HDRP how production ready is it?

I was just playing with the new HDRP pipeline, and it looks amazing! I really want to use it on my current project and I am at a point where I can easily convert the few materials I have with out a sweat (just starting with the graphic stuff). However, I am afraid of something breaking down the line with a massive change to the system.

Are any of you using this in a production environment? Is it wise (even though it will be more work to covert the project later) to just wait until this comes out of preview?

Appreciate any input!

 

for me, it's totally useless because it lacks camera/light command buffers so can't be extended with custom features

 

I keep running into unsolvable issues with it when trying to do anything custom. For example, no toon shader that I know of. Does not work with most older shaders. I recently found you can't use multiple cameras (Don't Clear) flags. So, it looks great, as long as you just plan to use the Standard Shader and not do anything out of the ordinary.

 

I guess I better wait bit longer. Since my experience / knowledge is somewhat limited in this subject (shaders/lighting), it looks like would be faced with an extra burden I can do without at the moment. Thanks guys!

 

I think to wait for GDC 2019 to understand how production ready it is. I remember jumping to new tech and my camera did not update. I need to replace it with a new one, but take me a lot of time to realize what was wrong. Is much simpler to go on with your game and later to replace. Wait one week and look in youtube what Unity has to say at GDC 2019.

 

Worth noting that they're apparently revealing the new way to implement layered camera effects in HDRP and LWRP as well. Right now if you want to layer things, it's a bit of an ordeal.

Also worth nothing, however, that it's distinctly possible that what we get from GDC won't be fully production ready either.

 

I think 2019.1 will be ready for production but not everything will be polished and without GPU lighmapper.
2019.3 is full production ready when experimental builds be no more.

 

I am using it in production, but I am well in tune with how it's supposed to be used, how it works and so on having been using it since it popped up on github. I also read all materials possible about it, check commit notes etc. Other users like @rizu will also have great familiarity with it.

TLDR: you need to understand it will break often until at least 2019.3 - seriously if you do not know what you are doing, don't use it yet.

Also IMHO it would be nice if the graphics depts in seattle and paris were given a little more funding due to the huge amount of work still to do.

 

Layers: I personally have the privilege to test that process or layer idea in an early stage and looks great.

FlightCrazed I will follow Hippo suggestion. PBR works very well and in the end, we will finish updating shaders, camera and render in 2020. I will be no surprise if the Unity team will include a guide for that.

 

What are lighting improvements beside GPU lightmapper planned for 2019.1/2?