Custom shader fundamentals in Unity - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a shader in Unity?

A shader in Unity is a small program that tells the computer how to draw something on the screen, controlling the color, lighting, and texture of objects.

beginner

What are the two main types of shaders in Unity?

The two main types are Vertex Shaders, which handle the position of vertices, and Fragment (or Pixel) Shaders, which handle the color of each pixel.

beginner

What is the purpose of the 'Properties' block in a Unity shader?

The 'Properties' block defines variables like colors or textures that you can change in the Unity Editor without editing the shader code.

intermediate

Explain the role of the 'SubShader' in a Unity shader.

A 'SubShader' contains the actual shader code that runs on the GPU. Unity can have multiple SubShaders to support different hardware or rendering paths.

intermediate

What is the difference between a Surface Shader and a Vertex/Fragment Shader in Unity?

Surface Shaders are easier to write and handle lighting automatically, while Vertex/Fragment Shaders give you full control but require more code to manage lighting and effects.

Which part of a Unity shader controls the color of each pixel?

A SubShader

B Vertex Shader

C Fragment Shader

D Properties Block

The Fragment Shader (also called Pixel Shader) controls the color and appearance of each pixel on the object.

What does the 'Properties' block in a Unity shader allow you to do?

A Control vertex positions

B Write GPU code

C Define lighting models

D Change shader variables in the Unity Editor

The 'Properties' block lets you expose variables like colors or textures so you can change them easily in the Unity Editor.

Why might you use multiple SubShaders in a Unity shader?

A To support different hardware or rendering paths

B To add more colors

C To increase texture size

D To speed up the CPU

Multiple SubShaders allow Unity to pick the best shader code for the user's hardware or rendering method.

Which shader type in Unity automatically handles lighting for you?

A Surface Shader

B Vertex/Fragment Shader

C Compute Shader

D Geometry Shader

Surface Shaders simplify writing shaders by automatically managing lighting calculations.

What is the main role of a Vertex Shader?

A To set pixel colors

B To calculate the position of vertices

C To define textures

D To manage lighting

Vertex Shaders process each vertex's position and can modify it before drawing.

Describe the basic structure of a custom shader in Unity and the role of each part.

Think about how you set variables, write GPU code, and control drawing.

Explain the difference between Surface Shaders and Vertex/Fragment Shaders and when you might choose each.

Consider how much control you want versus how much work you want to do.