Advanced guide: Reflection probes

Time: ~15 minutes Level: Intermediate What you'll build: A scene with zone-based environment reflections on metallic objects

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Overview

ReflectionProbeNode lets you override the scene's image-based lighting (IBL) for specific zones. This is essential for realistic metallic or glossy materials — a chrome sphere should reflect the environment around it, not a generic sky.

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Step 1 — Global reflection probe

The simplest use: replace the scene's default IBL with a specific environment.

@Composable
fun ReflectionScreen() {
    val engine = rememberEngine()
    val modelLoader = rememberModelLoader(engine)
    val environmentLoader = rememberEnvironmentLoader(engine)

    val environment = rememberEnvironment(environmentLoader) {
        environmentLoader.createHDREnvironment("environments/studio.hdr")
            ?: createEnvironment(environmentLoader)
    }

    var cameraPosition by remember { mutableStateOf(Position()) }
    val cameraNode = rememberCameraNode(engine) {
        position = Position(z = 3f)
    }

    SceneView(
        engine = engine,
        modelLoader = modelLoader,
        cameraNode = cameraNode,
        environment = environment,
        onFrame = { cameraPosition = cameraNode.worldPosition }
    ) {
        // Global probe — always active (radius = 0)
        ReflectionProbeNode(
            filamentScene = scene,
            environment = environment,
            cameraPosition = cameraPosition
        )

        rememberModelInstance(modelLoader, "models/metallic_sphere.glb")?.let {
            ModelNode(modelInstance = it)
        }
    }
}

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Step 2 — Local zone probes

Use radius to create zones with different reflections — e.g., indoor vs outdoor:

val outdoorEnv = rememberEnvironment(environmentLoader) {
    environmentLoader.createHDREnvironment("environments/sky.hdr")
        ?: createEnvironment(environmentLoader)
}
val indoorEnv = rememberEnvironment(environmentLoader) {
    environmentLoader.createHDREnvironment("environments/office.hdr")
        ?: createEnvironment(environmentLoader)
}

SceneView(
    engine = engine,
    modelLoader = modelLoader,
    environment = outdoorEnv,
    onFrame = { cameraPosition = cameraNode.worldPosition }
) {
    // Outdoor — global fallback
    ReflectionProbeNode(
        filamentScene = scene,
        environment = outdoorEnv,
        cameraPosition = cameraPosition
    )

    // Indoor zone — active within 3m of (0, 1, -5)
    ReflectionProbeNode(
        filamentScene = scene,
        environment = indoorEnv,
        position = Position(x = 0f, y = 1f, z = -5f),
        radius = 3f,
        priority = 1,  // wins over global when camera is inside
        cameraPosition = cameraPosition
    )
}

How zone priority works

When the camera is inside multiple probe zones, the one with the highest priority wins. If priorities are equal, the probe added most recently wins.

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Step 3 — Toggle probes reactively

Since probes are composables, toggling is just an if statement:

var probeEnabled by remember { mutableStateOf(true) }

SceneView(...) {
    if (probeEnabled) {
        ReflectionProbeNode(
            filamentScene = scene,
            environment = studioEnv,
            cameraPosition = cameraPosition
        )
    }
}

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Parameters reference

Parameter	Effect
filamentScene	The Filament Scene whose indirect light is overridden
environment	Environment containing the IndirectLight to apply
position	Centre of the reflection zone in world space
radius	Zone radius in metres. 0 = always active (global)
priority	Higher value wins when zones overlap
cameraPosition	Updated each frame from onFrame callback

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What's next

• See the reflection-probe sample for material switching (Chrome, Gold, Copper, Rough)
• Combine with FogNode and DynamicSkyNode for complete atmospheric scenes