed to provide a balance between performance and quality. Built-in supports a wide range of platforms and devices, including mobile devices and low-end computers.

Advantages of Built-in

The Built-in rendering pipeline in Unity offers a number of advantages that make it a popular choice for developers. One of the main advantages of Built-in is its compatibility with a wide range of platforms and devices. This is because Built-in is designed to be lightweight and efficient, which means it can provide high-quality graphics even on low-end hardware. This makes it an ideal choice for developers who want their games to be accessible to as many users as possible.

Another advantage of Built-in is its high level of customization. While it may not be as customizable as URP or HDRP, Built-in still provides a range of customization options that allow developers to create their own rendering solutions. This can be especially useful for developers who have specific visual requirements for their games or who want to create unique visual effects that are not available in other pipelines.

Built-in also offers a number of other features that make it a popular choice for developers. For example, it provides support for dynamic lighting and post-processing effects, which can greatly enhance the visual quality of a game. It also provides support for both 2D and 3D graphics, which makes it a versatile choice for developers who work in both genres.

Overall, the Built-in rendering pipeline offers a number of advantages that make it a popular choice for developers. Its compatibility with a wide range of platforms and devices, high level of customization, and support for a variety of features make it a versatile choice for developers who want to create high-quality games that run smoothly on a variety of devices.

Compatibility with other Unity features

The Built-In rendering pipeline in Unity is designed to be compatible with a wide range of platforms and devices, including mobile devices and low-end computers. This compatibility allows developers to create games that can run smoothly on a variety of hardware.

Built-In is also highly customizable, which makes it ideal for developers who want to create their own rendering solutions. The customizable nature of Built-In allows developers to create unique rendering solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of their game. This level of customization can greatly enhance the visual quality of a game, but it can also require more time and resources to implement.

Built-In is also compatible with the Shader Graph and the Visual Effect Graph, which allows developers to create custom shaders and visual effects without sacrificing performance.

Built-In may not be compatible with the latest SRP-related Unity features, such as ray tracing and volumetric lighting.

The Built-In Render Pipeline is versatile choice for developers who want to create high-quality graphics. Although Built-In may not feature a scriptable render pipeline like URP or HDRP, it still provides a powerful rendering pipeline that can create high-quality graphics for a variety of games.

Built-In was used by Among Us and Genshin Impact

SteamDB has a huge list of games developed using the Unity SDK. These games include games developed using URP or HDRP as well.

Among Us

Among Us is a popular multiplayer game developed by InnerSloth that features simple 2D graphics. Despite its simplicity, the game is visually appealing and provides an immersive gameplay experience. It runs across a variety of hardware and was able to achieve popularity in part because of the lightweight, low-requirement design.

Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact is an action role-playing game developed by miHoYo that features open-world exploration, character development, and multiplayer modes. Genshin Impact uses a custom version of Unity 2017.

Comparison between URP, HDRP, and Built-in

When choosing a rendering pipeline, it is important to consider the performance, compatibility, and features of each pipeline. URP is ideal for developers who want to create high-quality graphics while maintaining optimal performance. HDRP is ideal for developers who want to create highly realistic graphics for high-end hardware. Built-In is most compatible with older assets on the Unity Asset Store and is fairly flexible, but I would generally recommend choosing between either URP or HDRP as your baseline.

Performance is a critical factor to consider when selecting a rendering pipeline for your project. Each pipeline has its own performance characteristics, which can have a significant impact on the overall performance of your project.

URP is a lightweight pipeline that provides optimal performance. It is built with the latest rendering techniques, such as dynamic lighting and post-processing effects, to provide high-quality graphics while maintaining optimal performance. This makes URP an ideal choice for projects that require high-quality graphics and optimal performance, such as mobile games or VR applications.

HDRP, on the other hand, is designed to provide highly realistic graphics for high-end hardware. It is the most resource-intensive pipeline, which means it requires a powerful system to run smoothly. HDRP supports advanced rendering techniques, such as ray tracing and volumetric lighting, which can provide highly realistic graphics. This makes HDRP an ideal choice for projects that require highly realistic graphics, such as high-end PC or console games.

Built-in was the standard pipeline. It provides a balance between performance and quality. It is designed to be compatible with a wide range of platforms and devices, including mobile devices and low-end computers. Built-in supports a wide range of features, but URP has largely replaced it as the default render pipeline option.

Choosing the Right Render Pipeline

When choosing a rendering pipeline, it is important to consider several factors, including the performance requirements of the project, the target platform, and the desired visual quality. For projects that require high-quality graphics and optimal performance, URP may be the best choice. For projects that require highly realistic graphics and are targeting high-end hardware, HDRP may be the best choice. For projects that require a balance between performance and quality, Built-in may be the best choice.

I'd recommend putting together a list of critical features for your project, then comparing this list to Unity's comparison feature table for URP, HDRP, and Built-In.

In general, I recommend URP as a good starting point for most projects.

Conclusion

Unity offers several rendering pipelines, including URP, HDRP, and Built-in. Each pipeline has its advantages and disadvantages, and developers should choose the pipeline that best fits their project's requirements. Understanding the differences between these pipelines can help developers create high-quality visuals while maintaining optimal performance.

FAQs

Which rendering pipeline should I choose for my project?

The rendering pipeline you should choose for your project depends on several factors, including the performance requirements of the project, the target platform, and the desired visual quality. For most projects, URP is a good starting point. It scales well, supports reasonably good graphics, and is performant. For projects that require highly realistic graphics out-of-the-box and are targeting high-end hardware, HDRP may be the best choice.

What are the advantages of URP?

It is performant, compatible with most Unity features, and scales well across a variety of target platforms.

What are the advantages of HDRP?

It provides highly realistic graphics and advanced rendering techniques.

Can I use Shader Graph with all rendering pipelines?

Yes, Shader Graph is designed to work with all Unity rendering pipelines, including URP, HDRP, and Built-in. Shader Graph is a visual tool that allows developers to create custom shaders without writing code. It can help developers create high-quality visual effects without sacrificing performance.