Deferred rendering (Patreon)

06/08/2024: Deferred is now available on CKAN, some mods have compatible forks available but are still waiting for official versions to be released on CKAN, so check the compatibility list for those.

29/06/2024: Parallax has updated to be compatible, and Conformal Decals no longer has rendering errors.

Download links and the exact visual setup of my screenshots are at the bottom of the post. Please check the compatibility list also linked at the bottom of the post.

Summary

This mod adds deferred rendering support to KSP. This is a new mod independent from Scatterer and EVE.

Deferred rendering decouples geometry rendering from lighting, allowing for more modern lighting techniques to be used, and better lighting performance with many light sources.

Better lighting, automatic PBR conversion

Using deferred rendering "locks" the game into using a unified lighting model for all opaque objects, so naturally the best option is to use unity's PBR.

I've replaced all opaque stock shaders with custom shaders that automatically convert to PBR. This conversion is very conservative, with the goal of remaining faithful to the original look of parts, so that all existing stockalike parts and part mods can be compatible and keep their original spirit, limiting the "chromey-ness" that usually comes with PBR settings for existing parts.

With that said the surface materials feel better in general.

Shiny stock surfaces automatically become reflective if they had the right level of shininess, like these cockpit windows

As you've probably noticed the lighting is improved and feels more natural, this is due to everything now receiving ambient light from the environment. This is something that TexturesUnlimited already did for parts, but this is now applied to everything not just parts, resulting in a more coherent look.
When using TUFX ambient occlusion, the occlusion is integrated into the ambient lighting instead of being applied to everything as a post effect, making the lighting feel much more natural.

Comparison: Left is stock + TUFX AO, right is Deferred + TUFX AO

This ambient light can also be seen on parts in low orbit and provides a similar effect to planetshine

Improved pixel lights performance

The rendering method used in stock (forward rendering) has to re-render every object for every light source that reaches it. This can quickly get out of hand with many craft lights, or with engine light mods, deferred rendering fixes this.

To be clear this only helps when many lights are on.

The video below shows the performance difference

Mod compatibility status

You'll find the compatibility List maintained on Github, most of the main mods have updated to be compatible or have a compatible fork. Some mods have a compatible fork which hasn't yet been released officially.

Download

Get CKAN and use it to install Deferred. CKAN is recommended because it automatically handles dependencies and mod conflicts.

If you want to install it manually go here and follow the instructions.

How to get the exact same visuals as in my screenshots

1. Install Scatterer and EVE (can be regular or volumetric, check the compatibility list above for compatible versions)

2. Install Restock for a revamp of stock parts

3. Install Deferred (from the link above or CKAN when it is added)

4. Install TUFX

5. Use my TUFX profile or your profile of choice with ambient occlusion enabled (important for nice lighting)

6. If you downloaded my TUFX profile put it in GameData and select the profile ingame from TUFX menu (see image)