Texturing & materials · Beginner

Ambient occlusion

The soft darkening in corners and cracks where less light reaches

Also called AO

What is ambient occlusion?

Ambient occlusion is the soft darkening in corners, cracks and places where surfaces meet, because less of the surrounding light can reach them. In 3D it is either baked into an ambient occlusion map, a grayscale texture, or calculated live on screen. It adds depth and makes objects look grounded.

Think of it like this

Look where a wall meets the floor, or between two books on a shelf: the gap is a little darker, though no lamp casts a clear shadow there.

Where it fits in a 3D project

  1. Create
  2. Surface
  3. Rig
  4. Animate
  5. Render
  6. Export

Surface: Giving the shape its color and material: UVs, textures and shaders.

Base colorNormalRoughnessMetallicOcclusionMaterial
The ambient occlusion map is one of several texture maps a material combines.

How ambient occlusion works

  1. 01For each point, the software checks how much of the surroundings nearby geometry blocks.
  2. 02Open, exposed areas stay white; tucked-in areas turn darker.
  3. 03The result is baked into a map, or computed each frame, and darkens the indirect light.

Ambient occlusion vs shadows

PropertyAmbient occlusionShadows
Caused byNearby shapes blocking soft, all-round lightAn object blocking one light
DirectionNone, it sits in crevicesFalls away from the light
Moves with the lightsNoYes

Shadows come from a light and ambient occlusion comes from shape, so use it to add contact and depth that no single light explains.

Where ambient occlusion is used

  • Baked AO maps that add depth to game assets
  • Grounding objects so they stop looking like they float
  • Screen-space AO in real-time engines and viewports

Beginner tip

Avoid multiplying an AO map into your albedo in a PBR material. Plug it into the material’s AO input instead, so it darkens only indirect light and does not double the shadows.

Terms related to ambient occlusion

Ambient occlusion FAQ

What is an ambient occlusion map?
A grayscale texture baked from a model, where white means fully exposed and dark means tucked away. Engines use it to darken indirect light in crevices, which is cheaper than working it out every frame.
What is screen space ambient occlusion?
SSAO estimates ambient occlusion every frame from the depth of each pixel on screen. It is fast and works on moving objects, but it misses anything off screen and can leave dark halos around edges.
Should I turn ambient occlusion on or off?
On, in most cases. It adds depth and helps objects sit in the scene. Turn it down or off if you see dark halos, or to gain speed on slower hardware.
Does path tracing need ambient occlusion?
Rarely. A path tracer calculates light bouncing into crevices on its own, so the effect appears naturally. AO is mainly a shortcut for real-time and baked lighting.

Updated October 29, 2026 · Browse all 3D terms