When to use shadows cascades

Unity Engine
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1

Hi

I wonder if there is a reason to use shadow cascades in under 100m camera far plane distance

Thanks in advance for any insight

2

Yep. There is.

…

Wait, you’re still here? Oh, right. Well. Shadow cascades are about trying to better use the shadow map resolution. So it really depends on how fine the details are you want to “see” in the shadows. You could have a game that’s all about placing tooth picks on a table. You may still want to use shadow cascades so the shadows are as sharp as possible up close to the camera. You also don’t need to use all 4 cascades if your far plane is relatively close to the camera and you’re happy with how the shadows look with just two or no cascades. It’s all subjective.

I’d say if you’re happy with how things look with them turned off, then no, there’s no reason to use shadow cascades. If you’re unhappy with how they look, try turning them on and maybe adjusting the ratios of the cascades.

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