> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.intangible.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.intangible.ai/build/environment.md).

# Environment

Scene-level lighting and ground. Sun position and time of day, fog, terrain color, grid visibility. Set once per scene; everything you build sits on top.

![Build mode with the Edit Scene Details panel open on the left, showing the Sky section's Time field plus Fog and Show grid toggles, and the Manhattan night scene visible in the viewport behind it](/files/KgYtIciMSkOvMMvTyxAN)

## What it does

Think of the environment controls as the work lights on a set. They pre-light the 3D scene so you can read where objects sit in relation to one another while you build and block, the same way you'd flood a stage before the DP comes in to light the actual shot. The lighting itself isn't passed to the visualizer. Render lighting is set later, in Visualize, with [Lighting presets](/visualize/lighting-presets.md).

The one exception is ground color. The vision model that reads your 3D scene sees the terrain color and infers a material from it: a green ground tends to read as grass, brown as dirt, gray as asphalt or concrete. That carries into the render even when you don't ask for it, so pick the ground color deliberately.

The environment controls are scene-level – they apply to every shot in the active scene. To vary how a scene reads across an edit, build separate scenes and cut between them in the [Sequence Timeline](/compose/timeline.md).

## How to use it

The environment controls live in the **Edit Scene Details** panel on the left side of Build mode. The panel opens whenever a scene is active. The Sky section holds the Time slider and Location toggle; Fog and Terrain (Show grid) are toggles below.

1. **Time of day.** Use the Time slider in the Sky section to set the time of day – morning, golden hour, midnight, etc. The slider sets the sun's position and the color temperature of the light in the 3D viewport. This is for reading your scene as you work; it isn't passed to the render. To set the lighting the visualizer actually renders, use [Lighting presets](/visualize/lighting-presets.md) in Visualize.
2. **Location.** Toggle Location on to anchor the time to a real geographic place. A scene set in Reykjavik in December has a different sun path than one set in Mumbai in June. Off by default; toggle on if geographic accuracy matters.
3. **Fog.** Toggle on or off. Use fog for depth in large scenes (cities, forests, sea environments); skip it for clean product hero shots.
4. **Terrain (Show grid).** Toggle the build-time grid on or off. The grid is a visual aid for placement and never appears in renders. Turn off when you want the viewport to read more like a finished scene during composition.

## What reaches the render

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Time of day, sun, fog] --> B[3D viewport readability only]
    C[Ground color] --> D[Vision model reads the scene]
    D --> E[Render]
    F[Grid] -->|never| E
```

Sun position, time of day, and fog light the 3D viewport so you can read the scene; they don't reach the render. Ground color does reach the render, indirectly: the vision model reads the colored terrain and infers a material. The grid is scaffolding for you, not for the render – it never appears in rendered output.

## Where render lighting comes from

Render lighting is set in Visualize, not here. [Lighting presets](/visualize/lighting-presets.md) are what the visualizer uses to light a specific render. The pattern:

* Use **environment** to make the 3D scene readable while you build and block.
* Use **lighting presets** in Visualize to light the render. "This shot is stormy; the next is misty."

The environment helps you see the scene; the lighting preset is what the model renders.

## Common mistakes

{% hint style="warning" %}
**The grid being on doesn't affect renders, but it can throw off your composition.** If you're framing a shot in Compose mode and the grid lines are visible, the lines aren't going to render – but they're occupying mental space while you frame. Toggle the grid off before you compose.
{% endhint %}

* **Tuning fog and then forgetting it's on.** Fog at high density darkens your viewport readability. If your scene looks unexpectedly murky, check fog first.
* **Expecting the viewport's time of day to drive the render.** Sun and time of day light the viewport, not the render. A scene that looks like midnight in the viewport renders with whatever [lighting preset](/visualize/lighting-presets.md) you set in Visualize. Set render lighting there, not by the Time slider.
* **Leaving the ground a color you don't want read as a material.** A green ground can render as grass, gray as asphalt. If the render keeps inventing a surface, check the terrain color first.

## Related

* [Lighting presets](/visualize/lighting-presets.md)
* [Scene context](/visualize/scene-context.md)
* [Auto-prompt](/visualize/auto-prompt.md)
* [Asset library](/build/asset-library.md)


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