Creating an Image Based Lighting Render Pass

To speed up the process of lighting your scene with an image, you can use the Image Based Lighting render pass preset. Creating a new render pass using this preset automatically applies the Environment shader to the pass and enables final gathering in the render options. Of course, you can modify the pass to alter the image based lighting effect or limit the number of objects that it affects.

For more information about render passes and how to customize them, see Passes & Partitions [Rendering].

To create an image-based lighting pass

From the Render toolbar, choose Pass Edit New Pass Image Based Lighting.
When prompted, specify whether you want to use an existing image clip or create one from file.
- If you use an existing image clip, a dialog box appears containing a list from which you can select an image clip.
- If you create a new image clip, a browser opens in which you can select the file with which to create the clip.
Once you select an image clip, a new render pass, called HDRI by default, is created and set as the current pass.
In the pass property editor adjust the pass settings.
Click the Pass Shaders tab and adjust the Environment shader settings (as described previously) until you're satisfied with the results.
When your pass setup is ready, render the pass.