Shader Architecture - VR Stage Lighting

Overview

VRSL’s lighting system is 95% shader-based, with nearly all computation happening on the GPU. This architecture enables hundreds of individually-controlled fixtures to render simultaneously with minimal performance impact.

The shader architecture uses GPU instancing and batching to render multiple fixtures in a single draw call while maintaining per-fixture properties.

Shader Types

VRSL provides shaders for different fixture components:

Moving Lights

Volumetric Mesh - Renders light beams and fog effects

/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-StandardMover-VolumetricMesh.shader
/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-WashMover-VolumetricMesh.shader

Projection Mesh - Renders GOBO patterns and projections

/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-StandardMover-ProjectionMesh.shader
/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-WashMover-ProjectionMesh.shader

Fixture Mesh - Renders physical fixture body

/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-StandardMover-FixtureMesh.shader
/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-WashMover-FixtureMesh.shader

Static Lights

Static Light - Fixed-position spotlights and washes

/Runtime/Shaders/StaticLights/VRSL-StaticLight-ProjectionMesh.shader
/Runtime/Shaders/StaticLights/VRSL-StaticLight-LensFlare.shader

Specialty

Lasers - Laser beam effects

/Runtime/Shaders/MovingLights/VRSL-BasicLaser-DMX.shader

Surface Shaders - LED strips and surfaces

/Runtime/Shaders/Basic Surface Shaders/VRSL-StandardSurface-Opaque.shader

Shader Includes Architecture

Shaders are modular, sharing common functionality:

Shader
  │
  ├─ VRSLDMX.cginc              ─── Core DMX reading
  │   └─ ReadDMX()
  │   └─ GetDMXColor()
  │   └─ GetStrobeOutput()
  │
  ├─ VRSL-DMXFunctions.cginc    ─── DMX helper functions
  │   └─ getValueAtCoords()
  │   └─ GetPanValue()
  │   └─ GetTiltValue()
  │
  ├─ VRSL-AudioLink-Functions.cginc  ─── AudioLink integration
  │   └─ GetAudioReactAmplitude()
  │   └─ GetColorChordLight()
  │
  ├─ VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc ─── Vertex transformations
  │   └─ calculateRotations()
  │   └─ CalculateConeWidth()
  │
  └─ VRSL-LightingFunctions.cginc    ─── Rendering
      └─ VolumetricLightingBRDF()
      └─ ProjectionFrag()

GPU Instancing

VRSL uses Unity’s GPU instancing to render multiple fixtures efficiently:

Instanced Properties

// From VRSLDMX.cginc:2-39
UNITY_INSTANCING_BUFFER_START(Props)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(uint, _DMXChannel)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(uint, _NineUniverseMode)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(uint, _EnableStrobe)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(uint, _EnableDMX)
    
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float4, _Emission)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _GlobalIntensity)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _FinalIntensity)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _ConeWidth)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _ConeLength)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _MaxConeLength)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _MaxMinPanAngle)
    UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _MaxMinTiltAngle)
    
    #ifdef _VRSL_AUDIOLINK_ON
        UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _EnableAudioLink)
        UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _Band)
        UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _BandMultiplier)
        UNITY_DEFINE_INSTANCED_PROP(float, _Delay)
    #endif
UNITY_INSTANCING_BUFFER_END(Props)

Accessing Instanced Properties

// Example from VRSL-DMXFunctions.cginc:4-6
uint getDMXChannel()
{
    return (uint) round(UNITY_ACCESS_INSTANCED_PROP(Props, _DMXChannel));
}

GPU instancing allows Unity to batch hundreds of fixtures into a single draw call, dramatically improving performance.

