Introduction to HDRP

Challenge: Convert your project to use HDRP

Volume Overrides: Visual Environment

Challenge: Configure a Skybox and Fog in the scene using HDRP

HDRP Material Properties

HDRP Area Lights

Challenge: Configure Lights, Materials, and Post Processing to your project

Learn Live Submissions - Up and Running with HDRP

Recorded Live Session - Up and Running with HDRP

Discover how the High Definition Render Pipeline delivers high-end visuals for PC and console projects.

Practice importing HDRP, configuring the HDRP Asset, and converting existing project materials to the High Definition Render Pipeline.

Configure a Visual Environment Override to adjust a Volume’s sky parameters and fog behavior for your scene.

Practice configuring Volumetric Settings in a scene to control the look and behavior of volumetric effects.

Use HDRP materials tuned for high-end PCs and consoles to achieve realistic, physically based high-definition visuals.

This content explains how real-time area lights in HDRP use unified lighting to give your scene more consistent illumination.

Practice adding HDRP Lights, Materials, and Post Processing to shape the visual style and mood of your scene.

Follow a recorded Learn Live session to set up HDRP, tune lighting and Materials, and compare it with the Built-in Render Pipeline.

HDRP_Assets.zip

In this project, you will be using the Spotlight Tunnel project. It features high quality realistic assets that serve as a perfect example of the types of rendering capabilities that are possible with the HDRP. The techniques learned in the project can be applied to any HDRP project and this project should be used as a reference for your high fidelity needs. 

 Suggested Skill Level & Prerequisite Knowledge  

Comfort Level with Tool/Feature: Foundational

Up and Running with HDRP

Install the Unity Hub and Editor

2022.3

2021.3

2020.3

2019.4

Introduction to the Unity Hub

2020.2

2020.1

Organize projects in the Unity Hub

Work with GameObjects in a 3D Scene

Create a structure with primitives

Add components to 3D GameObjects

Add physical properties to 3D GameObjects

Manage GameObjects with prefabs

2021.2

2021.1

2019.3

2019.2

2019.1

2018.4

Get 3D assets

Challenge: The floor is lava!

Get started with cameras

Select your camera projection type

Control what your camera sees

Explore camera views

Explore camera shot types

Challenge: Recreate the scene

Apply cameras to your guided project

Get started with animation

Create your first 3D animations

Refine your animation

Control animation with an Animator

Import animation

Challenge: Bring the scene to life

Get started with audio

Create dynamic sound effects

Create 3D sound effects

Add special effects to existing audio

Accessibility considerations for audio

Challenge: Your own soundscape

Get started with post-processing

Create your own post-processing profile

Challenge: Create a local volume

Get started with shaders and materials

Explore meshes and rendering

Explore shaders

Manage materials in a project

Simulate solid surfaces

Map materials with textures

Create translucent and transparent effects

Add physical texture with bump mapping

Refine surfaces with more texture maps

Get started with Shader Graph

Challenge: Create your still life composition

Get started with VFX

Play around with a Particle System

Create an environmental Particle System

Create a burst particle

Experiment with VFX Graph

Challenge: Add some magic to your scene

2022.2

2018.3

2018.2

2018.1

March 23: Prototyping & Worldbuilding

2022.1

April 20: Intro to Visual Scripting

May 18: Animation

June 22: Intro to URP

July 20: Intro to HDRP

August 17: Shader Graph

September 21: VFX Graph

October 19: Post Processing

November 16: UI Building

December 21: Intro to VR

January 18: Intro to AR

February 24: Intro to Spatial Audio

Unity x FTW Webinar: Real-Time Animated Storytelling

2017.4

2017.3

2017.2

2017.1

Creative Core: Camera Quiz

Creative Core: Animation Quiz

Creative Core: Audio Quiz

Creative Core: Post-processing Quiz

Creative Core: Shaders and materials quiz

Creative Core: VFX Quiz

Learn to prepare your computer, run the installer, set up Unity Hub, and install a Unity Editor version.

Review how Unity Hub helps you create, organize, and manage projects through its main interface sections.

Explore project templates, then create, open, update, and add Unity projects using the Hub.

Build a new 3D project, create and transform GameObjects, and organize them in the Unity Editor using the Hierarchy and Inspector windows.

Use GameObjects and transforms to build a 3D structure with primitives, hierarchy, and Scene navigation.

Discover how components like the Rigidbody component add physics and behavior to GameObjects and preview the results in Play mode.

Practice creating and assigning colored and textured materials plus a Physic Material to shape a 3D scene’s look and behavior.

Use prefabs and prefab variants to build, organize, nest, and safely update many GameObjects across your scenes.

Explore 3D asset sources and learn to find, filter, and import Unity Asset Store content via a web browser and Unity account.

Build a ball-rolling track over “lava,” then submit your challenge project and review creations from other learners.

Unity Essentials

Learn to choose and configure camera viewpoints to orient users in the Scene view and shape their overall experience.

Learn to configure perspective and orthographic camera views to frame 2D and 3D scenes effectively in Unity.

Control what the Main Camera shows by adjusting its background, frustum field of view, and clipping planes for depth.

Compare perspective and orthographic camera views and choose setups that support your scene and user experience.

Learn to choose and configure perspective and orthographic Camera views to shape scene mood and user orientation in 2D and 3D.

Apply your new camera knowledge to enhance the presentation of your guided Unity project.

Check your understanding of camera concepts and skills from the Creative Core: Camera mission.

Cameras are your eyes into an interactive experience. They can be fully dynamic, fixed, or tied to a character. In this mission, you’ll explore the different camera types common to interactive experiences. You’ll also learn some basic camera shot terminology and practice recreating iconic scenes from popular media.

