Holographic Displays

Holograms are the bread and butter of sci-fi UIs and props. Genesis’s Hologram effect bundles scan lines, flicker, edge fresnel, and a glitch tear into one foldout. This recipe builds a holographic character bust like the ones in classic space-opera films.

What you’ll build

A low-poly character bust rendered as a transparent cyan hologram with scrolling scan lines, occasional flicker, a glowing edge fresnel, and a periodic glitch tear.

Video

A transparent cyan holographic character bust with downward-scrolling scan lines, subtle flicker, a glowing edge fresnel, and a periodic horizontal glitch tear.

how-to/holographic-displays/result.mp4

The sci-fi hologram bust this recipe builds.

Requirements

A mesh — character, prop, or UI quad.
Genesis material in Unlit mode (holograms ignore scene lights).
A noise texture for the glitch.

Steps

1. Set up the base

Genesis material, Surface → Rendering Mode → Unlit, Surface Type → Transparent, Blend Mode Additive. Alpha = 0.6.

2. Enable Hologram

Effects → Hologram on. Tint Color = cyan with HDR intensity 2. The mesh now reads as a glowing emissive surface.

3. Scan lines

Hologram → Scan Lines on. Density 80 (lines per world unit), Speed 0.2 (scroll down), Intensity 0.6 (subtract from the surface).

4. Flicker

Hologram → Flicker on. Speed 8, Strength 0.15. The whole hologram pulses subtly.

5. Edge fresnel

Hologram → Edge Power = 3. Pumps the silhouette so the hologram reads against any background. This is the move that sells the look.

6. Glitch tear

Hologram → Glitch on. Noise = your noise texture. Period 4s (glitch every 4 seconds), Strength 0.2, Duration 0.1s.


// Trigger a manual glitch (e.g. on damage)
material.SetFloat("_HologramGlitchTrigger", 1f);
StartCoroutine(ResetTrigger());

7. Animate it in

Use Dissolve to materialize the hologram on summon. Threshold 1 → 0 over 0.6s, cyan edge color.

Holograms read better in dim environments. If your scene is bright, add a subtle dark plane behind the hologram or raise the Edge Power.

Additive blend with HDR emission can blow out the bloom pass. Cap your tint intensity around 2–3, not 10.

Variations

Damaged hologram: drop Flicker Strength to 0.5, Glitch Period to 0.8s.
Holographic UI panel: Unlit + Hologram + scrolling text texture in UV1.
Projected mood: pair the hologram with Stylized Fog to wrap it in a soft volumetric haze.