Documentation

OctoShaper Docs

v1.3.0

Install OctoShaper, learn how data flows through a graph, and pick the right way to run it: in the editor, at runtime, or as an imported procedural prefab.

1Installation 2Node Graph Basics 3First tutorial →Node catalog

New in 1.3

The Tools Update

Shape graphs straight in the Scene view with handles and drawn splines, and rerun only what changed.

Scene handlesSliders, box faces and radius discs Drawing splinesClick or sketch, then extrude outlines Result cachingRerun only the nodes a change affects UPM packageInstall through Package Manager, full source Upgrading to 1.3Checklist and custom node references

Getting Started

Get the package into your project.

SetupGuide

Installation

Pick the classic or UPM package, install it, let dependencies resolve, and check your render pipeline for the samples.

4 min read

SetupGuide

Samples

Import the bundled samples and use them as readable example graphs to open, tweak and copy from.

2 min read

SetupNew in 1.3

Upgrading to 1.3

A short checklist for moving a project to 1.3, and what behaves differently afterwards.

3 min read

SetupGuide

Upgrading to 1.2

A short checklist for moving a project to 1.2, and what changed for existing graphs and code.

4 min read

Core Concepts

How data moves through a graph.

ConceptsConcept

Elements, ElementSets and Attributes

How OctoShaper moves data through a graph: ElementSets are tables, attributes are columns, and nodes read and write them by name.

6 min read

ConceptsConcept

Sync vs Async

What changes when a graph runs asynchronously, in editor previews, on the executor and from code.

5 min read

ConceptsNew in 1.3

Result Caching

Rerun only the nodes a change affects, in the editor and at runtime.

3 min read

Building Content

Meshes, colors, placement and rendering.

BuildingGuide

Procedural Meshes

Generate, edit and render real meshes in a graph with primitives, bevels, booleans, spline sweeps and Realize Meshes.

7 min read

BuildingGuide

Colors, Textures and Materials

Color ramps, texture sampling, height-map displacement, vertex colors and per-instance material overrides.

8 min read

BuildingGuide

Assemblies and Placement

Author a prop once around the origin, then place it at every incoming transform with Local assembly or Place Local Assembly.

6 min read

RenderingConcept

Rendering and Instancing Modes

Choose between real GameObjects, GPU-instanced draws and indirect draws for generated content, and mix them in one graph.

7 min read

Editor

Working in the graph window and the Scene view.

EditorGuide

Node Graph Basics

Create a graph, wire nodes from Main Input to Main Output, expose parameters and read port contracts.

5 min read

EditorGuide

Preview Stage and Inspection

Preview graphs in an isolated Scene view stage, inspect any node's table, and keep large graphs responsive.

5 min read

EditorGuide

Context Manipulation

Manipulate compatible graph values in Unity's Scene view and distinguish interactive handles from output gizmos.

4 min read

EditorNew in 1.3

Scene Handles

Give number parameters a slider, box face or radius handle, then drag them in the Scene view.

4 min read

EditorNew in 1.3

Drawing Splines and Extruding Outlines

Draw a spline parameter straight onto the scene, then turn closed outlines into solid platforms.

4 min read

EditorGuide

AI Integration and Editor Automation

Let a coding agent build and refine OctoShaper graphs through the Unity 6 CLI and a bundled skill, or script the editor with JSON.

5 min read

Data Types

Values you can author and pass between nodes.

Data TypesGuide

Working with Splines

Author spline values and use sampling, distribution, query, and growth nodes to turn paths into procedural data.

7 min read

Tutorials

Step-by-step builds with video companions.

TutorialsTutorial

Getting Started with Attributes and Subgraphs

Build a reusable point-cluster subgraph, pass per-element values into it, and instance varied results along a spline.

6 min read

TutorialsTutorial

GPU-Accelerated Grass

Build natural billboard grass clusters and render them efficiently in Unity with GPU instanced indirect drawing.

5 min read

Runtime

Running graphs while the game plays.

RuntimeWorkflow

Runtime Generation

Run graphs in play mode with the Procedural Graph Executor, or execute them from code for raw data.

6 min read

ConceptsWorkflow

Procedural Prefabs

Turn a graph and its settings into an imported asset that regenerates when its inputs change.

4 min read

Extending

Adding your own nodes.

ExtendingGuide

Creating Custom Nodes

Turn project-specific static C# methods into reusable OctoShaper nodes for Unity graphs and player builds.

6 min read

API

Driving graphs from C#.

APIAPI

GameObject Callbacks

Use IUnityInstanceSpawnReceiver to react to spawned GameObjects and understand the UnityInstanceSpawnContext.

4 min read

APIAPI

Runtime Parameters

Override graph parameters from code using the ProceduralGraphExecutor and ProceduralConfiguration APIs.

4 min read

Reference

Node catalog and release history.

ReferenceLive Data

Node Catalog

Metadata-backed reference pages generated from the exported OctoShaper node catalog.

Auto-generated

ReferenceHistory

Changelog

Release history and version changes for OctoShaper.

2 min read