Decision Guide

Use this page when you need to pick a Bakery setup quickly for a VRChat world, then validate it in the actual Unity project and client.

Most common answer

For most static VRChat worlds, start with Full Lighting + MonoSH + L2 probes, then add VRC Light Volumes if avatar lighting quality matters in the actual experience.

Checklist

• If the world is mostly static, use Full Lighting.
• If the scene needs dynamic direct lighting or specular from real-time lights, consider Shadowmask.
• If the scene uses general realistic lighting, use MonoSH.
• If the scene is neon-heavy and colored from multiple directions, test SH.
• If shaders do not support SH or MonoSH, use Dominant Direction or compatible shaders.
• If VRAM is tight, downgrade from SH to MonoSH first.
• If VRAM or compatibility is still a problem, downgrade to Dominant Direction.
• If normal response is not important, non-directional can be acceptable.
• After mode selection, use texel density tuning and manual Lightmap Groups as second-stage optimization tools.
• For dynamic objects and avatars, decide early whether the world will rely on light probes or VRC Light Volumes.

Decision Tree

Is the scene mostly static?
  Yes -> Start with Full Lighting.
  No -> Consider Indirect or Shadowmask.

Do you need real-time direct shadows, dynamic lamp behavior, or real-time specular?
  Yes -> Test Shadowmask.
  No -> Stay with Full Lighting.

Is the lighting mostly realistic, practical, or architectural?
  Yes -> Start with MonoSH.
  No -> Continue.

Is the scene neon-heavy, club-like, cyberpunk, or strongly colored from many directions?
  Yes -> A/B test MonoSH and SH.
  No -> Use MonoSH or Dominant Direction depending on budget.

Do the target shaders support the selected Bakery directional mode?
  Yes -> Profile and continue.
  No -> Switch shaders, add support, or downgrade to Dominant Direction.

Is VRAM too high?
  Yes -> SH to MonoSH, then MonoSH to Dominant Direction, then reduce atlas count.
  No -> Keep the better-looking tested mode.

Pick This Setup

Goal	Render Mode	Directional Mode	Notes
General realistic night scene	Full Lighting	MonoSH	Best default for static practical lighting in most VRChat worlds
Cyberpunk neon city	Full Lighting	SH	Test against MonoSH before committing
Static interior	Full Lighting	MonoSH	Raise bounces for enclosed spaces
Performance constrained world	Full Lighting	Dominant Direction or None	Prefer targeted downgrades before flattening the whole scene
Shader compatibility first	Full Lighting	Dominant Direction	Use when Bakery SH or MonoSH support is uncertain
Dynamic real-time lamp/specular response	Shadowmask	Dominant Direction, MonoSH, or supported mode	Depends on shader support and budget
Draft bake / early iteration	Full Lighting	MonoSH or Dominant Direction	Use lower samples and smaller atlases
Final hero area bake	Full Lighting	MonoSH or SH	Pick after A/B testing and profiling

For scenario starting points, continue to Example Settings.