Installing shader packs

The built-in pack

Sulkan Realistic ships inside the mod JAR. You do not need a separate download to use it. Its settings are saved separately from the JAR, so you can tune it without editing mod files.

The standalone Sulkan Realistic ZIP is an exact copy of the pack inside the published 0.5.1 release. Use it to inspect the native format or make an editable copy. Keep the included port notes and attribution when working with its sources.

Add an external native pack

1. Download a pack explicitly made for Sulkan’s native format.
2. Open Video Settings → Shaders and use the shader-folder button.
3. Put the ZIP or pack folder directly in the instance’s shaders/ directory.
4. Return to the shader screen and select the pack. If it does not appear, reopen the screen and check the pack layout.
5. Open Pack Settings, adjust options, and Apply.

Use your launcher’s active instance folder. A separate Prism or Modrinth instance does not necessarily use the global .minecraft folder.

<active instance>/
├── mods/
└── shaders/
    ├── Sulkan-Starter.zip
    └── MyPack/
        ├── sulkan.json
        └── shaders/
            └── exposure.fsh

Do not place the shader ZIP in mods/ or resourcepacks/.

Check the archive layout

A native pack must have one sulkan.json, either at the archive root or inside a single wrapper directory. Shader paths in the manifest are relative to that file and are case-sensitive.

A ZIP full of GLSL files without a native manifest is not a Sulkan pack. Unmodified Iris or OptiFine packs are not supported.

Make your first pack

Download Sulkan Starter and follow the first-pack tutorial. The starter changes exposure with one fullscreen pass, so you can learn without replacing terrain shaders.