Looking for detailed examples of how environment modes are used.

Flortale

I'm trying to make sense of which environment mode I should use.

Dome and Scene

• I think this means I can use the Dome environment map and Dome settings to help light a scene in addition to using my parametric lights.
• Is Dome considered IBL lighting?
• In what scenario would one use Dome lighting?
• Wouldn't sun-Sky be better and more realistic and produce better results?
• Doesn't Dome use an existing image to produce light?  That's fake isn't it?

Dome only

• See details & questions above.

Sun-Sky only

• With this setting, I was able to use parametric lights as well.  I think this lighting setup makes the most sense.  Let's say you have a living room scene, but the living room has windows.  I can use sun-Sky light to fill the room with natural outdoor light, then use parametric lights like point & spot inside the living room.

Scene only

• This setting means only the lights in your scene are used.  I guess the concept here is that you want to create your own lighting system. You'd probably setup a directional light to mimic outdoor light and then use point or spot lights to light indoor scenes correct?  IMO, I think using Sun-Sky is better.

My conclusion so far is that out of all the modes, sun-Sky is superior and will probably produce the most realistic results without any type of faking.  You'll end up using the natural reflective global illumination of all the objects in your scene to help spread the light instead of relying on image based lighting (IBL, HDR?).  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm looking for examples of how each of these settings are used.

BeeMKay

What you mode you use strongly depends on what you are rendering. For example, indoor rendering in a closed environment, it won't let your Sun&Sky lights in.

Dome&Scene or Dome only uses hdri-maps (a special sort of image that has lights ources baked into it), but doesn't have to use that map. If you remove it, it will use the Sun&Sky setting. In how much the light of the Dome is "fake", well, it provides you with a skydome, for example, and you can use it to mimic large indoor environment.

I seriously don't understand what the "fake" problem is that you describe. ALL the light solutions are fake. The image based lighting solutions provide a more realistic light set, as they "shine" all sorts of colours back, just like you would have in nature.

Sun&sky certainly is an "undilluted" and fast render lighting solution, while Scene Only can take ages to render. It really depends on what you are trying to do. You take the tool that fits the situation best... at least, that is what I've learned so far using the program.

As for examples, I'd strongly suggest his course: https://www.daz3d.com/how-to-create-realistic-lighting-for-indoor-and-outdoor-scenes

From my own renderings:

All images of the page have scene lights only:

The image uses a HDRI for background and ground. The only things inside the scene are the characters:

This group shot uses Sun&Sky setting:

And this is another example od Scene Only lights:

This one uses Dome&Scene for light coming from the outside, combines with indoor lights:

Flortale

Thanks for your post, that was very helpful. It was exactly what I was looking for example wise!