The Environment section picks the image that surrounds the model. It does three things at once: it lights the surfaces from every direction, it shows up reflected on anything glossy and, if you want, it becomes the background of the image.

Both images above have the same geometry, the same lights and the same materials. Only the environment changes: a closed studio on one side, late afternoon in Venice on the other.

Controls

Environment image: The list has studios, streets, beaches, a quarry and night. Each one has its own color and light distribution, and switching changes the whole image.
Environment intensity: Multiplies the light coming from the environment, from 0 to 3. At 0 only the lights of the project remain, which leaves hard shadows and a dark background.
Environment rotation: Turns the environment around the vertical axis, from 0 to 360 degrees. Use it to bring the sun, the window or the reflection to the side you want without moving the camera.
Background: Chooses what shows up behind the model, with no effect on the lighting.
- Transparent: Leaves the background empty. The saved PNG keeps the transparency, ready to sit on top of other art.
- Environment (HDRI): Shows the environment image itself, as in the examples above.
- Solid color: Fills it with the color picked in Background color.

How to use it

To present a single object, a studio with a transparent background gives you the cutout for free. To place the model somewhere, use an outdoor environment with the image as background, and rotate until the light falls at the angle you want.

Metal and lacquered surfaces are the ones that change the most with the environment: they are where the surroundings are drawn out.