Optional: Enhanced Shaders

Guide · Optional

Enhanced Shaders

Flashlight beam and lamp pools at night

Status	Optional, off by default
Turn on	-Ddotd=true
Settings	ESC → DOTD Shader Settings
Updated	October 2026

Enhanced Shaders are an optional graphics upgrade for Project Zomboid on Dawn of the Dead. They add shadows that follow the sun, ambient occlusion, ground reflections, a colour grade that changes with the weather and the time of day, a physical flashlight beam, rain, snow and water effects, footstep and weapon hit effects, and an optional anime cel-shaded look.

They run on your computer only and are off by default. You already have them: they ship inside the Framework and Shaders Workshop item that every DOTD player has, so there is nothing extra to subscribe to. One launch option switches them on.

Contents

1. Comparison
2. Features
   1. Screenshots
   2. Ambient occlusion
   3. Ground reflections
   4. Footsteps
   5. Weapon hit impacts
3. Installation
   1. Windows
   2. Linux
4. In-game settings
   1. All settings
   2. Advanced settings
5. Known limitations
6. Turning it off
7. Feedback
8. See also

Comparison

The shaders come with two colour gradings. Both screenshots below show the same place at the same moment; only the grading differs. You can switch between them at any time under ESC → DOTD Shader Settings → Colour grading.

Anime cel shading	Vanilla Enhanced Default
Shade leans cool violet and light runs warm, with more vibrant colours.	The calmer grade, closer to the game you know, with less saturated colour.

Features

Light and shadow

• Sun-direction shadows for trees, characters and vehicles
• Sun rays through big trees in haze
• Soft rim light on trees
• Ambient occlusion: soft shading where walls, objects and the ground meet

Colour and atmosphere

• Colour grade by weather and time of day: rose sunrise, amber sunset, blue hour, a cooler, bluer night
• Fog
• Optional anime cel shading, toon shading and outlines

Lights at night

• A physical flashlight beam, with each light's own colour temperature
• Headlights that start at the lamp
• Lamp pools and cones at night

Weather and water

• Rain and snow you can see outside while you are indoors
• Water ripples, reflections and sun glint
• Wet ground
• Ground reflections on wet roads and puddles

Movement and combat

• Footsteps: dust on dry ground, splashes on wet ground
• Weapon hit impacts that match the weapon

Menus

• A DOTD main menu with an animated background
• The DOTD banner in the server browser

Screenshots

• 
  Sun-direction shadows on characters.
• 
  Anime colour grading with cel shading on.
• 
  Sun rays through big trees in haze.

• 
  Woodland with the full look on.
• 
  A flashlight beam by the water.
• 
  Rain under a street lamp.

Ambient occlusion

Ambient occlusion adds soft shading where surfaces meet: in corners, along the foot of a wall and on the ground under objects. Buildings and furniture gain depth and sit more firmly in the world. Switch it on or off and set its strength under Light in the settings.

Ground reflections

Wet roads and puddles reflect what stands on them: street lamps, signs and vehicles. The effect is strongest in the rain and leaves a subtle sheen when the ground is dry. Five settings under Reflections control it: Ground reflections, Wet weather, Dry sheen, Haze and Reflection quality.

• 
  Lights mirrored in a wet car park.
• 
  A car reflected in a wet road.

Footsteps

Your steps leave a mark that depends on the ground and on the weather:

• Dry dirt and sand: running or sprinting raises a low puff of dust, about half as much on gravel.
• Wet ground: running throws up a splash of spray and droplets.
• Puddles: walking through one leaves rings on the water.

The switch is Dust & puddle splashes under Advanced settings. It is on by default.

Dry ground. Dust from a dirt path while running.

Wet ground. Splashes and rings on a street in the rain.

Weapon hit impacts

A hit on a zombie looks like the weapon that made it. The effect is drawn on top of the game's own blood:

• Blunt: dust and weight
• Blade: the blade's path and cut cloth
• Stab: a glint and blood drawn back
• Bullet: an entry puff, torn cloth and a mist of blood
• Buckshot: all of it, growing with every pellet

The switch is Weapon hit impacts under Advanced settings. It is on by default.

Blunt. A bat lands: dust and weight.

Bullet. A pistol shot: an entry puff and a mist of blood.

In motion. A shot at close range, as it plays in game.

Installation

1. In your Steam Library, right-click Project Zomboid, select Properties, then click General.
2. Under Launch Options, replace everything with the full line for your system below. Both lines already contain -Ddotd=true.

-Xms4G -Xmx8G -agentpath:../../workshop/content/108600/3794884561/mods/dusk/bootstrap/agentlib.dll=dusk-bootstrap.jar -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true -Ddotd=true --

Replace yourname with your PC username.

-Xms4G -Xmx8G -javaagent:/home/yourname/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/workshop/content/108600/3794884561/mods/dusk/bootstrap/dusk-bootstrap.jar -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true -Ddotd=true --

Optional parts of the line

• -Dstorm.experimental.clientperf=true is optional. It is part of Storm, not the shaders: keep it if you want better client performance, or leave it out.
• The memory values (-Xms and -Xmx) are not part of the shaders either. If the ones you already use work for you, keep them.

In-game settings

Every setting lives in one window: press ESC in game and open DOTD Shader Settings, the first entry in the menu. Every change applies instantly and is remembered for your next session. Reset to defaults at the bottom brings the original look back.

The ESC menu. DOTD Shader Settings is the first entry.

The DOTD Shader Settings panel, with Advanced settings switched on.

All settings

Light

• Tree rim light and Rim strength
• Sun rays
• Bloom
• Ambient occlusion and Occlusion strength
• Night lights

Colour

• Colour grading: Anime or Vanilla Enhanced (the default)
• Anime colour
• Cold night

Weather

• New rain
• New snow
• Rain & snow density
• Dark night fog

Reflections

• Ground reflections
• Wet weather
• Dry sheen
• Haze
• Reflection quality: High or Normal

Outlines and shading

• Character outline
• Object outline
• Cel shading
• Water glints

More

• Advanced settings: opens the third column, see below

Advanced settings

Switch on Advanced settings under More and a third column opens. It holds the shadow settings and the newest effects. Switch any of them off, or lower them, for more FPS.

The third column, opened by the Advanced settings switch.

Shadows Buildings & objects Detailed vehicle shadows Tree shadows Tree shadows on or off Maximum count, up to 4096 Distance in tiles, up to 48 Character shadows Detailed shadows on or off Maximum count, up to 24 Distance in tiles, up to 16 Footsteps Dust & puddle splashes Combat Weapon hit impacts

Known limitations

• The DOTD Shader Settings menu can't be reached with a controller. Use a mouse to open it.

Turning it off

Delete -Ddotd=true from your Launch Options and launch again. The rest of the loader keeps working. To switch off a single effect instead, use its setting in the DOTD Shader Settings.

Feedback

• Screenshots and first impressions: post them in our Discord.
• Something broken with the shaders on? Turn them off and open a ticket.

See also

How to connectSet up the custom client loader in step 2.

Performance TipsMods and settings that gain you FPS.

Getting helpOpen a ticket if something goes wrong.

Custom ModsOther mods made for the server by staff or volunteers.