○ Upgrading

⚑ Using version control or backing up the project is always recommended before updating to a new version. Always delete the Vegetation Engine and Modules folders before importing the new versions and check the changes to see how they can impact your project! Recompile all the custom TVE shaders to get the latest improvements!

○ Requirements

✓ Standard Render Pipeline: Unity 2021.3.0+

✓ Universal Render Pipeline: Unity 2021.3.37+ / Unity 2022.3.25+ / Unity 6000.0.b16+

✓ HD Render Pipeline: Unity 2021.3.37+ / Unity 2022.3.25+ / Unity 6000.0.b16+

✓ Amplify Shader Editor: 1.9.3.3+ (for custom shader compilation only)

○ Version 12.6.0

Improvements

✓ Shaders: Updated and recompiled the shaders based on ASE 1.9.3.3 improvements

○ Version 12.5.0

Features

✓ Core: Added label on the Prefab script showing the preset used on conversion

✓ Core: Added a basic tool for bug reporting

✓ Core: Added warning in the converter tool when scene prefabs have overrides

✓ Core: Added Clamp Negative Values converter action, useful to cut branch motion for roots

✓ Terrain: Added support for metallic

✓ Terrain: Added support for Global Alpha

✓ Blanket: Added support for metallic terrain blending

✓ Presets: Added include to get Shader Graph render settings

✓ Shaders: Upgraded all shaders based on Amplify 1.9.3

Fixes

✓ Core: Fixed converter not keeping mesh settings on user changes

✓ Core: Fixed Assets Manager wrongly renaming some assets

✓ Core: Fixed incorrect pipeline detection on installation in some cases

✓ Terrain: Fixed layer 8-11 normal map not working properly

○ Version 12.4.0

Changes

✓ Elements: Added faster elements sorting algorithm implemented by Morphy

✓ Core: Locked properties are no longer copied when using the Copy Settings From Object option

✓ Terrain: Added Alpha Clipping instead of holes to be consistent with the other shaders

✓ Blanket: Added option to blend the terrain normals with the mesh

Fixes

✓ Elements: Fixed Vertex Size elements not working with Shader Graph imported in BIRP

✓ Mobile: Fixed mobile shader pivots not working properly

✓ Terrain: Fixed terrain rendering with HDRP decals and render queue

✓ Terrain: Fixed terrain vertex position when instanced in BIRP

○ Version 12.3.0

Changes

✓ Terrain: The terrain package is no longer experimental but the script and shader have changed! All shader features are now moved from the script to the shader for easier usage. Unfortunately, all settings set on the script will reset and you will need to set them again on the terrain material!

✓ Shaders: Moved all BIRP shaders to a vertex/frag template to be able to add keywords without increasing the compilation time and to improve performance. If you are using custom-compiled BIRP shaders, use the BOXOPHOBIC>The Vegetation Engine> Lit amplify template instead!

✓ Shaders: Added better internal shader keyword naming, custom shaders will need to be recompiled to get the latest changes!

Features

✓ Core: Added a new Material Upgrader window to be used after all modules are installed. The old way of upgrading materials via the Hub was not capturing some materials using module shaders when the modules are not installed due to missing shaders. The new window will be opened automatically when material upgrading is needed!

✓ Blanket: Added full terrain blending support when using the Terrain Shader Module

✓ Blanket: Improved the terrain to blanket normals calculation for seamless blending

✓ Terrain: Unified the terrain shaders workflow, all features are now set on the material instead of compiling per-terrain shaders

✓ Terrain: Added support for using mesh terrains, the control textures and layers can be assigned on the TVE Terrain script

✓ Shaders: Added Show Active Keywords on the material to see the keywords in use

Fixes

✓ Elements: Fixed Interaction Advanced elements removing grass with fast movement

✓ Elements: Fixed inconsistent terrain height conform on Vulkan and GLES

○ Version 12.2.0

Changes

✓ Core: The converter no longer adds Labels to the converted assets, but they can be searched by name/type

Features

✓ Core: Added support to change the saving format on conversion. You can now specify where the assets are saved, what naming convention they use, and how they are saved on collect. The option is available in the Converter > Advanced Settings > OutputData or via presets! Check the documentation for more details!

