Camera, Lights and Materials Flashcards
Built-in Render Pipeline:
Description:
Default rendering system in Unity, using forward rendering for straightforward and easy graphics rendering.
Use Cases:
Suitable for simpler projects or those with less demanding graphical requirements. Ideal for projects targeting a broad range of devices, including mobile platforms.
Universal Render Pipeline (URP):
Description:
Formerly Lightweight Render Pipeline (LWRP), URP is a scriptable render pipeline optimized for speed and scalability across various platforms.
Differences:
Lightweight compared to the built-in pipeline, designed for mobile platforms, and offers a new shading model with increased customization.
Use Cases:
Ideal for projects requiring a balance between performance and graphical quality. Suited for mobile games, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) experiences.
High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP):
Description:
Render pipeline designed for high-end graphics and realistic visual quality, supporting features like physically based rendering and HDR lighting.
Differences:
More resource-intensive than URP and built-in pipeline, intended for projects focusing on high-end graphics and realism.
Use Cases:
Recommended for projects prioritizing top-notch visual fidelity. Well-suited for high-end PC and console games, as well as applications requiring photorealistic rendering, such as architectural visualization projects.
Perspective Projection:
Definition:
Type of projection where objects appear smaller as they move farther away, simulating real-world depth perception.
Use Cases:
Realistic Scenes:
Common in 3D environments for realism and depth perception, such as video games or architectural visualization.
Cinematic Experiences:
Preferred in scenarios requiring immersive and lifelike experiences.
Clipping Planes:
Near Clipping Plane:
Objects closer than this plane are not rendered.
Far Clipping Plane:
Objects farther than this plane are not rendered.
Orthographic Projection:
Definition:
Projection where objects appear the same size regardless of distance, eliminating depth perspective.
Use Cases:
Technical Drawings:
Used in technical drawings, engineering, and architectural representations where accurate measurements are crucial.
2D Games:
Applied in certain 2D games or simulations where object size consistency is more important than realistic depth perception (e.g., mini-maps).
Clipping Planes:
Near Clipping Plane:
Objects closer than this plane are not rendered.
Far Clipping Plane:
Objects farther than this plane are not rendered.
Types of Lights in Unity:
Directional Light:
Simulates light from a distant source, providing parallel rays, often used for sunlight.
Point Light:
Emits light in all directions from a single point, resembling a light bulb.
Spotlight:
Emits light in a cone shape from a specific point, allowing for focused illumination.
Area Light:
Represents a rectangular light source, useful for simulating lights with a defined shape.
Ambient Lighting and Emissive Materials:
Ambient Lighting:
Represents overall light in a scene from all directions, simulating indirect illumination uniformly affecting all objects.
Emissive Materials:
Materials that emit light independently of external sources, creating objects that appear to glow.
Baking Lighting:
Definition:
Pre-computing and storing lighting information for a scene to be used during runtime instead of real-time calculations.
Why we need it:
Improves performance by reducing computational load during runtime, particularly beneficial for complex scenes.
Pros:
Improved Performance:
Reduces the need for real-time calculations, enhancing performance, especially on lower-end devices.
Consistent Lighting:
Provides consistent results, maintaining the same lighting each time the scene is loaded.
Cons:
Limited Dynamic Lighting:
Static and doesn’t account for dynamic changes in the scene.
Time-Consuming:
Baking can be time-consuming, especially for large or complex scenes.
Real-time, Baked Lighting, Global Illumination:
Real-time Lighting:
Dynamic lighting calculations during runtime, responsive to changes in the scene, suitable for dynamic environments.
Baked Lighting:
Pre-computed lighting used during runtime for better performance but limited dynamic changes.
Global Illumination:
Lighting model simulating light interaction with surfaces, considering reflections and indirect lighting. Both real-time and baked lighting can incorporate global illumination for more realistic scenes.
Materials in Unity:
Definition:
Assets determining an object’s appearance in terms of color, transparency, and reflection.
Use:
Assigned to 3D models to define visual properties
Textures:
Definition:
Images applied to the surface of a 3D model.
Use:
Add detail, color, and realism to objects in a scene.
Types of Textures/Maps:
Albedo Map/Diffuse Map:
Represents the base color of an object, defining overall color and appearance.
Normal Map:
Encodes surface normals for the illusion of details without adding geometry.
Metallic Map:
Determines material metalness, creating realistic metal surfaces.
Roughness Map:
Defines surface smoothness or roughness, using grayscale where white is smooth and black is rough.
Specular Map:
Defines specular reflection, specifying how light reflects off a surface.
Height/Displacement Map:
Encodes height information for creating 3D details on a flat surface, adding depth to textures.
Emission Map:
Defines areas emitting light, creating self-illuminated surfaces.
Ambient Occlusion Map:
Encodes shadows in areas where objects are close, enhancing scene realism.
Opacity/Alpha Map:
Determines transparency, with white being fully opaque and black fully transparent.
