Forward and Forward+ rendering paths in URP
The Universal Render PipelineA series of operations that take the contents of a Scene, and displays them on a screen. Unity lets you choose from pre-built render pipelines, or write your own. More info
See in Glossary (URP) has the following forward rendering pathsThe technique that a render pipeline uses to render graphics. Choosing a different rendering path affects how lighting and shading are calculated. Some rendering paths are more suited to different platforms and hardware than others. More info
See in Glossary:
- Forward
- Forward+
Forward rendering path
The Forward renderingA rendering path that renders each object in one or more passes, depending on lights that affect the object. Lights themselves are also treated differently by Forward Rendering, depending on their settings and intensity. More info
See in Glossary path is the default rendering path in URP. Unity lights each GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary in turn, and there’s a limit to the number of lights that can affect each GameObject.
Forward+ rendering path
The Forward+ rendering path is similar to the Forward rendering path, but there’s no limit to the number of lights that can affect each GameObject. There’s still a limit on the number of lights visible per-camera.
Using the Forward+ rendering path reduces the number of lights Unity calculates for each GameObject. Unity divides the screen into tiles, then identifies which lights affect which tiles. When Unity calculates the lighting for a GameObject, it uses only the lights that affect the tile the GameObject is in.
Unity ignores the following settings if you select the Forward+ rendering path:
- Additional Lights in the URP Asset.
- Main Light in the URP Asset.
- Additional Lights > Per Object Limit in the URP Asset.
- Reflection Probes > Probe Blending in the Lighting window.