By the end of this mission, you’ll be able to:

Decide which Camera setup to use, given a project’s requirements.

Configure a single Unity Camera in a 2D or 3D scene.



This project is a standalone learning experience which uses content developed for the 

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with cameras in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

If you decide that you’d like to complete the whole 

, you can start at any time. You’ll receive credit for any tutorials that you have already completed when you do. 

Creative Core: Cameras

Get an overview of an animator’s role, set up your project, and identify common rig types and their uses.

Learn core animation principles in Unity by animating a ball with Animation Clips, keyframes, and Record Mode.

Use the curves editor to edit Animation Curves, manage keyframes, and record GameObject animation.

Build an animated proximity door while learning Animators, Animator Controllers, parameters, and basic state machines.

Configure imported animation, set up humanoid rigs and Animator Controllers, and manage shared clips and parameters in an existing project.

Check your understanding of key animation concepts and workflows covered in the Creative Core: Animation mission.

The world around you is in constant motion. The same is true for digital worlds. A static environment tends to appear unfinished, or cold and unfeeling; animation is all about creating the illusion of life.

In this mission, you will learn how to create animations in the Unity editor and how to configure animations imported from an external program. You’ll apply these concepts to add animation to objects and characters in your scenes, and even control when the animation gets played.

Describe the relationship between different animation components.

Create simple keyframed 3D animation sequences.

Describe key components of an animator controller.

Configure Animation Clips imported from digital content creation (DCC) software or the Asset Store for use in a project.

Configure a humanoid rig for use with the Humanoid Animation system.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with animation in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

, you can start at any time. You’ll receive credit for any tutorials that you have already completed when you do.

Creative Core: Animation

Bring a scene to life with ambient and event-based audio, file format choices, and inclusive closed captioning.

Begin building a rich soundscape by adding footstep audio and choosing event-driven or time-based playback methods.

Add and tune waterfall audio while exploring its role in narrative, atmosphere, rolloffs, and digital sound design.

Create an echo with an audio reverb zone and manage audio effects, atmosphere, and source priorities in a scene.

Learn to add subtitles, optimize audio, trigger clips, and apply effects to make your project more accessible.

Check your understanding of how audio works and is used in Unity.

Audio is one of the most overlooked aspects of interactive development, but it’s also one of the first things that can disrupt a user’s immersion if it’s done poorly — or worse, completely forgotten about. 

In this mission, you will learn how to implement audio effects in Unity by creating a soundscape for an outdoor scene. You’ll create ambient audio effects, trigger sounds with events, and modify sounds with special effects.

Produce customized results by correctly configuring audio in a scene.

Create interactive experiences by synthesizing audio experience design principles.

Refine existing audio in a Unity project.

Solve accessibility challenges in an audio design.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with audio in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Audio

Learn what post-processing is, why to use it, and how to set up a post-processing profile to enhance a Unity scene.

Learn to build and adjust a post-processing profile to define a visual style and balance quality with performance.

Use this quiz to check your understanding of post-processing effects in Unity.

Post-processing is just like applying filters to a photo you take with your phone. This can make your scene look more beautiful and interesting. 

In this mission, you will use post-processing to achieve a particular look and feel in a scene.

By the time you complete this learning experience, you will be able to:

Evaluate whether post-processing is an appropriate tool for a given goal.

Implement a particular visual style in a project by configuring a post-processing profile.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with post-processing in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Post-processing

Get oriented with the art gallery project you’ll use to explore shaders and materials in real-time 3D.

Learn how meshes, shaders, and materials work together in Unity’s renderer and how to assign materials to GameObjects.

Learn core Unity shader types, compare PBR and non-PBR, and choose URP shaders to achieve the lighting and effects your project needs.

Learn to create, assign, manage, and troubleshoot materials so you can style 3D GameObjects effectively in Unity.

Explore how light interacts with solid materials and configure Specular and Metallic workflows to match real-world surfaces.

Discover how textures, maps, UVs, and URP/Lit Shader settings work together to create realistic materials in Unity.

Learn to use the URP/Lit Shader for transparency and alpha clipping to create glass-like surfaces and realistic leaves.

Discover how bump mapping in URP adds surface detail by applying normal and height maps to a material.

Deepen your URP/Lit shader skills by using Detail Inputs and understanding High Dynamic Range color.

Use Shader Graph to build custom shaders, connect nodes, and create materials with configurable properties.

Check your understanding of shaders, materials, and Shader Graph with this quiz.

Shaders and materials let you define how your 3D objects look: their colors, reflectivity, and physical texture. With shaders and materials, you can bring realism into your projects or express your own artistic style.  

In this mission, you will explore concepts of light and reflection, including common terms that many 3D artists use every day. You’ll apply these concepts to create your own materials and shaders that simulate real-world objects — and even some other-worldly objects. You’ll complete this mission by creating a still life composition in which you can demonstrate a variety of shaders and materials.  

Explain how surfaces in Unity are defined and rendered.

Select a type of shader for your own project.

Create materials for a common shader, using a wide variety of properties.

Create your own simple shader using Shader Graph.

. You’ll find everything you need to get started with shaders and materials in Unity, but you may also notice references to the guided learning journey for that pathway.

Creative Core: Shaders and materials

Explore what VFX are, who creates them, their uses in real-time 3D, and how Unity’s Particle System differs from VFX Graph.

Combine multiple Particle Systems to build a fire effect and tune Emission, Shape, and Renderer modules for unique results.

Configure a new Particle System and its modules to create convincing rain or snow effects in your scene.

Create a user-triggered smoke burst Particle System and control particle color, size, and randomness over their lifetimes.