Reflections & Settings

intermediate concepts

This page covers how to add reflections to your scenes and all available parameters in Shiny SSR 2, organized by category.

Forward vs. Deferred

Feature	Forward	Deferred
Setup	Requires `Reflections` script on target objects	Automatic — reads from g-buffers
Per-object control	Full control via Reflections script	Global settings only (unless Mixed Mode is enabled)
Transparent objects	Supported via Reflections script	Requires Mixed Mode + Reflections script
Performance	Can be faster (processes only tagged objects)	Processes entire screen
PBR accuracy	Depends on material properties gathered by script	Per-pixel smoothness/metallic from g-buffers

Workflow	Behavior
Smoothness Only	A single value controls both reflection intensity and surface roughness. Simpler, good for stylized projects.
Metallic and Smoothness	Follows the PBR model: Metallic controls reflection intensity, Smoothness controls sharpness. More physically accurate.

Add the Reflections component to objects that should receive reflections (required in Forward, optional in Deferred with Mixed Mode).

Property	Description
Ignore	Excludes this object from reflections. Useful when the script is on a parent covering many children.
Scope	Apply reflections to this object only, include children, or filter by layer/name pattern/sub-meshes.
Use Material Smoothness	Reads the `_Smoothness` property from the object's PBR material.
Smoothness Map	Optional texture whose alpha channel provides per-pixel smoothness (use with Smoothness Source = Custom).
Per Sub Mesh Smoothness	Assigns different smoothness values to individual sub-meshes.
Smoothness	Manual smoothness value used when Use Material Smoothness is off or the material lacks the property.
Use Material Normal Map	Uses the material's normal map for reflection perturbation.
Material Property Names	Shader property names for smoothness map, normal map, and smoothness value. Customize for non-standard shaders.
Override Global Settings	Enables per-object raytracing overrides (sample count, decay, jitter, etc.).

Setting	Description
Reflections Style	Shiny Reflections for standard appearance or Dark Reflections for a stylized dark-toned look with better performance.
Workflow	Smoothness Only or Metallic and Smoothness (see PBR Workflows above).
Show In Scene View	Renders reflections in the Scene view window for easier editing.
Use Custom Bounds	Restricts reflection rendering to a defined volume.

Setting	Description
Sample Count	Number of raymarching steps per pixel (4–256). Higher = better quality, more GPU cost.
Max Ray Length	Maximum reflection distance in meters.
Thickness	Assumed geometry thickness for hit detection. Increase if reflections disappear behind thin objects.
Binary Search Iterations	Refinement steps after initial hit (6–8 is usually sufficient).
Compute Back Faces	Runs a depth pre-pass to calculate true surface thickness. Improves accuracy for thin/complex meshes.
Max Thickness	Geometry thickness assumed before binary search.
Thickness Fine	Post-binary-search thickness threshold. Discards hits beyond this distance. Keep as low as possible.
Jitter	Random offset on ray start positions to reduce banding artifacts.
Animated Jitter	Changes jitter per pixel every frame to redistribute noise.
Temporal Filter	Reduces flickering by blending with previous frames.
Response Speed	How fast the temporal filter discards history. Higher = more responsive to changes.
Downsampling	Resolution multiplier for final blurred reflections (1 = full resolution).
Depth Bias	Bias for depth checking. Increase if reflections disappear at distance.

Setting	Description
Intensity	Global multiplier for all reflections.
Min Intensity	Forces a minimum reflection level on all surfaces.
Max Intensity	Caps maximum reflection brightness.
Smoothness Threshold	Minimum smoothness required to receive reflections.
Fresnel	Reduces reflection intensity based on view angle. 1.0 = physically accurate.
Decay	Reduces intensity based on distance to the reflected point.
HDR Clamp	Clamps HDR reflection values to prevent overly bright spots (0.01–10). Default: 3.
Metal Boost	Enhances appearance of metallic surfaces in Deferred mode.
Specular Control	Reduces specular intensity in reflections to minimize flickering from certain materials.
Skybox Intensity	Intensity of sky/background reflections on surfaces.
Start Distance	Attenuates reflections near the camera (in meters).
Far Fade Start / Range	Attenuates reflections far from the camera (distance + fade range in meters).
Vignette Size	Controls reflection fade-out around screen borders.
Vignette Power	Controls the attenuation gradient at screen edges.

Setting	Description
Fuzzyness	Distance-based blur multiplier. Distant reflections appear blurrier than contact reflections.
Contact Hardening	Increases sharpness of close-range (contact) reflections.
Minimum Blur	Minimum blur applied to all reflections.
Blur Downsampling	Resolution of blur buffers. Increase to improve performance slightly.
Blur Strength	Controls blur spread along X and Y axes.

Setting	Description
Output Mode	Debug visualization of internal buffers (reflections only, depth, normals, etc.).
Low Precision	Uses RGBA32 instead of ARGBHalf for internal buffers. Faster on some devices, reduces accuracy.
Stop NaN	Clamps pixel values to valid range. Enable if you see black patches or rendering artifacts.
Stencil Check	Masks reflections based on stencil buffer contents.
Transparency Support	Runs a depth pre-pass on transparent objects so they cast reflections. Filter by layer or add a `ShinyTransparentSupport` script.
Use Reflections Scripts	Enables per-object Reflections scripts in Deferred mode (Mixed Mode).
Layer Mask	Which Reflections scripts are used when Mixed Mode is active.

Was this page helpful? |