IBL

IBL (image-based lighting) makes it simple to create incredibly realistic and convincing simulations of real-world lighting. It allows you to project an environment map onto a virtual sphere serving as the scene environment. The projected map is used to illuminate the scene and add reflections to object surfaces.

In AMD Radeon ProRender, you can choose either color or apply a texture map for IBL.

Color

By default, AMD Radeon ProRender uses grey color as the environment background and emitted light —for completely neutral GI lighting. You can pick an arbitrary color and then adjust the illumination brightness using the Intensity parameter. Note that lighter colors illuminate the scene brighter than darker ones.

Color: grey

Color: yellow

Color: blue

Download the above scene (.blend)

Texture

Instead of a single color setup, you can use a texture map as the backplate. A texture map can be helpful if the scene should appear as if in a real-world environment. IBL will apply the map to determine how light in the scene is reflected or refracted onto the model surfaces.

Environment textures are particularly useful in PBR, as they allow the artist to increase the realism of the scene and are cheap to render. For example, to fake soft reflections, you can use a blurred copy of your environment map without having to tweak the settings too much.

For IBL, it is recommended to use spherical (360 degrees) images in the EXR or HDR format. However, AMD Radeon ProRender also supports LDR Images, like JPG or BMP.

Download the above scene (.blend)