PBR Lighting Setup for Realism

What this builds

A complete lighting and material configuration for Three.js or R3F that makes PBR materials look like photographed objects, not 3D renders. The difference between "this looks like a real product photo" and "this looks like a Three.js demo" is almost entirely lighting, tone mapping, and material calibration, not geometry quality.

• HDRI environment map for image-based lighting (IBL), providing realistic reflections and ambient color.
• Three-point studio lighting (key, fill, rim) with physically calibrated intensities.
• Contact shadows and soft shadow maps with correct bias and filter settings.
• Material calibration: roughness/metalness ranges that match real-world references, correct color space on all texture channels.
• Tone mapping and exposure tuned for the scene's dynamic range.
• Color grading via custom tone mapping or postprocessing LUT.
• Fog and atmospheric depth cues for outdoor/environment scenes.