Quick Start

Welcome to CelShaderFX! This guide will help you get up and running in minutes.

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Installation

From Unity Package

1. Download the CelShaderFX package
2. In Unity, go to Assets > Import Package > Custom Package
3. Select the downloaded .unitypackage file
4. Click Import to import all files

From Asset Store

1. Open the Package Manager (Window > Package Manager)
2. Select My Assets from the dropdown
3. Find CelShaderFX and click Import

Package Import

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Setup by Render Pipeline

CelShaderFX supports all three Unity render pipelines. Follow the instructions for your pipeline.

Built-In Render Pipeline

The Built-In pipeline setup is the simplest - just add a component to your camera.

Step 1: Add the Effect Component

1. Select your Main Camera in the Hierarchy
2. Click Add Component in the Inspector
3. Search for “Cel Post Process Effect”
4. Add the component

Add Component

Step 2: Create Settings Asset

1. In the Inspector, you’ll see a “Settings” field
2. Click Create New to create a new CelShaderSettings asset
3. Choose a location to save the asset (e.g., Assets/Settings/)

Create Settings

Step 3: Configure Effects

1. Expand the settings in the Inspector
2. Enable Cel Shading and Outline to start
3. Adjust parameters to taste

Configure Effects

Done! You should now see cel shading applied to your scene.

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Universal Render Pipeline (URP)

URP uses Renderer Features and Volumes for post-processing.

Step 1: Add Renderer Feature

1. Find your URP Renderer Asset (usually in Assets/Settings/)
2. Select it and look at the Inspector
3. Click Add Renderer Feature
4. Select Cel Render Feature

Add Renderer Feature

Step 2: Create a Volume

1. In your scene, create an empty GameObject
2. Name it “Post Processing Volume”
3. Add a Volume component
4. Set Mode to Global (or Local with a collider)
5. Click New to create a new Volume Profile

Create Volume

Step 3: Add CelShaderFX Override

1. With the Volume selected, click Add Override
2. Navigate to Post-processing > CelShaderFX
3. Select Cel Volume Component

Add Override

Step 4: Configure Effects

1. Enable the effects you want by checking their boxes
2. Click All next to each section to enable parameter overrides
3. Adjust parameters to taste

Configure URP

Done! Your URP project now has CelShaderFX.

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High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP)

HDRP uses Custom Post Process volumes.

Step 1: Register Custom Post Process

1. Go to Edit > Project Settings > HDRP Default Settings
2. Scroll down to Custom Post Process Orders
3. Under After Post Process, click +
4. Add CelCustomPostProcess

Register Post Process

Step 2: Create a Volume

1. In your scene, create an empty GameObject
2. Name it “Post Processing Volume”
3. Add a Volume component
4. Set Mode to Global
5. Click New to create a new Volume Profile

Create HDRP Volume

Step 3: Add CelShaderFX Override

1. Click Add Override
2. Navigate to Post-processing > CelShaderFX
3. Select Cel Custom Post Process

Add HDRP Override

Step 4: Configure Effects

1. Enable the effects you want
2. Adjust parameters in the Volume override

Configure HDRP

Done! HDRP is now set up with CelShaderFX.

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Your First Effect

Let’s create a classic anime look in 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Enable Cel Shading

Parameter	Value
Enable Cel Shading	✓
Band Count	4
Softness	0.05
Saturation	1.0

This quantizes colors into discrete bands for the classic toon look.

Cel Shading Result

Step 2: Add Outlines

Parameter	Value
Enable Outline	✓
Color	Black
Thickness	1.5
Depth Threshold	0.1
Normal Threshold	45

Outlines define shapes and add that comic/anime feel.

Outline Result

Step 3: Fine-tune

Play with these parameters to refine the look:

• Band Count: More bands = more gradual shading
• Outline Thickness: Thicker for bold, thinner for subtle
• Softness: Higher = smoother band transitions

Final Result

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Using Presets

CelShaderFX comes with ready-to-use presets for common styles.

Applying a Preset

Method 1: From Inspector

1. Select your CelShaderSettings asset or Volume
2. In the Inspector, find the Presets dropdown
3. Select a preset (e.g., “Anime Classic”, “Manga”, “Watercolor”)
4. Click Apply

Apply Preset Inspector

A preset picked from the Volume Inspector's dropdown, and the scene following it.