✓ Core: Added support for Collections. The collections are ready-made converted assets with tweaked materials, tweaked per-branch variation for higher-quality wind and they include prefabs with impostor LODs. More details coming soon!

✓ Core: Added support for JasonBooth’s Foliage Renderer instanced indirect renderer in the Shader Manager

✓ Core: Added support for VladislavTsurikov’s Renderer Stack instanced indirect renderer in the Shader Manager

Fixes

✓ Shaders: Fixed wrong keywords added to the shaders for decals and SSR in HDRP

○ Version 12.1.0

Changes

✓ Terrain: Redesigned the terrain script to be more extensible in the future. The settings will reset to default after updating and you will need to update the terrain shader using the Update Shader Buton!

Features

✓ Core: The Collect Collected Data now copies the backup prefab as well to be able to reconvert collected prefabs if needed

✓Terrain: Added support for per-layer Triplanar, Stochastic, and Triplanar Stochastic texture sampling (updating terrain shader is required)

✓Terrain: Added debug info showing how many texture samples are used for the terrain shader

✓Terrain: The new materials and shaders are now organized in a folder called Terrains Data similar to how converted assets are saved

✓Shaders: Added support to invert the vertex occlusion when it is used as mask for overlay

Fixes

✓ Blanket: Fixed global color not working properly when the terrain blending is enabled

○ Version 12.0.2

Fixes

✓ Core: Fixed the terrain shader generation not working in some cases

✓ Shaders: Fixed emissive keyword missing from the core shaders

○ Version 12.0.1

Fixes

✓ Core: Fixed the Shader Manager not detecting the Blanket shaders

○ Version 12.0.0

Changes

✓ Terrain: Redesigned the terrain script to generate a new shader per terrain to be able to only enable features you need without adding tons of keywords to the shaders. This new feature will allow enabling features like procedural texturing and triplanar per layer instead of on the entire terrain, greatly reducing the rendering cost! Check the Terrain Shaders: General Setup in the doc for more details!

✓ Pipelines: Renamed the pipelines to match the unity version instead of the pipeline version for easier installation

✓ Shaders: Inverted the Overlay Tilling to match terrain UV scale mode when the overlay textures are enabled

Features

✓ Core: Made the Manager more robust by only allowing one manager to be enabled at any time and all elements are automatically assigned to the active manager. If an active manager is now present, all other managers will be disabled

✓ Core: Added auto-detection for the current project render pipeline

✓ Core: Updated Flora Instanced Indirect include path

✓ Core: Added support to change the layer names for each element category individually (check the Core>Resources>Internal Layers file)

✓ Core: Imroved the shader banner to show a yellow subtitle for the core shaders and a light-green subtitle for user-generated shaders

✓ Core: Added support to duplicate the core shaders to be editable with Amplify Shader Editor when using the Shader Manager tool

✓ Core: Added multiple visual improvements and fixes to the Shader Manager tool

✓ Lite: Added support for Global Overlay to the free Lite shaders to allow publishers to create snowy sceneries

✓ Lite: Added Octahedron Impostor shaders to the free Lite package to allow publishers to create impostor LODs

✓ Pipelines: Added support for HDRP/URP 17+ with Unity 2023.3+ (Preview)

✓ Elements: Added debug info showing if the elements are inside the global/render volumes

✓ Shaders: Added support for 2 Main Colors to be used to color branches and leaves separately

✓ Shaders: Added Emissive layer to the Impostor shaders (the texture baking is disabled by default)

✓ Shaders: Added option to the Subsurface effect to ignore the main mask

✓ Shaders: Optimized the Emissive layer if emissive is not used

✓ Shaders: Optimized the Mobile shaders in URP when Simple Lit shaders are used

✓ Shaders: Optimized the Impostor shaders in HDRP when decals are enabled in the project

✓ Presets: Updated Fantasy Tree Creator to use the newly added per-branch variation