Create a shader graph asset

You can create a new shader graph asset in different ways according to your current workflow.

Create a shader graph from a template

To create a new shader graph asset from a prebuilt shader graph template, follow these steps:

  1. In the Project window, right-click and select Create > Shader Graph > From Template.

    The template browser lists all available templates according to your project's render pipeline.

  2. Select the desired template and click Create.

    Unity creates a new shader graph asset in your project.

  3. Name the shader graph asset.

You can now open the asset and edit the graph in the Shader Graph window.

Create a shader graph with a preset target

To start from a default configuration with a preset master stack according to a specific render pipeline and material type, follow these steps:

  1. In the Project window, right-click and select Create > Shader Graph, and then the target render pipeline and the desired shader type.

    The types of shader graphs available depend on the render pipelines present in your project (for example, URP > Lit Shader Graph). For a full list of provided options, refer to the Universal Render Pipeline and High Definition Render Pipeline documentation.

    Unity creates a new shader graph asset in your project.

  2. Name the shader graph asset.

You can now open the asset and edit the graph in the Shader Graph window.

Create an empty shader graph

To create an empty shader graph asset and build your shader graph from scratch in the Shader Graph window:

  1. In the Project window, right-click and select Create > Shader Graph > Blank Shader Graph.

    Unity creates a new shader graph asset in your project.

  2. Name the shader graph asset.

You can now open the asset and edit the graph in the Shader Graph window.

Note

To make such a blank shader graph functional, you have to define a Target in the Graph settings tab of the Graph Inspector.

Additional resources