Sci-Fi Hologram Screen Shader

Many hologram effects look flat on the surface and provide little sense of depth. This shader turns a single Quad into a layered hologram display with true parallax. For example, if the Red channel is placed at 0.5 meters and the Green channel at 2 meters, each layer is separated by the actual distance between them.

Four Depth Layers from One Texture

Each RGBA channel in the mask texture can be used as a separate holographic layer at a different depth. Depth values are set in meters, so placing a foreground element at 0.3m and a background grid at 2m creates a clear visual separation between layers. Each channel also has its own HDR color. The Alpha channel is optional, so you can build either 3-layer or 4-layer screens depending on your design needs.

Two Shader Variants: Opaque and Additive

Two shader variants are included for different hologram styles.

SciFiHoloScreen renders a solid, opaque display that works well for terminals, monitors, and in-world control panels.

SciFiHoloScreen Additive uses transparent additive blending, allowing the hologram to blend naturally with the scene and produce a soft glow. It works well for floating HUDs, hologram tables, and translucent overlays.

Backdrop with Fog

A backdrop behind the hologram layers adds visible depth between the screen content and the scene behind it. Fog fills that space, softening the transition between layers and strengthening the overall atmosphere. By adjusting the fog start and end points, you can match the depth falloff to your scene's scale and mood.

Sprite Sheet and Color Variation

A 2x4 sprite sheet gives you 8 hologram screen layouts from a single material. Objects sharing the same material can automatically display different color combinations through random hologram and backdrop colors. This helps you place multiple screens in a scene with more visual variety, without duplicating materials or textures.

Online Documentation

What's New in v1.2.1

• Dedicated custom GUI for each shader to prevent inspector conflicts
• Improved shader GUI layout and usability
• Refined shader property calculation logic

What's Included

• 2 shader variants: SciFiHoloScreen and SciFiHoloScreen Additive
• 6 shader files in total
• Demo meshes: desk-style hologram console, stand-style monitor, 3 floor meshes, and 8 emissive light bars (R/Y/G/B)
• PSD template for creating custom hologram textures
• Example textures and materials

Drop the included prefabs into your scene to see the hologram effect immediately.

Key Features

• No scripting required. Just assign the material to a Quad and the hologram effect works.
• PSD template with per-channel guides for creating custom holograms in Photoshop, Krita, or Affinity Photo
• MatchObject and Independent scale modes for different mesh sizes
• HDR emissive frame texture with adjustable intensity