How to serialize matrices?

Unity Engine
1

Hello!
There is a way to serialize matrices into material?
I think i should declare matrix into Properties bloc, but i can’t find any example what exactly i should to write.
Thanks for advance!

2

You cannot define matrices as Properties in Shaderlab.
But you can pass matrices as uniforms from Code.
You need to attach an accompanying script (C# or JS) to the object(in your scene) or prefab with the material you want to pass a matrix to.
You usually pass them using Update() function - so you can see changes at each frame.
You will be using this matrix as a uniform, which does mean that is bounded to that material instance, not to vertexes.

In CG program in your shader you define:

uniform float4x4 _YourMatrix;

And you pass a value from the accompanying C# script.

The syntax is the following:
this.material.SetMatrix(“_YourMatrix”, yourMatrixDefinedInCode).

If you want to define the Matrix in the Inspector define it as Public in the C# script:
public Matrix4x4 yourMatrixDefinedInCode;

3

Try to describe in detail: After setting matrix everything is working properly before solutions was rebooted or scene saved. Can I somehow save the matrix into material, possibly using “Custom material editor”? Mayb there is a way to catch the load solutions or save save a scene event , in order to update the matrix?

using UnityEngine;

[ExecuteInEditMode]
public class SetDecalMatr : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Transform proj;
    public Matrix4x4 mat;

    public bool update;


    void Awake()
    {
        renderer.sharedMaterial.SetMatrix("_DecalMatr", mat);
    }

    void OnEnable()
    {
        renderer.sharedMaterial.SetMatrix("_DecalMatr", mat);
    }

    void Update()
    {
        if(!update)return;

        SetMatr();
    }

    [ContextMenu("set matrix")]
	void SetMatr()
    {
        if(proj==null)return;

        mat = proj.worldToLocalMatrix*transform.localToWorldMatrix;
        renderer.sharedMaterial.SetMatrix("_DecalMatr", mat);
	}
}

Shader "ProjectedDecal"
{
   Properties
   {
      _MainTex ("Texture Image", 2D) = "white" {} 
      _DecalTex ("DecalTex Image", 2D) = "white" {} 
   }
   SubShader
   {
      Pass
	  {  
	    
         CGPROGRAM
		 #pragma only_renderers d3d9 gles
         #pragma glsl
         #pragma vertex vert  
         #pragma fragment frag
 
         uniform sampler2D _MainTex;    
         uniform sampler2D _DecalTex;    
         uniform float4x4 _DecalMatr;    
 
         struct vertexInput
		 {
            float4 vertex : POSITION;
            float2 texcoord : TEXCOORD0;
         };
         struct vertexOutput
		 {
            float4 pos : SV_POSITION;
            float3 pTex : TEXCOORD1;
            float2 tex : TEXCOORD0;
         };
 
         vertexOutput vert(vertexInput input) 
         {
            vertexOutput output;
 
			float4 trasformed = mul(_DecalMatr,  input.vertex);
            output.pTex = trasformed.xyz+float3(0.5, 0.5, 0);

			output.tex = input.texcoord;

            output.pos = mul(UNITY_MATRIX_MVP, input.vertex);
            return output;
         }

         float4 frag(vertexOutput input) : COLOR
         {
			float4 pc = tex2D(_DecalTex, float2(input.pTex));
			if(input.pTex.z<-0.5 || input.pTex.z>0.5)
			{
				pc.a=0; 
			}

			float4 c = tex2D(_MainTex, input.tex);

            return lerp(c, pc, pc.a);   
         }
 
         ENDCG
      }
   }
}