Godot Shader Linker (GSL)

GSL is a plugin for Godot 4.4+ that transfers materials from Blender (EEVEE render) to Godot, automatically building a compatible shader and hooking up textures. The goal is to preserve as closely as possible the visual result familiar to artists while keeping their usual workflow, while the material remains native to the engine: all parameters are available via the Inspector, WorldEnvironment/IBL lighting and post-processing work.

Key Features

• One-click import. The Link Shader / Material buttons create .gdshader and .tres.
• Parses the node graph and generates a Godot shader “on-the-fly”.
• Procedural textures — computed on the Godot GPU side.
• Full integration with the Godot ecosystem (Inspector, WorldEnvironment/IBL, post-processing).
• Parameter animation via GDScript or the AnimationPlayer.

Installation

1. Copy the addons/godot_shader_linker_(gsl) directory into your Godot project.
2. In Project → Plugins enable “Godot Shader Linker (GSL)”.
3. A GSL UI will appear in the 3D viewport (Ctrl + G — hide/show).

Setting up the Blender add-on

1. Edit → Preferences → File Paths → Scripts Directories → Add — specify the path .../addons/godot_shader_linker_(gsl)/Blender, Name: gls_blender_exp.
2. Restart Blender and enable GSL Exporter (Add-ons).
3. In the add-on settings set the path to your Godot project (needed to import textures).
4. Switch to Godot — Blender server started will appear in Output.

Quick Start

1. In Blender select a material in the Shader Editor.
2. Press Link Shader or Link Material.
3. The generated .gdshader / .tres will appear in Godot.
4. Assign the material to a MeshInstance and check the result.

Visual Match Recommendations

• Match the camera perspective in Godot and Blender.
• Add a WorldEnvironment, load the same HDRI (Sky) and rotate it by 90°.
• In the Tonemap tab choose AgX.
• For materials with Transmission > 0 set transparency > 0, otherwise the object will appear black.

Known Issues

• TAA may flicker on animated/procedural materials. Use FXAA or reduce parameter dynamics.
• SDFGI works incorrectly with transparent materials.

License

The project is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later license. See the LICENSE file for details.

Links

• Documentation: docs/ (WIP)
• Blender add-on: /Blender/ (WIP)
• Feedback / bug reports: link will be added later