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Create, manage, and apply materials in a 3D project

Beginner Materials

Veronica Brown

 Create a simple shader and material using Shader Graph 

Beginner Shader scripting

Create desired visual effects on the surfaces of 3D GameObjects using Shaders and related Materials and Textures 

Beginner Shaders

In this quiz, you will assess your knowledge of shaders and materials, including the use of Shader Graph. 

Define texture and map as they are used in materials

Explain the maps that are configurable on the URP/Lit Shader Surface Inputs and their various effects: base map, specular/metallic, normal, height, occlusion, emission

Explain how 3D modeling programs are used to create assets for Unity materials

Distinguish between Specular and Metallic properties and explain how each is configured

Explain specular and diffuse reflectivity

Explain the use of Detail Inputs for the URP/Lit shader

Decide the best approach for creating materials for the URP/Lit shader on 3D GameObjects, given project requirements

Adjust the Base Map of a material using a color

Adjust the Base Map of a material using an image

Apply the Specular and Metallic workflows to achieve desired effects

Apply the transparent surface type to a material

Create materials for the URP/Lit Shader on a 3D GameObject

Navigate in the Shader Graph editor window

Connect commonly used Shader Graph nodes to create desired effects

Make a shader with configurable material properties

Make a material from a custom Shader Graph shader

Create a simple shader and material using Shader Graph

Define a mesh, its characteristics, and its use in rendering a 3D GameObject

Explain the role of shaders in the rendering process

Explain the difference between physically-based and non-physically-based rendering, and reasons for using each

Determine the shader type for an object based on the design requirements

Explain the difference between a Lit and Unlit shader, and the reasons for using each

Explain vertex and fragment (pixel) shaders

Describe use cases for the Universal Render Pipeline shaders provided with Unity

Decide among common shaders to use for a given project

Creative Core: Shaders and materials

Simulate common substances with physically-based materials

What is the difference between a shader and a material? Select one answer.

A shader is used in physically-based rendering to create photorealistic effects, and a material is used to increase performance if photorealism is not necessary.

A shader is a script that runs as part of the rendering process, and a material is an asset that specifies properties to a shader.

A shader affects how light appears on an object, and a material affects its color.

Shaders and materials work together to define all the characteristics of a mesh surface during the rendering process. A material is an asset that works with a shader to define how meshes will be rendered.

What is the difference between a lit shader and an unlit shader? Select one answer.

A lit shader allows you to add emissive light to an object, so that it can appear to light up. An unlit shader does not, but using unlit shaders increases performance.

A lit shader only works with the Universal Render Pipeline. Other render pipelines use unlit shaders.

A lit shader adds shadows and reflections according to the light that reaches the object. An unlit shader ignores the effects of light.

Lit shaders respond to the light in the scene, and unlit shaders don’t. Unlit shaders are useful for certain artistic effects or for optimized projects that run more efficiently by not using lighting.

Why do materials sometimes appear bright magenta (pink) in the Unity Editor? Select one answer.

A material created for one GameObject can’t be applied to another without being configured properly. To fix, adjust the material for each new GameObject.

It’s common to import a material that was originally made for a shader that isn’t present in the current project. To fix, specify a shader that is in the project.

A pink material indicates an error in the shader script. To fix, correct the error or select a different shader.

Materials appear pink if they are missing a base map or color. To fix, add a color.

When a material is built for a shader of a different render pipeline than the current project, it is bright magenta (pink) to alert you.

What are two ways to make an object look metallic using the URP/Lit Shader? Select one answer.

By applying a diffuse map or a metallic map.

By using the Specular workflow or the Metallic workflow in a material.

By using a specular shader or a metallic shader.

By applying a diffuse map and a normal map, or a specular map and a height map. 

Unity provides two ways to make objects look metallic. The Specular workflow is the more scientific of the two. The Metallic workflow is simpler, but doesn’t strictly follow the rules of physical light.

What is physically based rendering (PBR)? Select one answer.

Rendering that uses a combination of vertex and fragment shaders to achieve realistic results.

Rendering that uses normal maps and height maps to simulate physical variations on a mesh.

Rendering in 3D using materials designed to look like real objects.

Rendering using shaders that most closely simulate the real-world behavior and properties of light.

PBR simulates the real-world principles of physics and light to generate realistic shadows, reflections, ambient light, and other effects of light on 3D surfaces.

The geometric data of a GameObject, consisting of vertices, edges and normals that define the shape of an object in Unity.

A data structure used only for organizing audio sources in a scene.

A component that defines the way light reflects on it.

The texture format used for applying materials to objects.

The mesh is the 3D skeleton of your GameObject. It consists of vertices that define polygons, and normals that specify the directions vertices face. Every GameObject in Unity has a mesh. It is the geometric element of the object.

What is the difference between a normal map and a height map? Select one answer.

A normal map specifies the direction that a surface is facing at a given point, and a height map specifies how high from the mesh surface to raise the rendered surface.

A normal map specifies the normal color to render the mesh, and the height map specifies how high the reflectivity of the surface will be rendered.

A normal map contains the data of the basic mesh before rendering, and the height map specifies how high from the normal surface to raise the rendered surface.

A normal map specifies the normal properties of the surface, and the height map specifies how those properties change depending on the distance of the surface from the viewer.

Normals are values in the mesh data that define the direction each vertex is facing. A normal map sets these values over an entire surface. Height maps indicate the relative height of each pixel from the mesh.

Which terms are used in shaders and materials to refer to the color of an object? Select one answer.

Diffuse map and specular map, and metallic map

The URP/Lit Shader calls for a Base Map to specify color. Other shaders commonly call this property Albedo or Diffuse Map (even though, technically, these terms don’t mean exactly the same thing).

In Shader Graph, what items are listed in the Blackboard? Select one answer.

Nodes not yet connected to the graph flow

Input nodes that users of the shader can configure in materials

The Blackboard contains the properties that will be available to artists who use this shader to create materials. Here you can define property types as well as their names, attributes, and default values.

In Shader Graph, what is the Master Stack? Select one answer.

The list of end nodes for vertex and fragment shading, which provides an end point for the graph

The list of all nodes available to be used in the shader

The Master Stack is the end point of a Shader Graph that defines the final surface appearance of a shader. It lists the major shader properties of a Vertex and a Fragment shader and provides you with the end nodes where you will plug in the necessary values.

What is a method of applying a material to a GameObject in the Unity Editor? Select one answer.

Drag the material from the Project window to the GameObject in the Scene view

Select the material from the Mesh Renderer component

Drag the material from the Project window to one of the Materials listed in the Mesh Renderer 

There are several ways to apply a material to GameObject. Practice them all and use the ones that work best for you!

Creative Core: Shaders and materials quiz

Zu-UnityLearn

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

Unity 버전 2020.3