Reflection probes are 3D rendering tools that capture surrounding visuals to generate realistic reflections on surfaces, enhancing material realism for metal, glass, and other reflective objects.
- **How they work**: They render a 360-degree cubemap of the environment, which is mapped as a reflection texture onto materials. This reduces reliance on complex ray tracing while maintaining convincing reflection quality. - **Common uses**: Widely applied in real-time rendering, such as games, architectural previews, and VR, to balance performance and visual fidelity. - **Placement tips**: For static scenes, a single probe at the center often suffices; dynamic environments may require multiple probes to ensure accurate reflections across changing surroundings.
In short, reflection probes enable efficient, realistic reflections in 3D rendering with minimal computational cost.