Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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✔️ Works in 2020.2 ➕ 2020.3

Grass is one of those things that almost every game needs, but is really hard to make! I hope to help with that with this series on grass. This grass renderer uses a compute shader to generate a bunch of layers over a mesh, only once in the editor. At runtime, it cuts out patterns from those layers using two overlapping noise textures. It's a classic technique that still produces good looking results!

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✨ Follow up videos
► Blade grass: youtu.be/6SFTcDNqwaA
► Shadow casting blade grass: youtu.be/IPoHY_yJxMc

🎬 Previous videos
► Generating meshes with a compute shader: youtu.be/AiWCPiGr10o
► Introduction to level of detail: youtu.be/-mE4qreuqJY
► Introduction to vertex/fragment/geometry shaders: youtu.be/7C-mA08mp8o
► Non-baked layer grass: youtu.be/c1JThTu6-Ok
► Shader graph grass: youtu.be/JDpt9xYaUYc

💬 Video transcript
► docs.google.com/document/d/1zErxPni6ioJ9KrWJJo6CyWgu3dYfNtb_n2J-IFKRY4o/edit?usp=sharing

📜 Required scripts
► Pyramid baker scripts: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/fef1bddca8061b21845dbe68d0cddfec
► NMGLayerGrassHelpers.hlsl: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/1c912db8532dedc53561d5047c4690a3

📚 Reference scripts
► Compute shader and C# scripts: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/9bb59a7f2cb7cab988e7c0edc227ee90
► Initial graphics shaders: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/a772e3fd98baf93bc9af739186233ccf
► Cut out graphics shaders: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/5e7bba2d6ab7943c2a7923b4101f82e8
► Wind graphics shaders: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/2b36967e3a5f8ba762bcbfc723135ba6
► Final graphics shaders: gist.github.com/NedMakesGames/81041119883b6eb5163ade76a184084b

⏲️ Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:48 Project setup
2:02 The compute shader
6:25 The C# scripts
8:33 The graphics shader
11:21 Cutting out shapes
13:16 Wind
14:35 Position as UV
16:05 Wrap up and credits

🎖️ Credits and references:
• Jason L. McKesson: Normal Transformation - paroj.github.io/gltut/Illumination/Tut09%20Normal%20Transformation.html
• Unity Technologies: GPU Instancing - docs.unity3d.com/Manual/GPUInstancing.html
• freepik: Wrinkled paper texture - freepik.com/premium-vector/wrinkled-paper-texture_711440.htm
• James "Nihilore" Opie: music "Whispers Invoke Paranoia" - youtube.com/watch?v=oc2PnJF58Sg

#GameDev #IndieDev #Unity