Method 2: From Preset Browser

1. Go to Tools > CelShaderFX > Preset Browser
2. Browse the visual preset gallery
3. Click on a preset to preview
4. Click Apply to use it

Preset Browser

Available Presets

All 37 presets from the Volume's own dropdown, on one scene.

All 37 presets ship in every edition. The Preset Browser can filter them by category.

Preset	Category	Look
Anime Classic	Anime	Traditional anime cel shading with clean black outlines
Anime Soft	Anime	Soft anime style with smooth shading transitions
Anime Bold	Anime	Bold anime style with thick outlines and high contrast
Modern Anime	Anime	Crisp modern anime: sharp cel bands, a clean JFA rim and the Anime grade
Ghibli	Anime	Soft painterly anime: a warm Ghibli colour grade with gentle edge-preserving smoothing
Manga	Manga	Black and white manga with screentone patterns
Dramatic Ink	Manga	High-contrast manga ink with edge-tangent flow strokes
Comic Book	Comic	Bold comic book style with halftone dots
Ligne Claire	Comic	European comic: clean uniform outlines, flat bold colour, no hatching
Pop Art	Comic	Warhol-inspired pop art with halftone dots
Print CMYK	Comic	CMYK print reproduction with SWOP plate angles and paper grain
Risograph	Comic	Riso print: coarse halftone, limited warm palette and heavy paper grain
Watercolor	Painting	Soft watercolor painting effect with paper texture
Oil Painting	Painting	Rich oil painting with visible brush strokes
Impressionist	Painting	Monet-inspired impressionist painting
Van Gogh	Painting	Expressive brushwork inspired by Van Gogh
Gouache	Painting	Matte flat-painterly: vector-art Kuwahara with a soft thin outline
Painterly Directional	Painting	Smooth Polynomial Kuwahara fills with curvature-following hatching that wraps the surface
Ukiyo-e	Painting	Japanese woodblock print: flat colour fields, bold ink lines and paper texture
Sumi-E	Painting	Eastern ink wash: smooth Polynomial Kuwahara tones with sharp edge-tangent ink strokes on light paper grain
Pencil Sketch	Drawing	Pencil sketch with cross-hatching
Charcoal	Drawing	Soft charcoal drawing: smudged near-mono tones, canvas tooth and heavy paper grain
Ink Drawing	Drawing	Clean ink drawing with bold lines
Engraving	Drawing	Detailed engraving with fine line patterns
Anchored Hatch	Drawing	Pattern hatching anchored to world geometry, so it does not swim when the camera moves
Sin City	Drawing	Stark graphic-novel ink: extreme black-and-white XDoG, no shading
Pixel Art	Retro	Clean, vibrant pixel art: blocky pixelation, hard banding and light dither
PS1 Demake	Retro	Lo-fi retro: chunky pixelation, ordered dithering and hard colour banding
Retro	Retro	Retro game style with limited colours and dithering
Neon	Experimental	Vibrant neon glow with strong outlines
Cyberpunk	Experimental	Neon-noir: a cyberpunk colour grade with a glowing rim light
Vaporwave	Experimental	80s retro aesthetic: pink/cyan split-tone, banding and ordered dither
Blueprint	Experimental	Technical schematic: cool blue monochrome with XDoG line work
Terminal	Experimental	Green-phosphor terminal: ASCII character rendering with a CRT-green tint
Noir	Experimental	High contrast noir style
Dramatic	Custom	High contrast dramatic lighting style
Minimal	Custom	Subtle cel shading with thin outlines

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Next Steps

Now that you have the basics, explore more:

Learn More Effects

• User Manual - Complete guide to all effects and parameters
• Effects Reference - Detailed documentation for each effect

Advanced Features

• Modular Controller - Runtime effect control
• Custom Presets - Save your own presets
• Object Exclusion - Exclude objects from effects

Get Help

• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions
• API Reference - Scripting documentation

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Quick Reference Card

Keyboard Shortcuts (Preview Window)

Shortcut	Action
Space	Toggle effect on/off
1-9	Quick switch presets
S	Toggle split view
R	Reset to defaults

Common Settings Quick Reference

Style	Cel Bands	Outline	Extra
Anime	3-4	1-2px black	-
Manga	2-3	2px black	Hatching
Comic	4-5	2-3px black	Halftone
Watercolor	-	Soft edges	Granulation
Oil Paint	-	-	Kuwahara + Painterly

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*Continue to the User Manual* for complete documentation.