When ambient shadows are applied to a scene, it looks more realistic, with shadows added to corners and other dark areas of the scene. These shadows are the result of occlusion, or the blocking of objects by other objects.

Original shading:	Ambient shadows applied:

To apply ambient shadows:

1. Press V to open the Visual Styles interface.
2. Under Realistic, click either the Ambient Shadows or Both Shadows and Ambient Shadows icon.

   Ambient shadows are displayd in the scene as configured in the Ambient Shadows dialog box.

3. Adjust or change the type of ambient shadows you want, as described in the following sections:
   • Preview (default): Uses Screen-Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) to calculate ambient shadows quickly. See Set up Preview (instant-on) ambient shadows.
   • Baked: Provides better quality but requires time to pre-calculate (bake) the ambient shadows. See Set up Baked ambient shadows.

For more information on Visual Styles, see Switch between Visual Styles.