Adjusting Sky Settings in IBL Section

Instead of switching back and forth between the IBL and Sky panels for setting their parameters, you can simply adjust some of the sky settings within the IBL section. Besides, synchronizingly adjusting the IBL and Sky settings can help your to save times from setting them respectively.

Adjust Sky Settings in Image Based Lighting Section

Sky Softness

You can quickly blur the sky, with performance vastly improved, allowing for real-time adjustment of Sky Softness in order that the blurry sky simulates the DOF effect to stand out the main object in the scene and create spatial feelings.

Sky Softness can be adjusted in the following two places:

  • Visual panel > Image Based Lighting section > Sync Sky group > Sky Softness slider.
  • Pick the Sky and perform Modify panel > Material tab > Texture Setting section> Softness Slider.

You can clearly observe the view-port differences before and after the Sky Softness is increased.

Before After (Sky Softness = 7)
ClosedNote:
  • When adjusting Softness, IBL / Sky Diffuse texture source maps will not change. Only the View-port visual results will be adjusted (IBL and PBR shader details are not affected).
  • Once the adjustments are done, you can load different IBL / Sky Diffuse textures without losing the blurry effect. Basically, the Sky Softness value does not really change the loaded image resolution but only the render results.

Show and Hide the Sky

You can adjust the convenient Show / Hide Sky settings of the IBL under Visual panel > Image Based Lighting section > Visible Sky options. It is useful when you want to focus on specific objects without being visually intervened by the sky.

Before After (Sky is hidden)