Pre-baked Lighting
Pre-baked lighting is a computer graphics technique where lighting calculations are performed offline and stored as static data (e.g., lightmaps or light probes) to be used at runtime. It involves precomputing complex lighting effects like global illumination, shadows, and ambient occlusion, which are then applied to 3D scenes without real-time computation. This approach is commonly used in game development and real-time rendering to achieve high-quality visuals while maintaining performance.
Developers should use pre-baked lighting when creating static or semi-static environments where lighting conditions don't change dynamically, such as in many video games, architectural visualizations, or VR experiences. It is ideal for achieving realistic lighting effects like soft shadows and indirect illumination on lower-end hardware or mobile devices, as it reduces runtime computational overhead. This technique is particularly valuable in projects with performance constraints or when targeting platforms with limited GPU resources.