Getting Started

Before you begin painting or converting instances, make sure your materials and shaders are compatible with Flora. For details, see the Shaders and Materials page.

Install

Install Flora from the Unity Asset Store: Installing Asset Store Packages.

Once the core package is installed, the Flora Package Manager window should appear automatically. Use this window to install Flora and any optional add-ons or dependencies.

You can also open the package manager at any time from the Window → Flora → Package Manager in the top menu bar.

See also: Included Samples

Terrain

Flora can render Unity Terrain details and trees as GPU-instanced geometry.

To set this up:

1. In the Hierarchy, right-click and select Create → Flora → Scene Settings.

2. This adds a SceneSettings object to your scene.

3. By default, all active terrains in the scene are automatically registered and assigned a TerrainProvider component.

Conversion

To convert existing GameObjects into Flora instances:

1. In the Hierarchy, select one or more prefab GameObjects.

2. Right-click the selection and choose Convert to Instance Renderer from the context menu.

This enables Flora to render arbitrary scene objects using its instancing system.

See the Conversion page for more information.

Default Volume

Flora integrates with Unity’s Volume system to control rendering behavior such as LOD cross-fading, density culling, screen size thresholds, and shadow distances.

To apply consistent rendering behavior across your project (even in empty or additive scenes), it’s recommended to configure Flora-related settings in the Default Volume Profile assigned to your Render Pipeline Asset.

Steps (URP or HDRP):

1. Go to Edit → Project Settings → Graphics.

2. In the URP/HDRP Global Settings, locate the assigned Default Volume Profile.

3. Click Select to open the asset, or New to create a new volume profile if one isn’t assigned.

4. In the Volume Profile Inspector, click Add Override → Flora and add:

   • Render Settings

   • Density Settings

These components let you globally define:

• Maximum render and shadow distances

• Minimum screen coverage for instance visibility

• LOD cross-fade duration

• Global and range-based density controls

📌 The Default Volume Profile is always active and applies globally, unless overridden by local volumes.

For more information, see Unity’s official documentation on Volumes in URP or Setting up the Default Volume.

Relevant pages: Global Settings, Render Settings, Density Settings