Flat Kit: Toon Shading and Water

A scene can shift into a cel-shaded look without piecing together separate systems

Flat Kit is a Unity package that combines shaders, models, image effects, presets, and examples to create a stylized toon-rendered look. Its shading model is meant to handle both classic cel shading and more experimental visual styles, so it is not limited to one narrow art direction. The package centers on giving a project a readable, graphic look with controlled shading, visible outlines, and additional stylized effects that can be mixed as needed.

The practical value is in how the pieces work together. Instead of treating toon shading, water, fog, and post effects as unrelated parts, Flat Kit groups them into one workflow. That makes it easier to push a scene toward a consistent style, whether the goal is a character-focused game, an isometric view, or a more unusual visual treatment.

Shading, water, outlines, and image effects sit in one toolkit

The shading model is described as feature-rich and versatile, covering a wide range of stylized rendering styles. On top of that core shader work, the package includes stylized water, an outline effect, stylized fog, pixelation, a terrain shader, and a light plane shader for 3D highlights and god rays.

The water shader stands out because it is intended for a wide range of scenes, from a cup of coffee to an open ocean. A buoy script is included so floating objects can remain on the surface. That shader is available only in URP.

The outline effect uses depth, normal, and color outlines, and it works with both isometric and perspective cameras. That makes it useful across camera setups without forcing a single view style. The stylized fog is a multi-stop horizontal and vertical gradient fog image effect, while the pixelation effect creates a retro low-resolution look with large pixels.

For terrain work, the package includes a terrain shader that works with Unity or third-party terrain. The light plane shader adds 3D highlights and god rays, which gives the scene another layer of stylized lighting control.

What is included in the effect set

• Feature-rich shading model for stylized rendering styles
• Stylized water with a buoy script for floating objects
• Outline effect using depth, normal, and color outlines
• Stylized fog with horizontal and vertical gradients
• Pixelation image effect for a retro low-res look
• Terrain shader for Unity and third-party terrain
• Light plane shader for highlights and god rays

Version 4.0 adds controls and rendering helpers that affect day-to-day use

The version 4.0 update brings several changes that affect how the package is used in production. A pixelation image effect was added, along with a new demo scene. A mesh processor now generates perfectly smooth normals, which greatly improves object-based outlines. A new demo scene called Desert shows a Moebius-esque style using the Outline image effect.

Stylized Surface materials also now support Local Space Height Gradients. The Inspector UI for Stylized Surface and Water shaders received a complete overhaul, and tooltips were added to all parameters. That kind of change matters when a shader pack is expected to be adjusted often, because the controls are easier to read and work with inside the editor.

These additions reinforce the package’s role as a production tool rather than a one-off effect. The pixelation effect broadens the visual range, the mesh processor improves outline quality, and the Inspector update makes the shader controls more direct when tuning a scene.

Where it fits in a real Unity workflow

Flat Kit fits naturally into projects that need a stylized look from the start rather than a realism-first pipeline. Its shading model is positioned for character lighting and controlled scene color, with precise control over shadows, control over Unity built-in shadows, indirect lighting support, and stylized lightmap support. Vertex color support is included as well, including Polybrush support.

The package supports both Built-in and URP rendering pipelines. That matters for teams that are not locked into a single render path, since the same package is meant to work across both. Flat Kit also states support for all Unity-supported platforms, including mobile devices, WebGL, consoles, VR, and AR. XR support includes Single Pass Stereo Rendering.

It also lists support for Unity’s newer rendering features such as SRP batcher and LOD cross-fade. For teams keeping projects current, that reduces the feeling that stylized shading has to sit outside the rest of the engine’s rendering stack.

The included demo scenes and documentation are part of the workflow too. Examples help show how the shaders and effects behave together, while the documented controls make it easier to tune the look without guessing at what each parameter does.

A single package for scenes that need a readable, stylized finish

Flat Kit is most useful when a project needs toon shading, stylized water, outlines, fog, or pixelation without building each piece separately. The package covers both core shading and scene-level effects, and it supports a broad range of Unity targets and rendering setups.

For teams working on stylized games, the strongest takeaway is simple: Flat Kit gives you one place to shape the look of a scene, from surface shading and shadows to water, terrain, and outline behavior, while staying inside a Unity-friendly workflow.

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