Vertex Shader Operations

Vertex shaders perform all geometric transformations:

Pan/Tilt Rotation

// From VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:6-75
half4 calculateRotations(appdata v, half4 input, int normalsCheck, half pan, half tilt)
{
    // Calculate pan (Y-axis rotation)
    half angleY = radians(getOffsetY() + pan);
    half c, s;
    sincos(angleY, s, c);
    
    half3x3 rotateYMatrix = half3x3(c, -s, 0,
                                    s, c, 0,
                                    0, 0, 1);
    
    // Apply pan inversion if needed
    rotateYMatrix = checkPanInvertY() == 1 ? transpose(rotateYMatrix) : rotateYMatrix;
    
    half3 localRotY = mul(rotateYMatrix, input.xyz);
    
    // Calculate tilt (X-axis rotation)
    half3 newOrigin = input.w * _FixtureRotationOrigin.xyz;
    input.xyz = v.color.b == 1.0 ? input.xyz - newOrigin : input.xyz;
    
    half angleX = radians(getOffsetX() + tilt);
    sincos(angleX, s, c);
    half3x3 rotateXMatrix = half3x3(1, 0, 0,
                                    0, c, -s,
                                    0, s, c);
    
    rotateXMatrix = checkTiltInvertZ() == 1 ? transpose(rotateXMatrix) : rotateXMatrix;
    
    // Combined rotation
    half3x3 rotateXYMatrix = mul(rotateYMatrix, rotateXMatrix);
    half3 localRotXY = mul(rotateXYMatrix, input.xyz);
    
    // Apply rotation only to blue vertices (moving parts)
    input.xyz = v.color.b == 1.0 ? localRotXY + newOrigin : input.xyz;
    // Apply pan only to green vertices (base)
    input.xyz = v.color.g == 1.0 ? localRotY : input.xyz;
    
    return input;
}

Vertex Color Masking

VRSL uses vertex colors to control which vertices are affected by transformations:

Color Channel	Purpose
Red	Cone width/projection range scaling
Green	Pan rotation (base)
Blue	Pan + Tilt rotation (head)

// Apply different transformations based on vertex color
input.xyz = v.color.b == 1.0 ? localRotXY + newOrigin : input.xyz;  // Head
input.xyz = v.color.g == 1.0 ? localRotY : input.xyz;              // Base

Cone Width Calculation

// From VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:169-204
half4 CalculateConeWidth(appdata v, half4 input, half scalar, uint dmx)
{
    #if defined(VOLUMETRIC_YES)
        half4 newOrigin = input.w * _FixtureRotationOrigin;
        input.xyz = input.xyz - newOrigin;
        scalar = -scalar;
        
        #ifdef WASH
            scalar *= 2.0;
            scalar -= 2.50;
        #endif
        
        // Scale based on distance from origin
        half distanceFromFixture = (v.uv.x) * (scalar);
        distanceFromFixture = lerp(0, distanceFromFixture, pow(v.uv.x, _ConeSync));
        
        input.z = (input.z) + (-v.normal.z) * (distanceFromFixture);
        input.x = (input.x) + (-v.normal.x) * (distanceFromFixture);
        
        // Length stretching
        half3 originStretch = input.xyz;
        half3 stretchedcoords = ((-v.tangent.y) * getMaxConeLength(dmx));
        input.xyz = lerp(originStretch, (originStretch * stretchedcoords), 
                        pow(v.uv.x, lerp(1, 0.1, v.uv.x) - 0.5));
        input.xyz = IF(v.uv.x < 0.001, originStretch, input.xyz);
        
        input.xyz = input.xyz + newOrigin;
        return input;
    #endif
}

Cone meshes use UV.x (0-1) to represent distance from fixture origin. This enables smooth scaling along the beam length.

