Component sub graph reference

Explore the Component sub graphs used as building blocks for the Lighting Model sub graphs included in the Custom Lighting sample.

These sub graphs are available in the Create Node menu under the Lighting > Components section.

General

Sub graph Description
Apply Decals Brings in data from projected decals in the scene. If the Decal component has not been added to the renderer, this node does nothing and does not add cost to the shader.
Fog Adds fog to the object using the Fog parameters in the Environment tab of the Lighting window. It should only be used with the Unlit material type since the other material types automatically add fog. If you use this with anything but the Unlit Master Stack, you end up with double fog.
Half Angle Computes the half angle, which is a vector that is halfway between the View Direction vector and the Light Direction vector. It is often used to calculate specular highlights.
MainLight Brings in the Direction, Color, and Shadow Attenuation of the main light source in the scene.
SmoothnessToSpecPower Converts a smoothness value into a specular power value, for lighting models that use specular power as an input (such as Blinn and Phong).

Additional Lights

The Additional Lights sub graphs compute the lighting contributions of the additional light sources in the scene. As this lighting data computation requires a For loop, these calculations must be done in code in the Custom Function node inside each sub graph.

Sub graph Description
AdditionalLightsBasic Computes very simple lighting for the additional light sources. It only includes diffuse light with no specular reflection.
AdditionalLightsColorize Outputs the Diffuse, Specular, and Color components, and also outputs the light attenuation separately to allow to use it outside the sub graph to calculate what areas should be colorized and what areas should be black and white.
AdditionalLightsHalfLambert Computes the lighting for the additional lights in the scene using the Half Lambert formula which wraps the lighting gradient all the way around to the side of the model opposite the light source.
AdditionalLightsSimple Computes lighting using the Blinn formula for specular highlights. This makes the specular highlights cheaper to compute. Blinn specular is generally considered to be less realistic than the default specular that the Universal Render Pipeline uses.
AdditionalLightsURP Computes the additional lighting using the same formula used by the Universal Render Pipeline by default. It provides the same type of lighting that you would get when using the standard Lit Master Stack.

Ambient

Sub graph Description
AmbientBasic Computes a very simple ambient lighting using only the BakedGI node. It doesn't create any reflections.
AmbientStylized Computes ambient lighting using the Sky, Equator, and Ground colors that are defined in the Lighting window on the Environment tab. It also adds some ambient lighting for the sky using the normal up direction and a Fresnel term.
AmbientURP Computes ambient light using the same formula as the standard URP lighting mode.
SampleReflectionProbes Gets a color sample from the closest reflection probes and blends them together based on the position being rendered.
ScreenSpaceAmbientOcclusion Samples the ambient occlusion that is calculated by the Screen Space Ambient Occlusion component on the Renderer Data asset. If the SSAO component is not active on the Renderer, this node simply returns 1. Typically, this value is multiplied by the ambient value so that ambient is darker in occluded areas, but you can use this data as you see fit in your own custom lighting model.

Core Models

Sub graph Description
LightBasic Computes very simple lighting and leaves out most lighting features in order to render as fast as possible. It calculates simple diffuse lighting and a simple form of ambient lighting. It does not support fog, reflections, specular, light cookies, or any other lighting features. But it does render fast and is ideal for low-end mobile devices and XR headsets.
LightColorize Example of the type of custom behavior you can create when you can control the lighting model. The main directional light renders the scene in grayscale with no color. Color is introduced with point lights so you can control where the scene has color based on where you place the point lights in the scene.
LightSimple Same as the URP lighting model, except it uses the Blinn formula for the specular highlights. This makes it slightly cheaper to render than standard URP while looking fairly similar. If you still need all of the lighting features (specular, fog, screen space ambient occlusion, reflections, etc), but you want to make the lighting cheaper, this may be a good choice.
LightToon Uses a Posterize operation to break the smooth lighting gradient into distinct bands of shading. It simulates the look of cartoons where lighting is rendered with distinct colors of paint rather than smooth gradients.
LightURP Closely matches the lighting that the Universal Render Pipeline does by default. If you want to start with the URP lighting and then alter it, this is the node to use.

Debug

Sub graph Description
DebugLighting Provides support for the following lighting debug modes (available from the Rendering Debugger window):
  • Shadow Cascades
  • Lighting Without Normal Maps
  • Lighting With Normal Maps
  • Reflections
  • Reflection With Smoothness
  • Global Illumination
DebugMaterials Provides support for the following material debug modes (available from the Rendering Debugger window):
  • Albedo
  • Specular
  • Alpha
  • Smoothness
  • Ambient Occlusion
  • Emission
  • Normal World Space
  • Normal Tangent Space
  • Light Complexity
  • Metallic
  • Sprite Mask
  • Rendering Layer Masks

Diffuse

Sub graph Description
DiffuseCustomGradient Uses an input texture gradient instead of a dot product calculation to generate the lighting gradient. This allows you to paint the lighting as you see fit.
DiffuseHalfLambert Uses a Half Lambert formula that creates a lighting gradient that goes from 0 to 1 from the dark side to the bright side of the model. Because the gradient wraps all the way around the model instead of just halfway (as realistic lighting does), it has a softer, more stylized look.
DiffuseLambert Creates standard diffuse lighting using the dot product between the surface normal and the light vector. If the two vectors are pointing in the same direction, the surface has a diffuse value of 1. If the two vectors are perpendicular, the surface has a value of 0. The dark side of the model (facing away from the light) is clamped so that the result is also 0.
DiffuseOrenNayar Uses the Oren Nayar lighting formula which simulates the lighting response of a rough surface like clay or plaster. The math used by this formula is quite expensive when you compare it with the subtle results that it provides, so you may find it sufficient to just use DiffuseLambert instead.

Reflectance

Sub graph Description
ReflectancePBR Calculates reflectance using a standard physically-based model.
ReflectanceURP Calculates reflectance using the same formula that URP uses.

Specular

Sub graph Description
SpecularBlinn Calculates specular highlights using the Blinn formula. It’s cheaper than a more modern/realistic formula.
SpecularCookTorrance Calculates specular highlights using the Cook Torrance formula. This method creates specular highlights that work well for brushed metal surfaces.
SpecularPBR Calculates specular highlights using the GGX formula, which is popular in modern PBR lighting models.
SpecularStylized Calculates specular highlights in a less realistic, more stylized way. This specular works better for an illustrative style.
SpecularURP Calculates specular highlights using the same formula as the lighting that the Universal Render Pipeline uses.

Additional resources