Note: Many thanks to the the work that the Collada organisation have put it in their 3D specification, and to Sony for this demonstration model. Collada Model Bank
Ambient Occlusion
Ambient Occlusion is a local reflection model. It takes into account the brightness due to how much light can hit that spot. In this demo the map is baked down as a simple shadow which is precalculated for only one light source.
When the scene is built up we apply the normal flat shaded lighting… then the diffuse textures… and finally multiply the ambient occlusion maps.
Here are some beauty renders. These also include a specular map which brightens based on the angle of the camera to the fixed light. It lends a really nice shine to the models.
