Physically Based Rendering (PBR) is a shading and rendering approach that aims to simulate how light interacts with materials in the real world. In Three.js, PBR is implemented through materials like MeshStandardMaterial and MeshPhysicalMaterial.
Use Case:
PBR is widely used in gaming, product visualization, and AR/VR applications to achieve photorealistic appearances of materials and surfaces.
Advantages:
- Creates realistic surfaces by simulating properties like reflectivity, roughness, and metallicity.
- Enables consistent results under different lighting conditions.
- Uses industry-standard workflows compatible with tools like Blender and Substance Painter.
Limitations:
- Higher computational cost compared to basic shading techniques.
- Requires detailed texture maps (e.g., albedo, normal, roughness) for optimal results, increasing asset size and complexity.