Engine version: 5.0+

Professional Cel-Shading Made Simple

The Stylized Rendering System (Cel-Shader) provides an efficient way to create anime and manga aesthetics in your projects. This tool allows users to cel-shade characters, objects, and visual effects quickly. Furthermore, it offers up to 25 customizable outline styles for any scene. The developer designed the system for ease of use. Consequently, little to no technical knowledge of shaders or post-processing is required to achieve high-quality results.

Users can set up the system in a matter of minutes. You simply drag the SRS actor into the scene and enable custom depth on selected objects. This approach is both simple and effective for creators at any skill level. Moreover, the system includes over 100 different parameters. These are organized into structured categories to provide total control over the visual output.

Dynamic Lighting and Advanced Customization

The post-process approach of the Stylized Rendering System (Cel-Shader) ensures that objects react dynamically to light. Therefore, cel-shaded assets will respond naturally to shadows and various light sources. The system is also highly adaptable for different hardware. For instance, you can disable specific features to improve performance on lower-end devices. However, the system remains robust enough for cinematic-quality visuals.

Recent updates have introduced several advanced features to the toolkit. These include:

Fog Actor: Easily add compatible exponential height fog to your stylized scenes.
Reflection Actor: Implement cubemapped reflections with adjustable strength and blur.
Rimshadow: Adds detail to non-metallic objects when they are positioned in shadows.
Shadow Biasing: Allows you to force or hide shadows using textures within materials.
Color-Based Outlines: Add strokes to internal surfaces along color transitions.

Enhanced Compatibility and Performance

The developer has consistently updated the system to support the latest engine versions. Version 2.2 introduced compatibility improvements for Nanite in UE5.6+. This update specifically fixed issues where highlights were not visible on Nanite meshes. Additionally, the Automatic Lighting Adaptation feature has been improved to better match atmosphere parameters. This ensures that the cel-shading looks consistent under various lighting conditions.

To maintain visual consistency, the system includes a Screen Percentage input. This variable informs the SRS actor of the current viewport resolution. As a result, outline thickness remains consistent even when the screen percentage changes. While some features require high scalability settings, the system continues to evolve for better performance across all quality levels.

Conclusion

The Stylized Rendering System (Cel-Shader) is a comprehensive solution for developers seeking a non-photorealistic look. It combines ease of use with a deep set of technical parameters. Whether you are creating a simple cartoon or a complex anime-inspired world, this system provides the necessary tools. By utilizing the SRS actor and its various material functions, you can achieve a unique and dynamic visual style for your game.