Pixelate ships as separate packages for Unity’s Built-in Render Pipeline and Universal Render Pipeline (URP). The capture behavior, shaders, and runtime material setup differ between the two. Choose the right package before importing, since mixing assets from both pipelines into the same project will cause shader errors.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tomblack.ca/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Which package to install
| Package | Pipeline | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Pixelate.unitypackage | Built-in Render Pipeline | Original release |
PixelateNew.unitypackage | Built-in Render Pipeline | Updated version with additional fixes |
PixelateSRP.unitypackage | Universal Render Pipeline (URP) | Use this for all URP projects |
If you are on URP, install
PixelateSRP.unitypackage only. Do not import Pixelate.unitypackage or PixelateNew.unitypackage alongside it.Built-in Render Pipeline
The Built-in Render Pipeline is Unity’s classic pipeline, available in all Unity versions without additional setup.Runtime shader
Pixelate includesToonLitSprite.shader for displaying captured sprites with real-time directional lighting in your 2D scene. Assign a material using this shader to the Sprite Renderer component on your sprite GameObject.
Lighting requirements
Capture behavior
During capture, Pixelate manages the render pipeline state automatically so that each frame is captured consistently, regardless of any post-processing effects your project has enabled. You do not need to change any project settings before running a capture.Setting up a captured sprite (Built-in)
Assign the material
Create a material using the
ToonLitSprite shader and assign your captured sprite sheet to its Albedo texture slot. If you enabled Create Normal Map during capture, assign the normal map PNG to the material’s Normal Map slot.Add a Directional Light
Add a Directional Light to your 2D scene. Rotate it to control the shading angle on your sprites. Ensure no point lights or spot lights are the primary light source.
Universal Render Pipeline (URP)
URP is Unity’s scriptable render pipeline for projects targeting a broad range of platforms with modern rendering features.Installation
ImportPixelateSRP.unitypackage from your asset files. This package replaces the Built-in shaders with URP-compatible equivalents and updates the capture scripts to handle URP’s pipeline override requirements.
Runtime shader
For lit sprites in URP, use the built-inUniversal Render Pipeline/2D/Sprite-Lit-Default shader. Pixelate’s AlsoCreateURPMaterial setting (in Advanced Settings) automatically creates and saves a material using this shader when a capture completes, with the sprite sheet and normal map already assigned.
2D lighting setup
Configure your URP asset
In your URP Asset (assigned in Project Settings → Graphics), ensure you are using a 2D Renderer (also called Universal Renderer with 2D lighting). If you are using a 3D Renderer, add a separate URP asset with a 2D Renderer, or switch your project to use it.
Enable 2D lighting
Open the 2D Renderer Data asset. Verify that it includes a Light 2D setup. In your scene, add a Global Light 2D or Freeform Light 2D to provide ambient and directional illumination.
Capture behavior
During capture, Pixelate automatically manages render pipeline state per frame so that each frame is captured consistently, even if your project switches quality levels or renderer settings at runtime. You do not need to change project settings before capturing.Pipeline comparison
| Feature | Built-in | URP |
|---|---|---|
| Package | PixelateNew.unitypackage | PixelateSRP.unitypackage |
| Runtime lit shader | ToonLitSprite | URP/2D/Sprite-Lit-Default |
| Lighting type | Directional Light only | 2D Light (Global, Freeform, etc.) |
| Normal map support | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-generated material | No | Yes (AlsoCreateURPMaterial) |
| 2D Renderer required | No | Yes |