groupsCommunity

Scene setup checklist — minimum viable scene with lighting, post-processing, and physics

calendar_today May 5, 2026 schedule ~1 min read person patrickjr verified 50

Scene Setup Checklist for New Projects

A quick reference for the components every new s&box scene typically needs.

Minimum Viable Scene

CODE
Scene
├── Sun (DirectionalLight)          — main lighting
├── Sky (SkyBox2D)                  — sky rendering + indirect lighting
├── Ambient (AmbientLight)          — fill light, prevents pure black shadows
├── PostProcess (PostProcessVolume) — tonemapping at minimum
├── Player (prefab)                 — CharacterController + Camera
└── Floor (block mesh + BoxCollider)

Lighting

CSHARP
// Sun
var sun = sunGo.Components.Create<DirectionalLight>();
sun.LightColor = Color.FromHex( "#FFF5E0" );
sun.Brightness = 3f;
sun.ShadowsEnabled = true;

// Sky — set SkyIndirectLighting = true so sky contributes to GI
var sky = skyGo.Components.Create<SkyBox2D>();
sky.SkyIndirectLighting = true;

// Ambient fill
var ambient = ambientGo.Components.Create<AmbientLight>();
ambient.LightColor = Color.FromHex( "#404060" );

Post-Processing (Minimum)

CSHARP
var pp = ppGo.Components.Create<PostProcessVolume>();
pp.BlendWeight = 1f;
pp.BlendDistance = 0f;  // global

ppGo.Components.Create<Tonemapping>().Mode = Tonemapping.ToneMode.ACES;

Physics Floor

CSHARP
// Block mesh + collider
var floor = Scene.CreateObject();
floor.Name = "Floor";
floor.Components.Create<BoxCollider>().Size = new Vector3( 2000, 2000, 16 );

Common Gotchas

  • No ambient light → shadows are pure black, looks wrong
  • No tonemapping → HDR lighting blows out to white
  • SkyIndirectLighting = false → outdoor scenes look flat
  • Missing BoxCollider on floor → player falls through
  • Camera not set as IsMainCamera → nothing renders
Was this helpful?