Fragment Shader Operations

DMX Fragment Shader

// Main vertex shader setup (VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:337-407)
v2f vert(appdata v)
{
    v2f o;
    UNITY_SETUP_INSTANCE_ID(v);
    UNITY_INITIALIZE_OUTPUT(v2f, o);
    UNITY_INITIALIZE_VERTEX_OUTPUT_STEREO(o);
    UNITY_TRANSFER_INSTANCE_ID(v, o);
    
    #ifdef VRSL_DMX
        uint dmx = getDMXChannel();
        half oscConeWidth = getDMXConeWidth(dmx);
        half oscPanValue = GetPanValue(dmx);
        half oscTiltValue = GetTiltValue(dmx);
        
        // Apply all transformations
        v.vertex = CalculateConeWidth(v, v.vertex, oscConeWidth, dmx);
        v.vertex = CalculateProjectionScaleRange(v, v.vertex, _ProjectionRange);
        v.vertex = ConeScale(v, v.vertex, _MinimumBeamRadius);
        v.vertex = calculateRotations(v, v.vertex, 0, oscPanValue, oscTiltValue);
        
        // Pass data to fragment shader
        o.intensityStrobeGOBOSpinSpeed = half4(
            GetDMXIntensity(dmx, 1.0),
            GetStrobeOutput(dmx),
            getGoboSpinSpeed(dmx),
            getDMXGoboSelection(dmx)
        );
        o.rgbColor = GetDMXColor(dmx);
    #endif
    
    o.pos = UnityObjectToClipPos(v.vertex);
    return o;
}

Culling for Performance

Fixtures are culled in the vertex shader if off or invisible:

// VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:531-535
if(((all(o.rgbColor <= half4(0.005,0.005,0.005,1)) || o.intensityStrobeGOBOSpinSpeed.x <= 0.01) && isDMX() == 1) 
   || getGlobalIntensity() <= 0.005 
   || getFinalIntensity() <= 0.005)
{
    v.vertex = half4(0,0,0,0);  // Collapse to point
    o.pos = UnityObjectToClipPos(v.vertex);
}

This culling happens per-fixture, per-frame on the GPU, avoiding expensive CPU-side visibility checks.

Volumetric Rendering

Volumetric beams use several techniques:

Blinding Effect

Intensifies beams when looking directly at the fixture:

// VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:376-400
float3 worldCam;
worldCam.x = unity_CameraToWorld[0][3];
worldCam.y = unity_CameraToWorld[1][3];
worldCam.z = unity_CameraToWorld[2][3];
float3 objCamPos = mul(unity_WorldToObject, float4(worldCam, 1)).xyz;
objCamPos = InvertVolumetricRotations(float4(objCamPos,1), oscPanValue, oscTiltValue).xyz;

half len = length(objCamPos.xy);
len *= (len * _BlindingAngleMod);

float4 originScreenPos = ComputeScreenPos(UnityObjectToClipPos(_FixtureRotationOrigin));
float2 originScreenUV = originScreenPos.xy / originScreenPos.w;
o.camAngleCamfade.x = saturate((1-distance(half2(0.5, 0.5), originScreenUV))-0.5);

o.blindingEffect = clamp(0.6/len, 1.0, 20.0);
half endBlind = lerp(1.0, o.blindingEffect, 0.15);
o.blindingEffect = lerp(endBlind, o.blindingEffect * 2.2, o.camAngleCamfade.x);

Noise Textures

Adds realistic fog/haze texture:

#ifdef _HQ_MODE
    o.uv2 = TRANSFORM_TEX(v.uv2, _NoiseTexHigh);
#else
    o.uv2 = TRANSFORM_TEX(v.uv2, _NoiseTex);
#endif

Depth Fade

Prevents hard intersections with geometry:

COMPUTE_EYEDEPTH(o.screenPos.z);

Projection Rendering

GOBO projections use screen-space ray marching:

Ray Setup

// VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:440-453
o.pos = UnityObjectToClipPos(v.vertex);
o.screenPos = ComputeScreenPos(o.pos);
o.ray = UnityObjectToViewPos(v.vertex).xyz;
o.ray *= half3(1,1,-1);  // Invert Z for projection

Mirror Depth Correction

// VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:461-463
o.worldDirection.xyz = o.worldPos.xyz - _WorldSpaceCameraPos;
o.worldDirection.w = dot(o.pos, CalculateFrustumCorrection());

