What Shader editor to use?

Hello all,
I am doing an effect package for the Asset Store, and I'd like to add some custom shaders for effects like power shields, fire, etc. I am not really good in programming so I'd like to use a node based shader editor.

The problem is, that the shader editor I used (Shader Forge) is deprecated, I guess in response to Unity's new Shader Editor. I don't really want to use a tool that is not supported, since my customers can use my effects in a wide range of projects, so I want to use as standard, reliable and long-term solutions as possible.

That leaves us with Unity's own shader editor. However that seems to require some kind of "lightweight rendering path". I am not really familiar with this. Does it need it only for the editing process, but the built shaders can be used in any project, or the created shaders won't be working in other projects, for example in ones that were created using the standard "3d" settings?

Or is there any other long-term reliable shader editor I could use? Amplify Shader for example, how long will that last?

I feel kinda lost and I could use some help with this issue. I did some googling but I did not came up with anything, however if this issue was discussed somewhere, feel free to point that out.

Thanks!

 

Amplify is apparently getting support for the new pipelines and has promised long-term support. Plus it's just a really good product all around.

 

It's unfortunate that Shader Forge is no longer being supported, although it is now free and open-source. I think either Amplify or Unity's new shader graph feature would be the best options right now; choosing the best editor would depend.

Since you're creating an asset package, I think going with Amplify would be best. It's rather pricey at $60, but will allow you to make custom shaders (even complex multi-pass shaders), which would be very easy to share. Unity's shader graph feature is still in beta, only supports lightweight render pipelines and right now isn't as well documented as Amplify, nor has the same amount of tutorials or examples available from what I've seen. It is free and does support basic shaders, but anyone who uses a shader made with the graph would have to switch to the lightweight render pipeline when using your package. It might be best to try using the shader graph feature before deciding, however. I believe both editors will continue to be supported for at least a couple years, especially shader graph.

It's very easy to set up a lightweight rendering pipeline in Unity 2018 if you want to try it; here's a good tutorial for installing and using the feature:

 

Thanks for the responses! Since both of you mentioned it, I purchased Amplify. Seems like a solid product.

 

Wow Shaderforge is no longer supported and free? wow.
Is that official that it is no longer 'supported'?

 

i think you're not 100% safe using any 3rd party asset, as the developers are always playing catch up with the latest and greatest unity versions (well ensuring it is compatible that is)

that choice hinges on whether ROI justifies keeping it up to date.

best bet is to wait until unity polishes up their shader graph imo. it is interesting if shader forge is now opensource though, i might check it out.

Spoiler

because i love playing with toolsets i'll prolly never use!

 

This is precisely why you should almost always stick to assets that include source code and why third parties need to consider carefully whether withholding the source is a smart decision when selling on the store.

 

True, i always enjoy wading through 150 files of someone else's code just in case they drop support down the line and getting it compatible for unity 20.x.x. Gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

I believe that is official, probably due to Unity's new shader graph feature.

 

It's better than just standing there and trying to cut out the entire solution and replace a new one which will be discontinued later, when it is even harder to do that.

BTW, you really should not update your stable Unity environment in mid-production. If you do, you can count on this kind of problems.

 

We're in an interesting spot right now. I would think that Unity's Shader Graph would be the way to go in a couple of years. By then Shader Graph will be out of the preview state, will support all the included scriptable rendering pipelines, and Unity will begin the process of deprecating the old rendering pipeline. Unity will not add support to Shader Graph for the legacy pipeline.

Right now though I expect a good portion of new projects are still going to start with the legacy pipeline until the new pipelines get more feature complete and more testing.