Shadows
Shadows describe visibility between a light source and a receiving surface. Spectral separates the stored visibility of static geometry from the shadows that must respond to moving objects. Its baked static-shadow data avoids re-evaluating that static geometry every frame, while conventional object shadows and native preshadows handle their applicable runtime cases.
Filtering determines how those visibility samples become a visible edge. PCSS, or Percentage-Closer Soft Shadows, searches for blockers and varies the filter footprint with their estimated separation from the receiver. This produces firmer contact and a wider penumbra farther from the caster. It is not the same as increasing the captured shadow resolution.
The Shadows tab therefore separates capture quality, runtime filtering, object-shadow resolution, and fallback behavior. The controls do not turn an unsupported renderer into a supported one; check the platform matrix before choosing a shadow path.
| Group | What it controls | Rebake needed |
|---|---|---|
| Baked Static Shadows | Captures static shadow data and configures its sampling | Yes for capture resolution and inclusion changes |
| PCSS | Contact-hardening shadow filtering | No for filter controls |
| Movable Object Shadows | Resolution and screen-size fade of object shadows | No |
| Native Preshadows | Fallback controls outside applicable baked coverage | No |
Baked static shadows
Use Baked Static Shadows enables Spectral's baked static shadow data. Disabling it and completing a new bake removes that data for the relevant lighting context.
This setting does not remove the engine's separate native shadow data.
Stationary lights have four available shadow channels. If overlapping stationary lights cannot be assigned channels, the bake is blocked. Reduce overlap or change the appropriate lights' mobility.
Read Baked shadow controls and PCSS and object shadows before adjusting the full group at once.