# Lightmap

A Lightmap is a pre-rendered texture that stores lighting information, including environmental lighting, local light sources, and material properties of each object within a scene. Using a Lightmap texture significantly enhances the realism of lighting without compromising real-time performance.

Key features of lightmap:

* Captures detailed information about the environmental lighting, local light sources, and material attributes of objects
* Improves rendering efficiency by reducing the need for real-time lighting calculations
* Provides highly realistic lighting and shadow effects for static scenes

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It is possible to import externally created **Lightmap** textures into Vectary Studio: **JPG**, **PNG**, **HDR**, **EXR** 
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Vectary Studio includes a real-time preview mode specifically for Lightmaps, facilitating fast visual assessment before committing to final texture baking.

![](https://2973737105-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FAXNLyKVZ2tvtyDr8sVES%2Fuploads%2FycTk55hKOHQY2ZNGMbVm%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=8cb26458-c3c5-4be3-babe-ae8baa29727b)
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<figure><img src="https://2973737105-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FAXNLyKVZ2tvtyDr8sVES%2Fuploads%2FbovINFQx4svfVkXV5Nj6%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2e2d8ae0-0320-4592-98b1-c4feaec30162" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>