Environment
The Environment panel is your single control surface for world lighting, background, ground, and light-pin studio setup. Every environment setting — including backdrop and reflections — lives here.
Access: View ▸ Environment (if the panel list is greyed out, choose View ▸ Unlock Advanced UI first). The panel docks in side columns only.
Panel layout
In its normal layout, the Environment panel has two areas pinned at the top, then four tabs that scroll independently below them. A short panel arranges the same areas side by side instead; see When the panel is short.
Pinned preset list — a library of saved environments for this document. Click any row to apply it instantly. The list is resizable; drag its bottom grip to adjust height.
HDRI preview canvas — a 2D equirectangular view of the combined environment, showing the base layer and all light pins live as you edit. Drag a pin to reposition it. The canvas is resizable; drag its bottom grip.
Tabs:
- Environment — master Adjustments and Transform
- Background — what the camera sees
- Ground — shadows, occlusion, reflections, floor
- Studio — the light list: the Environment (base layer) row (source + image controls) and your light pins
When the panel is short
If the Environment panel is shorter than 354 pixels (at 100% display scaling) — for example when it shares a side column with another panel — the layout changes. The preset list and the HDRI preview canvas move into a card on the left, and the tabs move into a second card to its right. Each card scrolls up and down on its own. The two cards together are wider than a side column, so scroll the panel sideways to reach the tabs; at the narrowest panel width the tabs start completely off to the right. No setting is hidden or changed. Make the panel taller to return to the normal layout.
Working with saved environments
Apply an environment
Click any row in the preset list. A low-resolution preview applies immediately; the full-quality result converges in the background.
Also: Render ▸ Studio Setup ▸ preset applies a built-in environment directly.
Save the current state as a preset
Click Save the current environment as a new preset in the preset toolbar. Enter a name in the prompt that appears.
Manage presets
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Duplicate the selected preset | Copy the selected preset (appended at the end) |
| Rename the selected preset | Rename the selected preset (locked presets cannot be renamed) |
| ▲ (Move the selected preset up) | Move up within the custom list |
| ▼ (Move the selected preset down) | Move down within the custom list |
| Delete the selected preset | Delete the selected preset (locked presets cannot be deleted; the last environment cannot be deleted) |
| Save the current environment into the VIZid library Save to Library | Save to the shared library for reuse across documents |
| Add from Library… Add from Library | Copy a library environment into this document as a new preset |
Lock a preset
Click the padlock in the preset row to lock it. While locked, all Environment, Background, Ground and Studio controls are greyed out. The preset list and tabs remain usable so you can unlock, duplicate, or switch to another preset.
Drag and drop
Drag a Global environment asset from the Library panel onto the preset list to import it as a document preset.
Environment tab
Controls the master adjustments and orientation for the whole environment — base layer and all light pins together. The source selector and image controls are in the Studio tab, on the Environment (base layer) row.
Adjustments
These affect the base layer and every light pin together.
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Slider 0–5; type to 10 | Multiplier. Click × beside the field to display the same value in stops (EV). 1.0× = 0 EV = no change. |
| Contrast | 0.0–2.0 | 1.0 = neutral. Applied over the base layer and all pins together. |
Transform
Rotates the entire environment (base layer + all light pins + reflections + backdrop together).
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 0 (Auto) – 10⁸ mm | Dome radius in mm. When 0, the field shows Auto (the app picks a size). The A button beside the field returns to Auto. |
| Height | −10⁸ – +10⁸ mm | Vertical offset of the dome centre. |
| Rotation | 0°–360° | Horizontal spin. Applied last, after Vertical and Roll. |
| Vertical | −180° to +180° | Tilts the environment vertically (pitch). |
| Roll | −180° to +180° | Rolls about the third axis. |
Background tab
Controls what the camera sees behind the product. The background choice does not affect lighting — the base layer always lights the scene regardless of background mode.
Background mode
Select one of six modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Lighting Environment | The base layer (HDRI / Sun & Sky / Color / Gradient) is what the camera sees. No extra controls. |
| Color | Solid colour behind the product. A colour swatch appears below. |
| Backplate Image | A photo plate behind the product. Row Photo: click Browse… to load an EXR, HDR, PNG, JPG or TIF file. Click Reset — remove the backplate photo to clear it. |
| Transparent | Fully transparent background (alpha 0) for compositing. |
| After Effects | Background driven by a linked After Effects comp. Link a comp with role "underlay" in the After Effects panel. |
| AI Backdrop | AI-generated background. Generate and manage it in the Compositor panel (AI Backdrop section). Switching modes preserves the Backplate Image, so you can toggle back and forth. Generating a new backdrop replaces the photo loaded as the Backplate Image and switches the mode to Backplate Image. |
Rotation
These three controls spin, tilt, or roll the background independently of the lighting. The environment's Transform ▸ Rotation/Vertical/Roll affect lighting and reflections together; these affect only what the camera sees.
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Background Spin | −180° to +180° | Rotates the backdrop horizontally without moving the light |
| Vertical Spin | −180° to +180° | Tilts the backdrop vertically without tilting the light |
| Roll Spin | −180° to +180° | Rolls the backdrop about the view axis |
When any of these values is non-zero, a note appears in the panel: "The backdrop no longer matches the lighting — reflections still show the environment as it is lit."
