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Tutorial 123 - Ambient Occlusion

Added 2016-05-07 03:42:02 +0000 UTC

Ambient occlusion is a painting or rendering technique which adds realism to an image.

As light is hitting a variety of surfaces, all points that aren't absolutely hidden from light are illuminated to some level.

Any surface that is angled towards another surface will reduce the amount of light those areas are exposed to.

The level of ambient occlusion depends on how accessible an area is to ambient light rays. Creases, inner corners, dents and bumps, and places where two surfaces overlap, are examples that will show some level of ambient occlusion.

In general, this excludes form and cast shadows, which are the result of direct light rays. Shadows should be considered separate to ambient occlusion and applied before or after on a separate paint layer.

Be sure to include ambient occlusion as part of your digital painting process to help achieve a sense of realism or believability.