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What does GI stand for?
It's a term I hear about a lot when 3D assets are mentioned but I don't know what this acronym stands for. (See post below for answer.)
GI stands for Global Illumination. According to the official online Unity manual:
Global Illumination (GI) is a system that models how light is bounced off of surfaces onto other surfaces (indirect light) rather than being limited to just the light that hits a surface directly from a light source (direct light). Modelling indirect lighting allows for effects that make the virtual world seem more realistic and connected, since objects affect each other’s appearance. One classic example is ‘color bleeding’ where, for example, sunlight hitting a red sofa will cause red light to be bounced onto the wall behind it. Another is when sunlight hits the floor at the opening of a cave and bounces around inside so the inner parts of the cave are illuminated too.
Here's an example image, also from the same page:
