Ground plane

Overview

The Ground Plane is a virtual surface that helps integrate 3D objects into a scene by providing a base for casting shadows. It enhances realism by ensuring objects appear grounded rather than floating in space.

Dynamic shadows

Dynamic Shadows adjust in real time based on scene lighting, ensuring accurate interaction with moving elements.

Baked shadow

Pre-rendered shadows that remain fixed, improving performance and producing a much more photorealistic result.

Learn more about texture baking and its settings here: Baked textures

• Black point — controls the darkest areas of the shadow, determining how deep the shadows appear

• White point — adjusts the lightest parts of the shadow, influencing shadow softness and blending with the environment

Settings

Settings in the Adjust tab apply to both Dynamic and Baked shadows:

Size

The size of the shadow plane can be adjusted, and values greater than 2500 can be manually entered.

Opacity

A transparency setting allows control over shadow opacity.

Color

Shadow color can be modified to match the scene.

Shadow intensity

Only for Dynamic Shadow intensity is determined by the light source. If the shadow originates from the Environment, the 'Shadow' setting in the environment controls affects its intensity.