Deferred PBR desktop rendering pipeline
This rendering pipeline flowchart maps a conventional desktop deferred physically based rendering path. Each frame starts by updating scene data and culling invisible geometry. The remaining scene produces two important inputs: a directional-light shadow map and a G-buffer containing opaque surface attributes. Tiled light lists combine those inputs for the deferred PBR lighting pass.
Open it in the AI editor with a prompt pre-filled — keep what works, change what doesn't.
Scenario
A desktop game renderer uses deferred shading for many opaque objects and lights, then a forward pass for transparency. The graph keeps the parallel shadow-map and G-buffer preparation visible before lighting.
Key decisions
- Visibility culling: Off-screen and occluded geometry is removed before expensive passes.
- G-buffer: Opaque surface attributes are recorded once for deferred lighting.
- Tiled lights: Light lists limit lighting calculations to relevant screen regions.
- Transparency order: Transparent objects are drawn after deferred opaque lighting in a forward pass.
When to reuse this
Use this for a desktop or console renderer with physically based materials and a large opaque scene. It is not intended for a mobile power-saving or ray-tracing pipeline.
Frequently asked questions
Why use a G-buffer?
Why render transparency forward?
What does tone mapping do?
Tweak it with chat, export PNG/SVG, or fork it for your own use case.