Description
AuroraLite Shader Pack
A vanilla-flavored Minecraft shader pack for Java Edition 1.20.1 and above, loaded via Iris.
This shader pack was created by modifying MakeUpUltraFast through Vibe Coding (AI-assisted programming).
About This Project
AuroraLite aims to provide moderate realism enhancements while preserving Minecraft's vanilla visual style, making the game look more refined.
Design Philosophy
- Vanilla-First: Does not drastically alter the game's color palette; stays true to the original look
- Moderate Realism: Physical sky scattering, realistic shadows, GGX specular highlights
- Performance-Friendly: Built on MakeUpUltraFast (renowned for lightweight efficiency)
Modifications
Compared to the original MakeUpUltraFast, the main changes in AuroraLite:
| Enhancement | Description |
|---|---|
| Tone Mapping | ACES Filmic (cinematic-grade tone mapping) replaces the original sigmoid |
| Shadows | 12-point Poisson disk sampled soft shadows (original: 4-point) |
| Sky | Rayleigh + Mie physical atmospheric scattering, realistic blue gradient |
| Lighting | GGX specular highlight BRDF, realistic reflections on sun-facing surfaces |
| Post-Processing | Saturation boost + vignette |
| Night | Reduced moonlight brightness, increased ambient light for more natural nights |
| Sun & Moon | Cropped pixel halos from vanilla textures, keeping clean square discs |
| Bloom | Reduced bloom intensity to prevent overexposure |
Installation
- Install Iris loader (1.5.1 or higher)
- Place this folder into the shaderpacks folder
- Launch the game and select AuroraLite under Video Settings → Shaders
- Minecraft 1.20.1 or above is recommended
License
GNU General Public License v3.0 or later
This work is a derivative of MakeUpUltraFast (LGPL-3.0).
In accordance with Section 3 of LGPL-3.0, since LGPL is compatible with GPL, this combined work is released under GPL-3.0 or later.
See the LICENSE file for details.
Credits
Original Author
Javier Garduño — Original author of MakeUpUltraFast
- GitHub: https://github.com/javiergcim/MakeUpUltraFast
- Modrinth: https://modrinth.com/shader/makeup-ultra-fast-shaders
- License: GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0
Referenced Shader Packs
| Shader Pack | License | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sundial-Lite-Vivid | GPL-3.0 | Referenced for physical sky and PBR implementation |
| Sundial-Lite | GPL-3.0 | Referenced for GGX BRDF implementation |
| Revelation | Apache-2.0 | Referenced for realistic rendering techniques |
Technical References
- Karis, Brian. "Real Shading in Unreal Engine 4", SIGGRAPH 2013
- Narkowicz, Krzysztof. "ACES Filmic Tone Mapping", 2016
- Kutz, Zachary et al. "The Adobe Standard Material", 2021
- Heitz, Eric. "Understanding the Rendering Equation", 2013
Technical Information
- Loader Requirement: Iris 1.5.1+ (or OptiFine)
- Game Version: Minecraft Java 1.20.1+
- Maximum Resolution: Supports 1080p / 1440p / 4K
- GPU Requirement: Graphics card with OpenGL 4.0+ support
AuroraLite — An understated, vanilla-flavored shader pack


