Review Arc [shader]

Arc Shader – Realistic Visuals

In 2022, it is hard to imagine Minecraft without using shaders. Even a weak PC allows you to find an option with a minimum load and a large number of effects. In general, a large selection of add-ons for transforming graphics and adding various options to Minecraft is a great benefit for many players. In this article, we will tell you about Arc Shader, which is still being refined by the developer. Besides, it is promptly updated and available for all versions of the game, including 1.19.2.

The developer’s main goal is to create a shader that will greatly upgrade Minecraft and add some realistic effects. At the same time, the pack introduces as many different settings as possible so that anyone can achieve a balance between performance and the effects they want to get. For example, lighting and shadows are extremely important for some users, while others «extremely need» realistic water, cool sunsets and sunrises, as well as northern lights.

This shader adds numerous options for adjusting shadows, game atmosphere, color reproduction, HDR lighting, volumetric lighting, shadow distortion, different types of water waves and special effects, exposure, and many other features. If you are not particularly versed in the settings, we invite you to use use the basic version that is installed after starting the launcher.

Arc Shader Review

This shader works great with OptiFine and supports Iris except for global illumination (RSM). If you install it together with Iris, be sure to consider this factor. However, the author is going to release an updated version for Iris, which will make it possible to finally use all the features of this add-on.

The developer also claims that the shader supports different texture formats, both vanilla-style original Minecraft and LabPRB, oldPRB. Moreover, there is a separate Patrix PRB texture format, which is designed specifically for Patrix. It’s up to you to decide what exactly to use: the standard version or uploading your own textures.

Environment

Once you enter Minecraft, you won’t recognize the environment. It transforms in a fraction of a second and undergoes significant changes. The whole world looks much darker and more contrast, although you can change the atmosphere using lighting settings and choosing a color type (for example, cold 4000K). Arc Shader allows you to change the game atmosphere in a few clicks and thus get different views.

Some users like the bright sun and sunny days, while others prefer a gloomy look, haze, and fog. This add-on can help you choose which option to apply. Fortunately, there are plenty of settings and ready-made configurations to do that. But keep in mind that you will have to spend time adjusting the settings to your criteria since there are a lot of different configurations, as well as numerous sections with additional options.

As in any other shader, there are leaves, flowers, and various types of plants swaying with the wind, but it is slightly noticeable. The grass barely moves by default, although you can choose the intensity and change this parameter in the settings. Approximately the same thing happens with leaves, water, and water waves.

Water and Aquatic Biomes

Do you want more realism? Feel free to get it! The pack adds high-quality textures for water, which looks the same as in real life. Besides, there are still plenty of different parameters that you can use to adjust the refraction of light in water, select different types of waves, as well as set the water quality.

By the way, if you need more light after installing the shader, feel free to go to the standard brightness settings and set this parameter to its maximum. In this case, the graphics will change even more. By default, this pack may reset the brightness to a minimum, thus making the picture look too gloomy, which we have talked about at the beginning of the first paragraph.

Don’t forget to enjoy the aquatic biome. The water becomes transparent and looks slightly different. In some aquatic biomes, it is still dark. But for the most part, the water is light and azure, which makes you feel as if you are on the shore of some mysterious island.

Dive underwater and enjoy watching the sun’s rays reflecting on its surface. They fall in small portions, and it seems as if there are thousands of different winding ropes or fireflies above you. Of course, this effect is less realistic than in many other shaders, but it also looks cool and beautiful.

It is dark underwater. If you want to see some details, you need to use different types of light sources. However, Arc Shader has one specific peculiarity: you also reflect the sun’s rays and your hand emits some light as if you are holding a lantern. As a result, you can see the bottom, blocks, fish, and different types of plants, but you have to snuggle up to the object as close as possible. If you dive deep to the bottom, the glow will become less.

Night Time

Arc Shader has very cool and colorful nights. If you wait for the dark and do not miss it by going to bed, you will be very surprised. There are thousands of stars of different sizes in the sky. And each of them emits a certain level of light, shines bright, blinks, and makes itself felt in every possible way.

All the stars and clouds float smoothly across the sky in a certain direction, changing day at night. The closer the stars are to you, the larger they will be. If you look at the moon, the stars will rush from you as far as possible. Therefore, their size will be several times smaller, as will the radiance. In general, the nights look quite cool and unusual. These visual effects can be used to create colorful screenshots, render posters, images, cool intros for YouTube videos, or some eye-catching trailers.

Lighting

Another important feature of any shader is good lighting and maximum settings where the user can adjust the glow the way he wants. There are plenty of different options for players to customize the glow to their liking.

The settings even have a separate section for volumetric light, which you can use to adjust the percentage for light intensity and different particles, as well as disable or enable this option.

The sunlight falls evenly and flows from different directions, depending on the phase of the day. If it is sunset, there is less light and it shifts closer to the horizon; if it is dawn, the rays will gradually cover everything around, falling on different blocks, water, and mobs, which add different types of shadows.

As for the regular lighting from different sources – by default, it is not much different from the vanilla version. There are quite pleasant tones, but there is no softness. Due to the volumetric lighting, there are more colors even at night, which is nice to watch. But to create a clear picture, especially at night, you need to go to settings and try different configurations.

What do we have as a result? Arc Shader is quite a solid option for users who have time for detailed settings. Yes, there are ready-made configurations, but you still have to spend some time customizing all the effects for yourself. Even if you just install the add-on and go into Minecraft, it will look too foggy and gloomy. Thus, you will need to increase the brightness.

There is another separate option (exposure meter) that allows you to understand what kind of brightness you have set. There is a special bar at the left edge of the monitor, where the green and red sliders move.

Besides, there are a large number of settings for shadows, clouds, and water. You can change wave types, enable or disable fog, activate SSAO, global illumination, volumetric illumination, etc. Remember that this shader is being finalized, so some bugs are still possible. However, the developer promptly releases updates, where he adds many new features and fixes all the shortcomings.

Images Arc [shader]