Environment Controller

Starting from realvirtual.io Version 6, the EnvironmentController leverages Unity's Universal Rendering Pipeline (URP) to provide enhanced visual fidelity and customization options.

You can find the EnvironmentController in Tools > realvirtual > Environments as part of the realvirtual Prefab in your scene.

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Overview

The EnvironmentController provides three preset visual modes:

• Default: A balanced environment for general use.

• Dark: Suitable for low-light or nighttime scenarios.

• White: Ideal for bright, minimalistic environments.

The component allows adjustments to floor size, fade effects, and toggling advanced features with straightforward controls.

Environment - Default Mode

Environment - Dark Mode

Environment - White Mode

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Runtime Lighting (No Baking Required)

Improved in realvirtual **6.3.4** (Starter & Professional)

The EnvironmentController computes the skybox ambient light and environment reflection live at runtime (using DynamicGI.UpdateEnvironment). This runs once when the scene starts, in both Edit and Play mode, so your scenes are correctly lit without baking lighting. The cost is a one-time calculation at scene start with no per-frame impact.

Because the ambient and reflection are generated from the skybox at runtime, the per-scene baked lighting folder Unity otherwise stores next to a scene (with LightingData.asset, ReflectionProbe-*.exr and lightmaps) is no longer required for skybox-lit scenes. Removing it slims down your project and stops these binary files from reappearing as changes in version control after every bake.

Removing baked lighting folders

Use Tools > realvirtual > Settings > Remove Baked Lighting Folders… to clean up the active scene or your whole project. The tool disables Baked Global Illumination on each scene, clears the scene's Lighting Data reference, and deletes the per-scene baked lighting folder. You choose the scope in the confirmation dialog: Active scene only or All scenes.

This permanently deletes baked lighting data and cannot be undone except through version control. **Commit or back up your project first.** Scenes that rely on **real baked lightmaps** (baked shadows / ambient occlusion) will look different afterwards — only skybox-lit scenes are visually identical.

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Properties

Mode

• Dropdown to select the desired environment mode: Default, Dark, or White.

When Advanced Mode is enabled:

• A hidden Skybox is activated, creating a more immersive environment by enhancing lighting and shadows.

• A sphere is added to hide the skybox and to show a uni-color background.

Environment - Advanced Mode deactivated

Environment - Advanced Mode activated

Floor

• Size:

  • Numeric input to specify the floor size in Meter.

• Fade:

  • Checkbox to enable or disable the fading effect on the floor.

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Customizing the Environment

The recommended way to customize the Environment Controller is by overwriting the values of the real irtual prefab in your scene. This approach ensures that your changes are scene-specific while maintaining compatibility with the RealVirtual framework.

Prefab Structure

Each visual setup is organized as a sub-gameobject within the prefab. These sub-gameobjects are activated dynamically based on the current visual mode setting. The three primary modes included are:

• Dark Mode

• Default Mode

• White Mode

Each mode contains the following key components:

1. Sun

• Represents the primary directional light source for the scene.

• Customize the intensity, color, and angle of the light for desired effects.

2. Floor

• Defines the material and rendering properties for the ground plane.

• Update the floor's texture, material properties, or color to match your scene's aesthetics.

3. Sky

• Manages the skybox or atmospheric effects.

• Customize the sky material to change the overall ambiance of the environment.

Effects and Post-Processing

Under the Effects section of each sub-gameobject, you will find settings related to post-processing. These can be tailored to adjust the mood, tone, and visual clarity of the scene. Common properties include:

• Bloom: Adjust intensity and threshold for glow effects.

• Color Grading: Modify contrast, saturation, and color tones.

• Ambient Occlusion: Enhance shadow details for better depth perception.

• Motion Blur: Add a sense of motion for dynamic scenes.

• Vignette: Focus viewer attention by darkening edges.