Search Unity

  1. Welcome to the Unity Forums! Please take the time to read our Code of Conduct to familiarize yourself with the forum rules and how to post constructively.
  2. We have updated the language to the Editor Terms based on feedback from our employees and community. Learn more.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Join us on November 16th, 2023, between 1 pm and 9 pm CET for Ask the Experts Online on Discord and on Unity Discussions.
    Dismiss Notice
New Forum User Notice Update to the Unity Editor Software Terms Unite 2023 - Ask the Experts Online

Real time lighting with LODs

Discussion in 'Global Illumination' started by Mark_29, Nov 2, 2015.

  1. Mark_29

    Mark_29

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    Posts:
    79
    Hi all.

    I seem to be having a problem with LOD's and real time lighting. No matter what I try I can never match lighting with LOD's to my baked higher LOD.

    To put it in perspective, I am baking LOD0 as static and as per reading on other posts, the other LOD's should use light probes to catch the the GI. However I am finding in my internal scenes (which have quite a few lighting sources) that I cannot match the lighting between the LOD0 (high) to the lower LODs (LOD1, LOD2 etc) no matter how I place the light probes., There is always a jumping in lighting, especially on smaller meshes.

    Is there something I am missing here?

    Or should items in real time lighting never be set to static and use only light probes?
     
    Mark_29, Nov 2, 2015
    #1

  2. badgerCopter

    badgerCopter

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2015
    Posts:
    6
    If I read stuff right, I think Unity only bakes lighting of your highest LOD, subsequent LOD's being lit real time. Could be wrong though.
     
    badgerCopter, Nov 3, 2015
    #2

  3. KEngelstoft

    KEngelstoft

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2013
    Posts:
    1,366
    No. Lower LODs do get baked lightmaps. Direct lighting for all LOD levels are always computed the same way. But indirect light is fetched from the lightprobes for the lower LODs at bake time, it will not use the probes at runtime.
     
    KEngelstoft, Nov 5, 2015
    #3

  4. Mark_29

    Mark_29

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    Posts:
    79
    So I am using this correctly. For a realtime GI - use light probes for LOD's. However you cannot match the lighting, there is always a change in lighting as it swaps model if they are set to lightmap static.
     
    Mark_29, Nov 6, 2015
    #4

  5. KEngelstoft

    KEngelstoft

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2013
    Posts:
    1,366
    Did you try the 5.3 beta? In 5.3 the intensity of light probes match the lightmaps...
     
    KEngelstoft, Nov 9, 2015
    #5

  6. Mark_29

    Mark_29

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    Posts:
    79
    Yeah I last tried beta release 6 and there is still a change in lighting between LOD0 and LOD 1.
     
    Mark_29, Nov 10, 2015
    #6

  7. Mark_29

    Mark_29

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2014
    Posts:
    79
    Gif example
     

    Attached Files:

    Mark_29, Nov 10, 2015
    #7