Baked Indirect mode

Baked Indirect mode is a lighting mode shared by all Mixed Lights in a Scene. To set Mixed lighting to Baked Indirect, open the Lighting window (menu: Window > Lighting > Settings), click the Scene tab, navigate to Mixed Lighting and set the Lighting Mode to Baked Indirect. See documentation on Mixed lighting to learn more about this lighting mode, and see documentation on Light modes to learn more about the other modes available.

For Lights that are set to Baked Indirect mode, Unity only precomputes indirect lighting, and does not carry out shadow pre-computations. Shadows are fully real-time within the Shadow Distance (menu: Edit > Project Settings > Quality > Shadows). In other words, Baked Indirect Lights behave like Realtime Lights with additional indirect lighting, but with no shadows beyond the Shadow Distance. You can use effects like the Post-processing fog effect to obscure the missing shadows past that distance.

A good example of when Baked Indirect mode might be useful is if you are building an indoor shooter or adventure game set in rooms connected with corridors. The viewing distance is limited, so everything that is visible should usually fit within the Shadow Distance. This mode is also useful for building a foggy outdoor Scene, because you can use the fog to hide the missing shadows in the distance.

Shadows

The following table shows how static and dynamic GameObjects cast and receive shadows when using Baked Indirect mode:

Advantages and disadvantages of Baked Indirect mode

The performance requirements of Baked Indirect mode make it a good option for building to mid-range PCs and high-end mobile devices. These are the most significant advantages and disadvantages of using Baked Indirect mode:

Advantages

• It provides the same visual effect as Realtime Lighting.
• It provides real-time shadows for all combinations of static and dynamic GameObjects.
• It provides indirect lighting.

Disadvantages

• It has higher performance requirements relative to other Mixed Light modes, because it renders shadow-casting static GameObjects into shadow maps.
• Shadows do not render beyond the Shadow Distance.

• 2017–06–08 Page published with limited editorial review

• Light Modes added in 5.6