How do reflection probes work and where should they be placed?

• A. Reflection probes capture the surrounding environment to create reflections on nearby surfaces; place them where reflective materials exist or where accurate reflections are needed (e.g., near shiny surfaces).
• B. Reflection probes generate global illumination for ambient light.
• C. Reflection probes are used to enhance shadows.
• D. Reflection probes store texture data for surfaces.

Answer: (A)

Reflection probes work by capturing the environment from a specific point in space and rendering it into a cubemap. That cubemap becomes the reflection source for nearby shiny surfaces, so objects like metal, glass, or polished floors reflect what’s around the probe. Because the reflections come from the probe’s surroundings, you want to place probes where the surfaces will actually reflect what the viewer should see—near reflective materials or in spots that represent the surrounding environment accurately.

In practice, use multiple probes if you have large or varied areas so each reflective surface can sample the correct local environment. You can set probes to baked for static scenes or realtime if the scene changes. Reflection probes do not generate global illumination, do not directly enhance shadows, and do not store texture data for surfaces; they simply provide reflection maps that shaders use to render reflections.