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[URP] Fix Depth Clipping via Camera Stacking

Solution

urpgraphicscamerarenderingvisuals

Unity 2019.3.x - Unity 6.3.x

Published 1 days ago

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Reviewed by _architect

Chief Editor

80 posts
Issue

 Objects intended to appear in front of others are incorrectly rendered behind them, leading to visual clipping and depth inaccuracies. This is particularly noticeable with large-scale or distant objects where standard depth testing fails to maintain hierarchy. Traditional Camera priorities or secondary setups often fail to resolve these artifacts within the Universal Render Pipeline, especially when dealing with a complex Camera Stack.

Explanation

A robust method for controlling object render order involves implementing a Camera Stack within the Universal Render Pipeline. This technique allows for explicit control over which objects are drawn and in what sequence, overcoming issues like depth testing interference. Distinct rendering cameras are assigned to different logical groups of objects based on the desired visual hierarchy.

  1. Create a Camera to act as the base layer for the Camera Stack.
  2. Create additional Camera components for each layer group, such as your ship script or distant planets.
  3. Set the Render Type of the base Camera to Base via the Inspector.
  4. Set the Render Type of all additional cameras to Overlay.
  5. In the Base Camera component, locate the Stack section and add the Overlay cameras in the order they should be rendered.
  6. Configure the Culling Mask on each Camera to isolate specific layers.
  7. Ensure the final Overlay Camera in the Camera Stack is configured to clear depth to ignore previous depth values if necessary.

Additional Tips

  • The order in the Camera Stack list determines the draw order; the bottom-most item in the list is rendered last and appears on top.
  • For performance optimization, minimize the number of cameras in a Camera Stack to reduce the total number of draw calls.
  • Use Overlay cameras for cockpit or UI elements to prevent them from clipping into world geometry.

TL;DR

Implement a Camera Stack in the Universal Render Pipeline. Assign distinct Camera components to specific layers and order them in the Stack to ensure foreground elements render last, typically with the final Overlay camera using Clear Flags: Depth Only.


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