For Minecraft players who appreciate the classic vanilla aesthetic but desire a touch more visual depth, only shadows offers a straightforward solution. This shader enhances the game's lighting by introducing dynamic shadows and ambient occlusion, addressing the flatness often found in the unshaded world. It aims to provide a noticeable visual upgrade without altering the core look and feel of Minecraft.

Developed as a focused learning project, only shadows is perfect for those seeking a subtle, performance-conscious visual improvement. It's ideal for players on lower-end hardware or anyone who prefers to maintain high frame rates while still enjoying the benefits of improved lighting. If you want your world to feel more grounded with realistic light and shade interactions, without the extensive visual overhauls of more complex shaders, this is a strong candidate.

Introduces dynamic shadows, allowing objects and terrain to cast realistic shade based on light sources.
Adds ambient occlusion, subtly darkening creases and corners for a more grounded and detailed appearance.
Designed with a "vanilla-like" philosophy, preserving Minecraft's iconic art style.
Categorized as a "low" impact shader, focusing on essential lighting with efficiency.
Enhances the overall sense of depth and realism within the Minecraft world.

To use only shadows, Optifine is required (though it may function with Iris). Please be aware that this project is released as-is, with no future updates or dedicated support planned. It's important to note that the codebase is unoptimized and messy, serving as an initial learning exercise rather than a polished, production-ready foundation. Consequently, it is not recommended as a base for further shader development. Use of this shader is at your own discretion.

only shadows: Essential Shading for Minecraft