Installation

Getting Started

Installation

Universal Shader Library is a standalone desktop application. On Windows it’s download and run. On macOS an install script is included in the zip. Run it once before launching the app.

System Requirements

Minimum
WindowsWindows 10 (64-bit)
macOSmacOS 12 Monterey
Disk Space~500 MB (plus material cache)

Supported DCCs

DCCTested VersionRenderers
Maya2025Arnold, Redshift
Blender5.xCycles, EEVEE
Houdini21Karma (MaterialX), Redshift
Unreal Engine5.xDefault material system
Cinema4D2024+Alpha - limited functionality

You only need one - USL works with whichever DCC you have open.

Download

Get the latest release from the download page:

Personal use is always free. A commercial licence is required for studio and client work - see Commercial Use.

Commercial subscribers can download the latest commercial build directly from the Patreon members area. Log in to Patreon and check the members-only posts for the download link.

Install

Windows

  1. Download and extract the zip to a location you want to keep the app
  2. Open the folder and launch the app
  3. On first launch, Windows may show a SmartScreen warning. Click More info then Run anyway

Windows Defender / antivirus warning: Some AV tools flag the exe as suspicious. This is a known false positive caused by the app being unsigned and built with Nuitka (a Python compiler). It’s safe to allow or add an exclusion. We know about this and it’s being worked on.

macOS

  1. Download and extract the zip to a location you want to keep the app
  2. Open the folder and run the install script (install.command). Double-click it in Finder
  3. If macOS blocks the script, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway, then run it again
  4. Once the script has finished, launch the app from your Applications folder

First Launch

When you open USL for the first time it will load the built-in material catalogue - around 2,000 PBR materials sourced from ambientCG. Thumbnails load as you browse, so the app is usable immediately.

PixelConstruct will be adding more materials and surface types over time. You can support that development on Patreon.

Support on Patreon

No account or login is required.

Next Steps