URP/HDRP Conversion Guide

Unity's Built-in Render Pipeline materials can be converted to the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) or the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP).

INFOBefore Converting

• MaxKill Studios assets may require manual material conversion, or simply applying a provided Unity package. Check the asset's documentation or store page to confirm which method applies.
• This guide covers manual conversion for assets using the Standard shader only. If the asset includes custom shaders or pre-configured URP/HDRP materials, follow the asset-specific instructions instead.

WARNINGBack Up Your Materials

Material conversion is irreversible. Back up your project before proceeding.

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Before You Begin

• Confirm your project is set up with URP or HDRP. The target render pipeline's package must be installed and assigned in Project Settings > Graphics.
• The conversion only affects materials using Unity's Standard or Standard (Specular Setup) shader. Custom shaders are not converted automatically.

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Method 1: Convert via Edit Menu

Select the materials you want to convert and use the Edit menu. Best for converting a small number of specific materials.

Converting to URP

1. Select all materials from the asset in your Project window.

   

2. Go to Edit > Rendering > Materials > Convert Selected Built-in Materials to URP.

   

3. In the Material Upgrader dialog, click Proceed.

   

4. Verify that materials display correctly in the scene. If any materials appear pink, see Troubleshooting.

   

Converting to HDRP

1. Select all materials from the asset in your Project window.

   

2. Go to Edit > Rendering > Materials > Convert Selected Built-in Materials to HDRP.

   

3. In the Material Upgrader dialog, click Proceed.

   

4. Verify that materials display correctly in the scene. If any materials appear pink, see Troubleshooting.

   

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Method 2: Render Pipeline Converter (URP)

Unity provides a dedicated converter window for URP projects. This method lets you scan and review all convertible assets before applying changes.

1. Go to Window > Rendering > Render Pipeline Converter.
2. Select Built-in Render Pipeline to URP from the dropdown.
3. Check Material Upgrade (and optionally Read-only Material Converter for built-in default materials).
4. Click Initialize Converters to scan your project.
5. Review the list of assets that will be converted.
6. Click Convert Assets.

TIPMethod 1 vs Method 2

The Render Pipeline Converter is useful for large projects where you want to review what will be changed before converting. For a small number of materials, Method 1 is faster.

NOTEURP Only

The Render Pipeline Converter window is available for URP only. For HDRP conversion, use Method 1 (Edit menu).

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Troubleshooting

Pink or magenta materials after conversion

Materials turn pink when their shader is incompatible with the current render pipeline. This usually happens for one of these reasons.

• The material was not included in the conversion selection.
• The material uses a custom shader that the converter cannot handle.
• The render pipeline package is not properly installed or assigned.

Check the pink material's shader assignment in the Inspector, then re-run the conversion or manually assign a compatible shader (Universal Render Pipeline/Lit for URP, HDRP/Lit for HDRP).

Textures look different or missing

Shader properties may not map 1:1 between pipelines. After conversion, check the following.

• Normal maps, metallic maps, and emission maps are still assigned.
• Smoothness and metallic values may need adjustment if the surface appearance changed.

Custom shaders not converted

The built-in converter only handles Standard and Standard (Specular Setup) shaders. Custom shaders and Surface Shaders must be manually rewritten or recreated in Shader Graph.

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Shader Mapping Reference

After conversion, Built-in shaders are remapped to their pipeline equivalents:

Built-in Shader	URP Equivalent
Standard	Universal Render Pipeline/Lit
Standard (Specular Setup)	Universal Render Pipeline/Lit
Mobile/Diffuse	Universal Render Pipeline/Simple Lit
Particles/Standard Surface	Universal Render Pipeline/Particles/Lit

Built-in Shader	HDRP Equivalent
Standard	HDRP/Lit
Standard (Specular Setup)	HDRP/Lit

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Unity Version Notes

Unity Version	Method 1 (Edit Menu)	Method 2 (Converter)
Unity 2022, Unity 6 (6000.x)	Available	Available (URP only)

The Edit menu path may change between Unity versions. If Edit > Rendering > Materials is not available, use Method 2 or check your Unity version's documentation.