Ambient Light

DEFINITION
Ambient light is a term used to describe light that goes everywhere. It is uniform in intensity and not directional.

EXPLANATION
In a rendering without Global Illumination, surfaces are generally visible ONLY if directly exposed to a light source. The "back" side of an object won't be just dark, it'll be black. A small amount of ambient light makes the back side visible. Ambient light settings are often made as a percentage or decimal (10% is common).

RELATED WORDS
Global illumination, radiosity, indirect lighting.

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