URP Render Features

Unity Playworks Plugin now supports URP Render Features!

Render Features are a powerful extension mechanism in Unity's Universal Render Pipeline (URP) that allow you to inject custom rendering passes into the rendering pipeline. With Render Features, you can customize how objects are rendered, add post-processing effects, and create unique visual styles for your playables.

On this page you can find out what Render Features are, how they work, and which features Unity Playworks Plugin currently supports.

What are URP Render Features?

URP Render Features are modular components that extend the URP rendering pipeline. They allow you to:

• Override rendering settings for specific objects or layers
• Add custom rendering passes at different stages of the frame
• Control rendering order and appearance of objects
• Implement advanced visual effects without modifying shaders

Render Features are added to the URP Renderer Asset and are executed as part of the rendering pipeline. Each Render Feature can be enabled or disabled, giving you fine-grained control over your rendering setup.

How Render Features Work

The rendering process with Render Features follows these steps:

1. Configuration: Render Features are added to the URP Renderer Asset
2. Execution Order: Each Render Feature has an injection point (e.g., AfterRenderingOpaques, BeforeRenderingTransparents)
3. Filtering: Render Features can filter which objects they affect using Layer Masks and Material filters
4. Rendering: The Render Feature executes its custom rendering pass according to its settings

Adding Render Features in Unity

To add a Render Feature to your project:

1. Locate your Universal Renderer Data asset (typically in your project's Settings folder)
2. In the Inspector, scroll to the Renderer Features section
3. Click Add Renderer Feature and select the desired feature
4. Configure the feature's settings

Supported Render Features

Unity Playworks Plugin currently supports the following URP Render Features:

Feature name	Supported?	Notes
Render Objects	Yes	Full support with some limitations Learn more
Decal	No	Not supported in current version
Screen Space Shadows	No	Real-time shadow rendering is supported Learn more
Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO)	No	Not supported in current version
Full Screen Pass Renderer	No	Not supported in current version

Performance Considerations

When using Render Features in your playables, keep in mind:

• Each Render Feature adds a rendering pass, which can impact performance
• Use Layer Masks to limit which objects are affected by Render Features
• Avoid using multiple Render Features that affect the same objects unless necessary
• Test your playable on various devices to ensure acceptable performance

For more tips on optimizing your playables, check out our Optimization Guide.

Common Use Cases

Render Features are commonly used for:

• Outline Effects: Rendering object outlines for selected or highlighted objects
• Custom Depth Rendering: Creating depth-based effects like fog or distance-based color grading
• Layer-Specific Rendering: Applying different rendering settings to UI vs. gameplay objects
• Stencil-Based Effects: Creating masks and composite effects
• Material Override: Temporarily changing how specific objects are rendered

Known Issues and Limitations

Current limitations when using Render Features with Unity Playworks Plugin:

• Not all render events are supported. Currently, we fully support the following events:
  • BeforeRenderingOpaques
  • AfterRenderingOpaques
  • BeforeRenderingSkybox
  • AfterRenderingSkybox
  • BeforeRenderingTransparents
  • AfterRenderingTransparents
• Render Objects
  • does not fully support override index pass of material/shader

For troubleshooting common issues with URP Render Features, check our Common Issues section.

Learn More

For detailed information on specific Render Features:

• Render Objects Feature - Learn how to use the Render Objects feature to customize object rendering

For more information about URP support in general, see our Universal Render Pipeline page.