What you’ll learn

Light types

Shadows

Global Illumination

Reflection Probes

Lighting Basics

In Unity, lighting is calculated using a mixture of techniques and rapid approximations that produce good-looking results. These approximations are necessary for rendering images at 60 frames per second or higher.

Shadows

When creating scenes in Unity, shadows are just as important as light. Shadows give the player an indication of where objects are located in 3D space and generally enhance the aesthetic of a scene by adding more contrast and depth

Global Illumination

Global Illumination, or GI for short, is a system for modeling how light bounces from one object to another. These bounces form indirect sources of light that help to make a scene appear more realistic.

Reflections

In physics, every object is reflective. We normally think of things like mirrors or polished metal when thinking about reflections, but even dull surfaces like concrete, when viewed at grazing angles, will be reflective to a slight degree. In Unity, we can make scenes look more natural by allowing objects to reflect the surrounding environment.