Linework: Outlines and Edge Detection
Linework: A Practical Toolkit for Rendering Outlines
Linework: A Practical Toolkit for Rendering Outlines* This page contains affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you purchase something through them, at no extra cost. $45
- Category:
- Vfx › Shaders
- Developer:
- Alexander Ameye
- Price:
- $45
- Rating:
- Favorites:
- 517
- Supported Unity Versions:
- 2022.3.35 or higher
- Current Version:
- 1.4.9
- Download Size:
- 306.83 KB
- Last Update:
- Mar 20, 2025
- Description:
- Linework is a comprehensive toolkit for rendering outlines and fill effects in Unity. With over 5 years of development, it offers multiple techniques for balancing visual fidelity and performance. The package is designed to be user-friendly while still being flexible.
Linework supports Unity 6, Unity 2022.3, and URP, and includes five effects:
* Fast Outline: renders outlines by extruding an object behind the original object
* Soft Outline: generates a silhouette of an object and applies a dilation/blur effect
* Wide Outline: generates a signed distance field (SDF) for each object
* Edge Detection: detects edges and discontinuities within the scene
* Surface Fill: renders fills by rendering an object with a fill material
Each effect has a range of settings, including:
* Rendering layer system for applying outlines to specific objects
* Outline visuals (thickness, color, etc.)
* Outline behavior (where it should appear)
Linework is performant, leveraging the SRP batcher and Unity 6 Render Graph, and includes features such as custom editor UI and settings, full source code, and extensive documentation. It is compatible with alpha cutout shaders, vertex animation, and various platforms, including MacOS, Windows, WebGL, and iOS.
However, it is only compatible with Unity 6 or Unity 2022.3 and the Universal Render Pipeline. More information on compatibility can be found at the package's documentation.
Linework is a powerful tool for creating visually appealing outlines and fill effects in Unity, and is suitable for a wide range of applications, from 2D and 3D games to architectural visualizations and more. - Technical Details:
- Linework contains 5 effects to render outlines and fills, which can be added as renderer features to your URP renderer.
* Fast Outline: renders outlines by rendering an extruded version of an object behind the original object.
* Soft Outline: renders outlines by generating a silhouette of an object and applying a dilation/blur effect, resulting in smooth, soft-edged contours around objects.
* Wide Outline: renders an outline by generating a signed distance field (SDF) for each object and then sampling it, creating consistent outlines that smoothly follow the shape of an object.
* Edge Detection: renders outlines by detecting edges and discontinuities within the scene, such as differences in depth, normal vector, color, or custom input buffers, creating a consistent outline effect that is applied uniformly across the entire scene.
* Surface Fill: renders fills by rendering an object with a fill material.
Each effect has an extensive range of settings, including:
* Which objects the outline is applied to (using the rendering layer system)
* The visuals of the outline (thickness, color, etc.)
* The behavior of the outline (where it should appear) - Continue »