Ground tab
The floor is invisible except for what each toggle reveals. There is no floor geometry — only the effects you turn on.
| Control | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Clip Geometry | Dropdown: Off / Surface Mask / Interior Clip | Surface Mask hides geometry behind the upper surface; Interior Clip hides geometry inside a closed receiver (an open surface uses Surface Mask). Both apply only from above. |
| Ground Shadows | Toggle | Shadow-catcher ground plane. |
| Occlusion Ground Shadows | Toggle | Contact shadow (ambient occlusion). Reveals three sub-controls when on. |
| — Distance | 0 (Auto) – 10⁸ mm | How far the contact shadow reaches. 0 = Auto (half the product's largest dimension). |
| — Falloff | 0.05–8.0 | Gamma curve on shadow fade. 1 = linear; higher = tighter around contact point. |
| — Contrast | 0.0–1.0 | Hardens the light-to-dark edge. 0 = plain falloff; 1 = crispest. |
| Ground Reflections | Toggle | Reflections on the floor. Reveals three sub-controls when on. |
| — Reflection Roughness | 0.0–1.0 | Floor surface smoothness |
| — Reflection Contrast | 0.0–2.0 | 0 = black reflection; 1 = natural; 2 = white |
| — Reflection Colour | Colour swatch | Tints the reflection. White = untinted. |
| Flatten Ground | Toggle | Flattens the environment's floor — the lower half of the dome is projected onto a flat surface. |
| Shadow Colour | Colour swatch | Multiplier applied to the backdrop in shadow. Enabled when Ground Shadows or Occlusion is on. If you see the note "Restart with the updated renderer for coloured shadows in transparent output", restart the renderer to enable this in transparent renders. |
| Ground Size | 0 (Auto) – 10⁸ mm | Extent of the floor plane. 0 = Auto (derived from product bounds). |
Studio tab
The Studio tab manages the light pins — supplemental lights painted onto the environment dome — plus the base layer source.
Light list
The list shows the Environment (base layer) row at the top, followed by all light pins you have added.
- Click a row to select it and edit its settings in the detail area below.
- Click the padlock on the right of a pin row to lock it.
Toolbar:
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Add a light | Add a new light pin |
| Duplicate the selected light | Copy the selected pin (offset 15° to avoid overlap) |
| Remove the selected light | Delete the selected pin |
| Solo | Renders only the selected light (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S). Not saved. |
| LightPaint | LightPaint — turn on, then click the product in the viewport; the selected pin moves so its reflection lands where you clicked. |
The list is resizable via the grip below it.
Light pin detail
When a pin row is selected, these controls appear:
| Control | Range / Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Emit | Baked (into the environment) / Physical (soft light) / Analytic (sharp light) | How the pin contributes. Only Baked is visible to the camera and can tint the backdrop; Analytic pins wider than 40° light from their whole footprint. |
| Intensity | 0–500 | Linear multiplier |
| Colour | Colour swatch | Opens the colour picker in Temperature mode by default |
| Width° | 1°–180° | Horizontal angular size of the pin |
| Height° | 1°–180° | Vertical angular size |
| Shape | Rectangle / Disc / Umbrella / Gradient | Footprint profile |
| On | Toggle | Enable/disable this pin |
| Name | Text | Optional label shown in the list row |
Base layer detail
When the Environment (base layer) row is selected, a Background section appears with a source selector:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| Color | Solid colour fill light. Control: Colour swatch. |
| Gradient | Top-to-bottom sweep from a highlight colour down to shadow. Control: Top colour swatch. |
| Sun & Sky | Physical daylight with a tunable sun position and atmosphere. |
| Image | HDRI or equirectangular environment map — the standard choice for product photography. |
Image source controls
When Image is selected:
- Image — choose from the built-in preset list or load a custom file. Click Load HDRI image… to browse for an EXR, HDR or PIC file (also PNG, JPG, TIF). Click Reset — remove the image at the end of the Image row to go back to None.
Image adjustments (affect this image only; the master Adjustments on the Environment tab scales everything):
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | Slider 0–5; type to 10 | Dims or brightens this image layer only |
| Contrast | 0.0–2.0 | 1.0 = unchanged |
| Saturation | Slider 0–2; type to 3 | 1.0 = as shot; 0 = greyscale |
| Hue | −180° to +180° | Rotates all colours around the colour wheel. Disabled when Colourise is on. |
| Colourise | Toggle | When on, replaces colour shifting with a single tint colour |
| Tint (Colourise on) | Colour swatch | The tint colour to apply |
| Mode (Colourise on) | Colour / Hue / Overlay / Multiply / Soft Light | How the tint is blended |
| Amount | 0.0–1.0 | Strength of the Hue shift or Colourise tint |
| Blur | 0.0–1.0 | Softens reflections and the light cast by the environment. Settles at full quality when you release. |
| Resolution | Auto / 1K / 2K / 4K | Resolution the renderer bakes this environment at |
Image rotation (independent of the master Transform; affects only this image):
| Control | Range |
|---|---|
| Rotation | −180° to +180° |
| Vertical | −180° to +180° |
| Roll | −180° to +180° |
Sun & Sky controls
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sun elevation | 0°–90° | Angle above the horizon. Keyable. |
| Sun direction | 0°–359° | Horizontal azimuth. Keyable. |
| Haze | 15–100 | Atmospheric turbidity. Keyable. |
| Model | Hosek-Wilkie (accurate) / Preetham (warm) | Sky model algorithm. |
Common tasks
- Match reflections to the backdrop — use Environment ▸ Transform ▸ Rotation. Both rotate together.
- Separate the light position from the backdrop — use Background ▸ Background Spin. The lighting does not move.
- Add a soft fill light without replacing the HDRI — Studio tab ▸ Add a light, set Emit to Physical (soft light).
- Create a transparent product image for compositing — Background tab ▸ Transparent.
- Reuse an environment across projects — Save to Library.
Undo and recovery
Edit ▸ Undo (Ctrl+Z) is available for environment changes. To recover a saved preset that you have edited, duplicate it before editing so the original is preserved.
Related pages
- ./compositor — AI Backdrop generation and After Effects overlay
- ./lighting — scene lights (Point, Sun, Spot, Area and shaped emitters)