I’ve been working on a tool for light baking in Unity, and I’m hitting a wall with understanding the differences between `BakeAsync` and `BakeMultipleScenes`. Maybe someone here could shed some light on this?
Here’s what I’m doing: my tool needs to handle light baking dynamically based on the number of scenes loaded. So, I’ve got this button that, when clicked, checks if there’s more than one scene open. If there is, it collects all the scene paths and kicks off the `BakeMultipleScenes` function. Otherwise, it just calls `BakeAsync`. Pretty straightforward, right?
But here’s where I get confused—what exactly happens under the hood with these two functions? I mean, both are supposed to handle light baking, but when do I use one over the other? I get that `BakeMultipleScenes` is potentially working with a whole bunch of scenes at once, but are there performance implications I should worry about? Like, if I’m working with a single scene versus multiple scenes, is one method significantly faster or more resource-intensive?
Also, is there a scenario where using `BakeAsync` could lead to unexpected behavior in a larger project? I suppose I’m mostly wondering if there are some “best practices” for using these functions in different contexts.
To put it in perspective, let’s say I have one scene that’s relatively complex, with lots of dynamic lighting elements, versus a couple of scenes that are simpler. Should I always try to leverage `BakeMultipleScenes` even if it’s just two simple scenes? Or can I get away with the `BakeAsync` in that case?
If anyone has experience with this, your insights would be super helpful! I’d love to hear how you’ve tackled similar situations or any pitfalls you’ve run into. It seems like such a small detail, but I want to make sure I’m optimizing my tool properly. Thanks!
So, I totally get where you’re coming from! The whole light baking thing in Unity can be a bit tricky at first. From what I’ve seen, the main differences between
BakeAsyncandBakeMultipleScenesreally boil down to how they handle the baking job based on your scenes.BakeAsyncis designed for just one scene at a time, so if you’ve got a single scene loaded and you call it, it’ll work its magic in the background without freezing up the editor. This is super handy if you’re just tinkering with one scene, especially if it’s a complex one with a lot of lighting to calculate. It lets you keep working while it does the baking.On the flip side,
BakeMultipleScenesis your go-to when you’re dealing with more than one scene—it lets you bake all the scenes together in one go. This can save time as it’s doing the work collectively, but it might take longer depending on how complex those scenes are. If one of your scenes is really complicated and the others are simple, it could slow things down more than if you just baked them individually withBakeAsync.As for performance implications, it really depends on the specific scenario. If you’re working with a single scene that’s pretty dense, using
BakeAsynccan keep things smooth since it’s focused. But if you’ve got a couple of scenes, even if they’re simple,BakeMultipleScenesmight be more efficient—especially if lighting elements are being shared between them, which can save time overall.Now, it’s definitely possible to run into some unexpected behavior with
BakeAsyncin bigger projects. For example, if your lighting setups differ significantly between scenes or if there’s some dynamic content that needs to be accounted for, it might cause hiccups. That said, if you’re just baking lights and it’s all set up nicely, you should be mostly fine.As a little rule of thumb, if you’re only working with a couple of scenes, it’s often easier to just go for
BakeMultipleScenes, especially if you’re looking to simplify your workflow. But for more intricate setups, don’t hesitate to take advantage ofBakeAsynctoo!I hope that helps clarify things! I’m right there with you in trying to figure all this out, and it can be such a balancing act between keeping things efficient and not over-complicating your workflow!
The key difference between `BakeAsync` and `BakeMultipleScenes` primarily lies in their intended use cases. `BakeAsync` is optimized for light baking within a single scene, which makes it simpler and potentially faster for scenarios where you’re only dealing with one scene at a time. This method is designed to work seamlessly without much overhead, making it ideal for projects where you need to manage dynamic lighting and don’t require the complexities of resource allocation across multiple scenes. On the other hand, `BakeMultipleScenes` enables the baking of multiple scenes simultaneously. This is particularly advantageous when dealing with interconnected scenes that share lighting properties, as it can result in better overall performance and cohesive lighting setups. However, this method might introduce a higher resource load, as the system will need to calculate lighting data for several environments at the same time, which can impact performance based on the complexity of the scenes involved.
In terms of best practices, it’s crucial to evaluate the specific needs of your project. If you find yourself frequently switching between a single complex scene with dynamic elements and a couple of simpler scenes, using `BakeAsync` for the complex one might help maintain efficiency during development. However, if you’re working with multiple scenes—even if they’re simple—opting for `BakeMultipleScenes` could simplify your workflow and lead to more unified lighting results. In particular, be cautious with `BakeAsync` in larger projects; if you’re mixing dynamic environments, you might face unexpected behavior, such as discrepancies in lighting across scenes. Ultimately, testing both methods in your specific context can provide valuable insights, helping you identify which approach yields the best performance and visual consistency for your light baking tool.