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Request: User Feedback on Global Illumination

Discussion in 'Global Illumination' started by smcclelland, Jan 4, 2017.

?

Do you use Precomputed Realtime GI & Baked GI at the same time?

  1. Yes

    1 vote(s)
    11.1%

  2. No

    8 vote(s)
    88.9%

  1. smcclelland

    smcclelland

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2016
    Posts:
    147
    Hi all,

    The team here is doing some exploration of user workflows and wanted to understand how you go about using the global illumination system in Unity. What we're most curious about is how many of you are using or have used both Pre-computed Realtime GI and Baked GI at the same time for your project? If you have, what were the needs around having both systems enabled?

    Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide here!

    Cheers,
    Shawn
     
    smcclelland, Jan 4, 2017
    #1

  2. AcidArrow

    AcidArrow

    Joined:
    May 20, 2010
    Posts:
    11,001
    You've (not you specifically, but someone from Unity) asked this in the past... Do you want to make these mutually exclusive? (why? are there going to be benefits? or simply to bring down complexity?)

    I think mixing the two is very powerful. Realtime GI is great, but it can't get to high enough resolution to look really good (and performance also suffers). So I think having most of your lighting as static, so you can have high quality, high resolution GI, and then have a few realtime GI lights (with low resolution) is a very powerful combo and can produce great looking scenes.

    Not being able to mix them, means I have to make a choice, whether I want detailed GI, or dynamic GI. By using both, I can find a balance that works for me.
     
    AcidArrow, Jan 4, 2017
    #2

  3. AlbertoVP

    AlbertoVP

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2016
    Posts:
    42
    Nop, I have worked in three projects right now and never seen a situation where use both at same time.

    One time we though to use this, to make a teleport, because when you make the teleport enlighten have lag. In this case will be good use backed GI in a few actors. At the end we don't use the backed solution and only use realtime.

    By the way is possible use both system at same time. But I think that we have bigger problems with lightmapping (like the LODs without lightmap). In most projects you will pick one solution or other, but you need to find a situation where all this could be usefull.
     
    AlbertoVP, Jan 5, 2017
    #3

  4. smcclelland

    smcclelland

    Unity Technologies

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2016
    Posts:
    147
    @AcidArrow there's no agenda here it's just a look into how users are leveraging the systems and how many people are actually mixing them together in their projects. There are many cases where you "could" use both systems together but it's more about do you, why did you, or why can't you/don't you. We were discussing a few use cases internally and thought it best to go ask the user base for their input.

    @AlbertoVP cheers for the feedback!
     
    smcclelland, Jan 5, 2017
    #4

  5. Owers

    Owers

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2012
    Posts:
    39
    To tell the truth, I've never used realtime and baked GI together because the two never seemed to play nice together. If it was possible to use realtime GI with baked ambient occlusion then I would consider it, it would be a better performance alternative than using SSAO.
     
    Owers, Jan 5, 2017
    #5

  6. bac9-flcl

    bac9-flcl

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2012
    Posts:
    829
    I have to agree, having the baked GI system provide AO only while realtime GI system provides the rest would've been ideal. Right now I'm doing AO lightmapping manually and using realtime GI on top.
     
    bac9-flcl, Jan 8, 2017
    #6