Light Modes

This page contains information about the Mode property of a Light component. The Mode property of a Light defines its intended use.

The Modes are:

• Baked: Unity pre-calculates the illumination from Baked Lights before runtime, and does not include them in any runtime lighting calculations. For more information, see Baked LightsLight components whose Mode property is set to Baked. Unity pre-calculates the illumination from Baked Lights before runtime, and does not include them in any runtime lighting calculations. More info
  See in Glossary.
• Realtime: Unity calculates and updates the lighting of Realtime Lights every frame at runtime. Unity does not precompute any calculations for Realtime Lights. For more information, see Realtime LightsLight components whose Mode property is set to Realtime. Unity calculates and updates the lighting of Realtime Lights every frame at runtime. No Realtime Lights are precomputed. More info
  See in Glossary.
• Mixed: Unity performs some calculations for Mixed Lights in advance, and some calculations at runtime. For more information, see Mixed LightsLight components whose Mode property is set to Mixed. Some calculations for Mixed Lights are performed in advance, and some calculations for Mixed Lights are performed at runtime. The behavior of all Mixed Lights in a Scene is determined by the Scene’s Lighting Mode. More info
  See in Glossary.

Setting the Mode property of a Light

To assign a Mode, select the Light in your SceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary and, in the Light Inspector window, select Mode.