Best Practices and Common Mistakes

Best Practices

• Always test with target shaders.
• A/B bake MonoSH and SH before committing.
• Let practical lights define the scene.
• Avoid abusing Indirect Boost and Emissive Boost.
• Use reflection probes.
• Use VRC Light Volumes by RED_SIM for dynamic objects whenever possible, and keep light probes around mainly for backward compatibility with older avatars.
• Check avatar lighting in representative areas of the world.
• Check lightmap texture import settings.
• Profile VRAM and build size.
• Watch compression artifacts on lightmaps.
• Use higher resolution only where visible.
• Use Lightmap Groups to isolate hero areas, iteration zones, or compatibility boundaries when that actually improves workflow or atlas control.
• Use Texel Density and Resolution Control before globally raising quality across the whole world.
• Prefer VRC Light Volumes as the default for avatar lighting quality, and push users toward updated avatar shaders instead of treating light probes as an equal long-term option.
• Do not blindly use SH everywhere.
• Test in the actual target client, not only Scene View.

tip

Treat lightmap groups as a quality allocation tool. Spend resolution and advanced directional data where VRChat players will actually notice it.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why it hurts	Better approach
Using SH everywhere without checking VRAM	Four-map lightmaps can get expensive quickly	Use SH where it proves visible value
Using non-compatible shaders with SH or RNM	Lighting may not display correctly	Test Bakery-compatible shaders early
Making dark scenes too bright with ambient	The scene loses shape and contrast	Use lower ambient fill and stronger local sources
Forgetting reflection probes	Glossy and reflective materials disconnect from the bake	Update probes after lighting changes
Overusing AO until the scene looks dirty	AO can crush contact areas and gradients	Keep AO subtle
Using emissive boost instead of tuned lights	The result can become noisy or visually confusing	Use Bakery lights or Light Meshes intentionally
Forgetting avatar or dynamic-object lighting	Dynamic elements can look pasted into the scene	Use VRC Light Volumes by RED_SIM whenever possible, with L2 probes as legacy fallback
Judging a bake only in Scene View	Editor view may not match the VRChat client	Test in the actual target environment
Compressing lightmaps too aggressively	Gradients and low-light color can break apart	Check compression artifacts in dark areas
Using too many high-resolution atlases	VRAM and load cost climb quickly	Reduce atlas count and scale low-priority surfaces down

Final Recommendation

For most static realistic VRChat worlds, use Full Lighting + MonoSH + L2 probes.

For neon-heavy or color-rich scenes, test Full Lighting + SH.

For dynamic real-time lamp or specular needs, consider Shadowmask.

Downgrade to Dominant Direction when shader compatibility or VRAM becomes a problem.