unity-lighting-vfx

Realtime lighting in Unity calculates light dynamically at runtime for moving objects, Baked lighting precomputes light into textures for static scenes to save performance, and Mixed lighting combines both for dynamic shadows with baked bounced light. Choosing the right mode balances visual fidelity against real-time rendering cost.

To set up Global Illumination for realistic bounced light in Unity, configure Baked GI for static geometry and place Light Probes or Adaptive Probe Volumes throughout your scene. This allows dynamic objects to correctly sample and receive precomputed indirect lighting.

You should use the VFX Graph in Unity for complex, GPU-simulated particle effects that require high performance, while the built-in Particle System is better suited for simpler, CPU-based dynamic effects. VFX Graph scales better for massive particle counts in modern rendering pipelines.

Yes, this guidance addresses lighting and visual effects performance optimization for both the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) and the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP). It helps configure light types, modes, and effects appropriately across Unity's component-based architecture.

The best way to illuminate a realistic interior scene in Unity is to use Mixed lighting alongside Reflection Probes with Box Projection, and potentially Adaptive Probe Volumes for dynamic object lighting. This setup provides soft bounced light and accurate dynamic shadows.