New Environment Material Lighting Behavior Modes in Patchwork 3D 2025

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Philippe Keymaster	As part of the ongoing development of Patchwork 3D 2025, we’ve added parameters to the Environment Material that allow you to define how the environment interacts with lighting, especially in scenes where both lightmaps and physical environment lighting may coexist. This feature is designed to provide users with more control over how scenes are illuminated, thereby balancing compatibility, visual fidelity, and real-time performance. You can now choose among four modes: Legacy For compatibility with scenes created in earlier versions of Patchwork 3D 2025. Uses environment lighting when no lightmaps are present Uses lightmaps if they exist Example: opening a 2024 database with baked lightmaps and expecting the same rendering behavior. Environment (default) Use this lighting mode when you want full control over scene lighting using HDRI or environment settings, regardless of whether lightmaps are present. The Environment Material lights the scene with its values Lightmaps are ignored, even if present Example: A new scene where no lightmaps are generated, and you’re relying entirely on the environment for realistic ambient lighting. Lightmaps Use this mode when you want to isolate the baked lightmaps and avoid any influence from the Environment material. Only the lightmaps of the 3D model illuminate the scene The Environment Material does not emit light Example: An interior scene where detailed shadowing is baked into lightmaps, and additional environment lighting would create inconsistencies. Lightmaps + Environment Use this lighting mode when you want to combine two distinct lighting behaviors. The Environment Material lights the scene It also receives and responds to lighting from the model’s lightmaps Example: A vehicle whose headlights influence the surrounding lighting while illuminated by the environment light. Let us know how you’re planning to use this update in your projects. Published on 9 June 2025 at 11 h 22 min

As part of the ongoing development of Patchwork 3D 2025, we’ve added parameters to the Environment Material that allow you to define how the environment interacts with lighting, especially in scenes where both lightmaps and physical environment lighting may coexist.

This feature is designed to provide users with more control over how scenes are illuminated, thereby balancing compatibility, visual fidelity, and real-time performance.

You can now choose among four modes:

Legacy

For compatibility with scenes created in earlier versions of Patchwork 3D 2025.

Uses environment lighting when no lightmaps are present
Uses lightmaps if they exist

Example: opening a 2024 database with baked lightmaps and expecting the same rendering behavior.

Environment (default)

Use this lighting mode when you want full control over scene lighting using HDRI or environment settings, regardless of whether lightmaps are present.

The Environment Material lights the scene with its values
Lightmaps are ignored, even if present

Example: A new scene where no lightmaps are generated, and you’re relying entirely on the environment for realistic ambient lighting.

Lightmaps

Use this mode when you want to isolate the baked lightmaps and avoid any influence from the Environment material.

Only the lightmaps of the 3D model illuminate the scene
The Environment Material does not emit light

Example: An interior scene where detailed shadowing is baked into lightmaps, and additional environment lighting would create inconsistencies.

Lightmaps + Environment
Use this lighting mode when you want to combine two distinct lighting behaviors.

The Environment Material lights the scene
It also receives and responds to lighting from the model’s lightmaps

Example: A vehicle whose headlights influence the surrounding lighting while illuminated by the environment light.

Let us know how you’re planning to use this update in your projects.