The Best Way to Bake Textures/Choose Static/Dynamic Objects
Objective: Understand the best way to Bake Texture by choosing your Static or Dynamic objects.
So we know that in Unity, you’ve got two types of objects: static and dynamic. If something stays put, it’s static. If it’s on the move, it’s dynamic.
Now, Unity’s got this cool feature where it crunches the numbers for static objects before your game even starts running. By doing this, it saves on processing power during gameplay, which should make everything run smoother.
In my sci-fi setup, you’ll find all the static stuff tucked away under the static label. Think big things like floors, walls, columns, you name it — the stuff that doesn’t budge.
Now you’ll notice that our Static option has a dropdown menu. The dropdown contains a list of properties that will apply to the static object.
Now, each of these options serves a specific purpose. Let’s break them down:
Nothing: This means the game object won’t be considered in any precomputations.
Everything: Include the game object in all precomputations.
Contribute GI: Mesh Rendering gets included in GI calculations if Global Illumination is set up.
Occluder Static: Marks the object as a Static Occluder for occlusion culling.
Batching Static: Merges this object’s mesh with others, aiding runtime rendering.
Navigation Static: Adds the game object to precomputed navigation data.
Occludee Static: Similar to Occluder Static but opposite.
Off Mesh Link Generation: Creates an Off-Mesh Link for navigation shortcuts.
Reflection Probe Static: Includes the object in reflection probe data computation when set to Baked.
Why does it matter? Static objects are crucial for scene lighting, as light bounces off them to illuminate the area. It’s recommended to be mindful of lighting usage since baking it can be resource-intensive. For optimization, limit your scene to 1 or 2 lights and leverage Volumes, light probe groups, and emissions where needed.