Environment Mapping

Environment mapping is a computer graphics technique used to create the illusion of reflective surfaces, like mirrors or shiny objects. It works by capturing the surrounding environment—such as a room or landscape—and projecting that image onto the object’s surface. This makes the object appear as if it's reflecting its surroundings in real time. Essentially, environment mapping creates realistic reflections without complex calculations for each ray of light, enhancing visual realism efficiently. It’s widely used in video games and 3D rendering to add lifelike details to surfaces with minimal computational cost.