Unity pipelines: URP vs. HDRP vs. standard Unity pipeline

Key Takeaways:

  • Unity has three rendering pipelines: URP, HDRP, and standard.

  • URP: Optimized for mobile/web with good quality and performance.

  • HDRP: Best for high-end graphics and AAA gamesAAA games are high-budget, high-quality video games developed by large studios for mass-market appeal., but more complex.

  • Standard: Versatile, good for beginners, but less customizable.

  • Choose based on your project: URP for performance, HDRP for visuals, and standard for simplicity.

Unity offers a diverse range of rendering pipelines, each designed to cater to specific project needs in terms of performance, graphics capabilities, and customization. Unity features three main rendering pipelines:

  • Standard Unity pipeline (Built-in render pipeline)

  • Universal render pipeline (URP)

  • High-definition render pipeline (HDRP)

Here’s a detailed breakdown of URP, HDRP, and the standard pipeline, covering their functions, usage, code, and differences.

Functions

Let’s delve into the different features that all pipelines provide us with out of the box:

1. URP (Universal render pipeline):

  • High-quality visuals with good performance: Focuses on balancing graphics and performance for mobile, web, and low-end platforms.

  • Lightweight and modular: Offers a streamlined workflow with built-in shaders and scriptable rendering features.

  • Customization options: Allows for adjusting global lighting, shadows, and post-processing effects.

Features of URP
Features of URP

2. HDRP (High definition render pipeline):

  • Cutting-edge visuals: It offers the most advanced features, such as real-time ray tracing, global illumination, and volumetric lighting, for high-end graphics.

  • Demanding workflow: Requires more technical expertise and resources due to its complexity.

  • Highly customizable: Provides granular control over every rendering aspect for creating unique visuals.

Features of HDRP
Features of HDRP

3. Standard pipeline (Built-in):

  • Mature and versatile: The original pipeline offers a familiar workflow for many developers.

  • Good balance: Provides decent visuals and performance for various platforms.

  • Limited customization: Offers less flexibility compared to URP and HDRP.

Features of Standard pipeline
Features of Standard pipeline

Pipeline usage and code

The different pipelines utilize the shader code and provide use cases for different cases. These are summarized in the table below:

Pipeline

Ideal use cases

Shader creation

URP

Mobile games, web projects, 2D/3D games with performance focus

Shader Graph

HDRP

AAA-quality visuals, cinematic experiences, high-end VR/AR

Shader Graph

Standard Pipeline

Beginners, projects with low complexity

HLSL code (with Shader Graph integration)

Quiz

A quick quiz to test your understanding of Unity pipelines.

1

Which Unity rendering pipeline is optimized for mobile and web projects focusing on performance?

A)

HDRP

B)

URP

C)

Standard

D)

None of the above

Question 1 of 40 attempted

Conclusion

Here is a tabular form of differences of all three pipelines:

URP vs. HDRP vs. Standard Unity Pipeline

Feature

URP

HDRP

Standard Unity Pipeline

Visuals

High quality, optimized

Cutting-edge, photorealistic

Good balance, versatile

Performance

Excellent on low-end platforms

Demanding, high-end hardware

Moderate, good for diverse platforms

Ease of Use

Simple, modular

Complex, requires technical expertise

Familiar, good for beginners

Customization

Limited, built-in options

Highly customizable, granular control

Moderate, some shader editing

Ideal For

Mobile games, web projects, performance-focused games

AAA-quality visuals, cinematic experiences, high-end VR/AR

General-purpose projects, beginners

In conclusion, the best pipeline depends on your specific project and its needs. Experiment and choose the one that helps you achieve your desired vision!

Frequently asked questions

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What is the disadvantage of URP in Unity?

URP may have limited visual features compared to HDRP, making it less suitable for high-end, photorealistic graphics or AAA-quality visuals.


Does Unity run better than Unreal?

Unity generally runs better for smaller or mobile projects due to its optimized performance, while Unreal excels in high-quality visuals and complex 3D environments. The choice depends on the project’s requirements.


Is URP or HDRP better?

It depends on the project. URP is better for performance on low-end platforms, mobile, and web, while HDRP is ideal for high-end graphics and AAA visuals but requires more resources.


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