Choosing between roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap is one of those decisions that can basically make or break the atmosphere of your game the moment a player joins. It's funny how much we take lighting for granted until we see a game that looks "flat" or, on the flip side, a game that's so laggy it's unplayable because the developer went overboard with the settings. Roblox has come a long way from the old days of static, blocky shadows, and understanding these two specific technologies—Voxel and ShadowMap—is the first step toward making something that actually looks professional.
If you've spent any time in Roblox Studio, you know the "Lighting" service is where the magic happens. But for a lot of people, switching between the different "Technology" presets feels like clicking a button and hoping for the best. Let's break down what's actually happening under the hood and which one you should actually be using for your project.
What Exactly is Voxel Lighting?
Voxel lighting was a massive leap forward when it first arrived, replacing the old "Compatibility" mode that looked like something out of 2012. The word "voxel" itself comes from "volumetric pixel," which basically means the engine divides your game world into a 3D grid of invisible boxes (usually 4x4x4 studs).
The way it works is pretty clever but simple: Roblox calculates how much light is hitting each of those 3D boxes. Because the light is calculated in these chunks rather than at a pixel-perfect level, it's incredibly efficient. It's like painting a room with a giant roller instead of a tiny detail brush. You get the job done fast, and it looks decent from a distance, but if you look too closely, you might see some rough edges.
The biggest perk of Voxel is performance. If you're building a massive open-world map or a game where 50 players are running around firing projectiles, Voxel is your best friend. It doesn't demand much from the player's GPU, making it the go-to for mobile-heavy audiences. The downside? The shadows are blurry, and light "leaks" through thin walls because the grid blocks aren't always perfectly aligned with your parts.
Stepping Up to ShadowMap
Then we have ShadowMap. This is where things start to look "modern." When you toggle your game to ShadowMap, the first thing you'll notice is that the sun suddenly creates sharp, crisp shadows that actually match the shape of your character and the environment.
Unlike Voxel, which relies on that 3D grid, ShadowMap uses—you guessed it—a shadow map. The engine essentially looks at the game from the perspective of the sun (or any light source) and figures out exactly where the light hits and where it's blocked. This results in beautiful, high-contrast scenes. If you have a tree in your game, Voxel might give you a faint, blurry blob on the ground. ShadowMap will show you the individual leaves and branches.
It's not just about the sun, either. ShadowMap improves how point lights and spotlights interact with the world. It gives the environment a sense of depth and weight that Voxel just can't replicate. However, that extra detail comes at a cost. It's more taxing on the hardware, though to be fair, most modern phones and PCs handle ShadowMap quite well these days.
The Big Comparison: Performance vs. Aesthetics
When we talk about roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap, the conversation usually boils down to a trade-off. You're balancing how good the game looks against how many people can actually play it without their device turning into a space heater.
Visual Fidelity ShadowMap wins this one, no contest. If you're making a showcase, a horror game, or a realistic roleplay map, you need those sharp shadows. It adds a level of immersion that makes the world feel "real." Voxel tends to make things look a bit more "toy-like" or cartoony because the shadows are so soft and diffused.
Performance and Accessibility Voxel is the undisputed king here. Roblox is a platform where a huge chunk of the player base is on budget smartphones or older laptops. If your game is already heavy on scripts or high-poly meshes, Voxel provides that extra breathing room. I've seen developers switch from ShadowMap to Voxel and instantly see a 10-15 FPS boost on low-end devices.
Light Leaking This is a huge pain for builders. Have you ever built a dark basement, only to find the floor is glowing because the sun is shining on the roof? That's light leaking. Because Voxel uses that 4x4 grid, if your walls are thinner than the grid size, the light calculations just "bleed" through. ShadowMap is much better at preventing this, though it's not 100% perfect. If you want a truly dark interior, ShadowMap is usually the way to go.
Which One Should You Choose?
It really depends on the vibe of your game. Let's look at a few scenarios:
- The "Simulator" Style: If you're building a bright, colorful simulator with lots of pets and UI, go with Voxel. The players care more about the bright colors and smooth frame rates than they do about the shadow of a blade of grass.
- Horror and Mystery: You absolutely need ShadowMap. Horror is 90% atmosphere, and you can't have atmosphere without good shadows. Seeing a shadow move around a corner is way scarier when that shadow is sharp and recognizable.
- Large Scale Battle Games: If you have 40 players in a server all blowing things up, Voxel is the safer bet. You want to save every bit of processing power for the physics and the combat.
- Showcase Builds: If you're just trying to show off your building skills on Twitter or in a small hangout map, go with ShadowMap (or even "Future" lighting, which is the next step up).
Tips for Mastering the Lighting Settings
Whichever technology you choose, don't just leave the settings at their defaults. You can make Voxel look a lot better, and you can make ShadowMap run a lot smoother with a few tweaks.
- Ambient and OutdoorAmbient: This is where you control the "mood." If your shadows are too dark and black, turn up the OutdoorAmbient a bit to add some color back into the shaded areas.
- Brightness: Don't crank this to 10 unless you want your players to be blinded. A setting between 2 and 3 is usually the sweet spot for a natural look.
- EnvironmentDiffuseScale and EnvironmentSpecularScale: If you're using ShadowMap, play with these! They control how much the skybox colors affect your parts. It makes your world feel much more cohesive.
- ClockTime: Sometimes, a game looks bad not because of the technology, but because the sun is at a boring angle. Try setting your ClockTime to early morning (7:00) or late afternoon (17:00) to get those long, dramatic shadows.
The "Future" Factor
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap debate is actually the foundation for Roblox's most advanced setting: Future.
Future lighting essentially takes ShadowMap and adds "real-time" light shadows for every single light source, not just the sun. It's gorgeous, but it's heavy. Understanding Voxel and ShadowMap is crucial because even if you choose Future, your game will "fall back" to ShadowMap or Voxel on lower-end devices. So, you basically have to optimize for the lower tiers anyway.
Wrapping Up
At the end of the day, there isn't a "right" answer. Most developers these days default to ShadowMap because it strikes a really nice balance between looking modern and running well on most hardware. It's the "Goldilocks" of Roblox lighting.
But don't sleep on Voxel. It has a specific, clean aesthetic that works perfectly for stylized games, and your mobile players will definitely thank you for the smooth experience. My advice? Toggle between them while you're building. See how the light hits your main structures. If ShadowMap doesn't significantly change the look but tanks your performance, stick with Voxel. If Voxel makes your game look like a muddy mess, make the jump to ShadowMap and just keep an eye on your optimization.
Lighting is the "soul" of your game's visuals—take the time to get it right, and your players will definitely notice the difference, even if they can't quite put their finger on why the game feels so much better to play.