// From VRSL-StandardMover-Vertex.cginc:297-302
inline float4 CalculateFrustumCorrection()
{
    float x1 = -UNITY_MATRIX_P._31/(UNITY_MATRIX_P._11*UNITY_MATRIX_P._34);
    float x2 = -UNITY_MATRIX_P._32/(UNITY_MATRIX_P._22*UNITY_MATRIX_P._34);
    return float4(x1, x2, 0, UNITY_MATRIX_P._33/UNITY_MATRIX_P._34 + x1*UNITY_MATRIX_P._13 + x2*UNITY_MATRIX_P._23);
}

Render Texture Pipeline

VRSL uses custom render textures for advanced effects:

DMX Interpolation

DMXRTShader-DMXInterpolation.shader - Smooths DMX values to reduce jitter from compression artifacts

Strobe Generation

DMXRTShader-StrobeTimings.shader - Converts DMX strobe values to phase DMXRTShader-StrobeOutput.shader - Generates binary on/off from phase

Spin Timer

DMXRTShader-SpinnerTimer.shader - Accumulates rotation for GOBO spin

Render textures are updated once per frame for all fixtures, then sampled by individual fixture shaders.

Shader Keywords

VRSL uses shader variants for different modes:

#pragma shader_feature_local _VRSLPAN_ON
#pragma shader_feature_local _VRSLTILT_ON
#pragma shader_feature_local _VRSL_AUDIOLINK_ON
#pragma shader_feature_local VRSL_DMX
#pragma shader_feature_local VRSL_AUDIOLINK
#pragma shader_feature_local VOLUMETRIC_YES
#pragma shader_feature_local PROJECTION_YES

This creates optimized shader variants:

DMX-only builds exclude AudioLink code
AudioLink-only builds exclude DMX code
Volumetric/projection variants optimize for specific mesh types

Performance Best Practices

Batching

Use GPU instancing for all fixtures
Group fixtures by material to maximize batching
Avoid per-fixture material changes

Culling

Fixtures auto-cull when off/dark
Use occlusion culling for fixtures behind walls
Disable fixtures far from players in large worlds

LOD Strategy

Reduce cone length for distant fixtures
Disable volumetrics beyond certain distance
Use simpler shaders for background/ambient lights

Texture Sampling

DMX grid uses point sampling (no filtering)
Noise textures use trilinear filtering
GOBO textures use mipmaps

Avoid sampling the DMX grid texture multiple times per channel. Cache reads in vertex shader.

DMX System

How DMX data is read by shaders

AudioLink Integration

Audio-reactive shader features

Get Started

Core Concepts

Fixtures

Components

Guides

​Overview

​Shader Types

​Moving Lights

​Static Lights

​Specialty

​Shader Includes Architecture

​GPU Instancing

​Instanced Properties

​Accessing Instanced Properties

​Vertex Shader Operations

​Pan/Tilt Rotation

​Vertex Color Masking

​Cone Width Calculation

​Fragment Shader Operations

​DMX Fragment Shader

​Culling for Performance

​Volumetric Rendering

​Blinding Effect

​Noise Textures

​Depth Fade

​Projection Rendering

​Ray Setup

​Mirror Depth Correction

​Render Texture Pipeline

​DMX Interpolation

​Strobe Generation

​Spin Timer

​Shader Keywords

​Performance Best Practices

​Batching

​Culling

​LOD Strategy

​Texture Sampling

​Related Topics

DMX System

AudioLink Integration

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Shader Types

Moving Lights

Static Lights

Specialty

Shader Includes Architecture

GPU Instancing

Instanced Properties

Accessing Instanced Properties

Vertex Shader Operations

Pan/Tilt Rotation

Vertex Color Masking

Cone Width Calculation

Fragment Shader Operations

DMX Fragment Shader

Culling for Performance

Volumetric Rendering

Blinding Effect

Noise Textures

Depth Fade

Projection Rendering

Ray Setup

Mirror Depth Correction

Render Texture Pipeline

DMX Interpolation

Strobe Generation

Spin Timer

Shader Keywords

Performance Best Practices

Batching

Culling

LOD Strategy

Texture Sampling

Related Topics