> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://university-of-games.gitbook.io/welcome/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://university-of-games.gitbook.io/welcome/products/utilities/shader-pack-cartoon-water-and-environment.md). # Shader Pack: Cartoon water & environment Shader Pack: Cartoon water & environment — Wind Waker style water and Toon Lit for Unity 6 URP. Full docs by University of Games. ![Demo General — Wind Waker style ocean with depth foam, vertex waves and a cel-shaded island](https://files.catbox.moe/5w7b8z.png) **Shader Pack: Cartoon water & environment** is a stylized URP shader package from University of Games. It recreates the iconic *The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker* look — a flat, saturated ocean with hand-drawn foam — plus a matching cel-shaded **Toon Lit** shader for characters, props and islands. Built for **Unity 6** and the **Universal Render Pipeline**. {% hint style="success" %} **Get it on the Unity Asset Store:** [Shader Pack: Cartoon water & environment](https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/shaders/shader-pack-cartoon-water-environment-201242) — available now for Unity 6000+. {% endhint %} {% hint style="info" %} **Who is this for?** Indie developers and small studios building cartoon, cel-shaded or Wind Waker–inspired worlds who want production-ready water and toon materials without writing custom HLSL from scratch. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} **Requirements:** Unity **6000.0+** · Universal Render Pipeline (**URP 17+**) · **Depth Texture** enabled · renderer **Depth Texture Mode** = *After Opaques* (bundled URP assets + auto validator cover this) {% endhint %} *** ## In plain language — what do you get? A complete stylized-look toolkit that ships as one asset folder: 1. **Cartoon Water** — single-pass transparent URP HLSL: depth gradient, intersection foam, secondary foam layer, distortion, fresnel horizon, optional reflections, sun glint and vertex waves. 2. **Toon Lit** — Wind Waker cel banding for characters and props: shadow tint, toon specular, rim, emission, constant-width outline, alpha clip. 3. **Water Surface + Buoyancy** — CPU wave sampling that matches the shader, so crates and rafts float on the rendered swell. 4. **Underwater camera effect** — URP Render Feature with fog, refraction, caustics, Snell window and vignette when the camera dives below the surface. 5. **URP Setup Validator** — one-click fix for the two settings that cause "white water" on new Unity 6 projects. 6. **Four demo scenes** — full ocean, mesh variants, toon gallery, floating physics. Every optional shader feature sits behind a `shader_feature` keyword and is stripped from the build when disabled. *** ## Quick start {% stepper %} {% step %} ### Install Install from the [Unity Asset Store](https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/shaders/shader-pack-cartoon-water-environment-201242). On import, the **URP Setup Validator** may offer to fix Depth Texture settings — accept it. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Confirm URP **Project Settings → Graphics** should use a URP asset. You can assign a bundled asset from `Settings/` (Low / Medium / High). Re-run validation any time via **Tools → Shader Pack: Cartoon water & environment → Validate URP Setup**. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Open a demo Open `Scenes/Demo General.unity` and press Play. Drag with the left mouse button to orbit. Dive the camera below the waterline to see the underwater effect. {% endstep %} {% step %} ### Use in your scene Assign `Material/Cartoon Water URP` to any flat mesh. For characters and props, use `CartoonPack/Toon Lit` or a bundled WindWaker / Toon preset. Continue in Getting Started. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} *** ## Features

🌊

Wind Waker oceanDepth colours, dual-layer foam, distortion, fresnel horizon, reflections and sun glint.

🎭

Toon LitCel banding, rim, outline, emission and cutout for the whole environment.

🛶

Buoyancy physicsCPU waves match the shader — crates, rafts and barrels float and rock.

🤿

Underwater cameraFog, caustics, refraction, Snell window — full-screen URP Render Feature.

🛠️

URP auto-setupEditor validator + runtime safety net fix white-water Depth Texture issues.

📱

Mobile-readyToggle features off and they vanish from the compiled shader.
*** ## Documentation map | Page | Contents | | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Getting Started | Install, URP check, first water plane, first toon material, recipes | | Cartoon Water | Features, material properties, performance, look recipes | | Toon Lit | Cel banding, outline, rim, emission, cutout, lighting notes | | Water Physics (Buoyancy) | Water Surface + Buoyancy setup and tuning | | Underwater Camera | Render Feature, camera component, material knobs | | Demo Scenes | What each demo shows and how to explore it | | URP Setup & Troubleshooting | White water, foam, reflections, outlines — fixes | *** ## Architecture ```mermaid flowchart TD URP["URP Asset + Depth Texture"] --> Water["Cartoon Water shader"] Water --> Foam["Depth foam + noise"] Water --> Waves["Vertex waves"] Waves --> Surface["WaterSurface CPU mirror"] Surface --> Buoy["Buoyancy Rigidbodies"] URP --> Toon["Toon Lit shader"] URP --> UW["Underwater Render Feature"] Cam["UnderwaterCameraEffect"] --> UW Surface --> Cam ``` ### Design principles 1. **One water shader, many looks** — ocean vs calm pool is material presets, not separate shaders. 2. **Gameplay matches visuals** — `WaterSurface` reimplements the same sine swell on the CPU for buoyancy and underwater triggers. 3. **Optional = free** — disabled `shader_feature` keywords are stripped at compile time. 4. **SRP Batcher first** — material properties live in `UnityPerMaterial` CBs. 5. **Project safety** — validator + runtime guard catch broken Unity 6 Depth Texture defaults. *** ## Package layout ``` Assets/Shader Pack - Cartoon water & environment/ ├── Scenes/ Demo General, Water Meshes, Toon Showcase, Physics ├── Material/ Water + WindWaker / Toon presets ├── Meshes/ Water Disc, Lagoon, Plane HD ├── Scripts/ WaterSurface, Buoyancy, Underwater*, Orbit camera, URP validator ├── Settings/ CartoonPack-URP-Low/Medium/High + Renderer ├── Shader/ Cartoon Water, Toon Lit, Underwater Effect (+ optional Shader Graph) ├── Textures/ PerlinNoise, WaterDistortion └── README.md ``` *** ## Version history (highlights) {% updates format="short" %} {% update date="2026-07-17" tags="fix" %} ## 2.1.1 — URP auto-setup (white water fix) Editor **URP Setup Validator**, runtime safety net, demo cameras force Depth Texture On. Covers *Depth Texture* off and *Depth Texture Mode = After Transparents*. {% endupdate %} {% update date="2026-07-17" tags="feature" %} ## 2.1 — Toon Lit & new demos Toon Lit shader, Wind Waker materials, calm water preset, Demo Water Meshes / Toon Showcase / Physics, buoyancy scripts. {% endupdate %} {% update date="2026-07-17" tags="major" %} ## 2.0 — Unity 6 / URP rewrite Cartoon Water rewritten to native URP HLSL. Secondary foam, fresnel, reflections, sun glint, vertex waves. {% endupdate %} {% endupdates %} *** ## Support Questions about the package? Reach us via the [Unity Asset Store publisher page](https://assetstore.unity.com/publishers/25633) or the channels listed under [Community](/welcome/community.md).