# \[4.8.0 p2\] Weird looking static shadows (a classic one?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Rendering\ **Tags:** static-light, shadows-problem, unreal-engine, Lightmap, question\ **Created:** [May 15, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752 "2015-05-15T17:35:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_c0687f281](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_c0687f281](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_c0687f281)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752/1 "2015-05-15T17:35:22Z")
Hi there, Sometimes I get very weird shadows from a stationary light (all the object here are static): ![](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/f/7/1/f7119fbb6b1ff87ae7da9aeac7785aad7b90b752.png) Not only are all the edges of the shadow a little to too sharp (don’t know, how to blur them more) but the shadow of the table looks exceptionally strange. The stand doesn’t throw a shadow at all and the top part isn’t round but has rough edges instead. Here’s the setup for the ground mesh (originally created from a BSP). After converting it, the lighting was broken, so I had first to create a second UV channel, changed the UV coordinate index and set the lightmap resolution to a much higher value (maybe that should be automated some day): ![](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/8/5/5/8555c119044e279812ccfb88eb625d83347f7962.png) These are the settings for the directional light in my level: ![](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/f/4/1/f41a70f4380ebecffb55ccaac0b241eadc8804e3.png) I tried to play around with the settings for 2h but wasn’t able to resolve that, even with the help of the lighting troubleshoot guide. What settings do I have to change to blur my shadows a bit? Thank you. BTW: Is it possible, to just ‘bake’ the results of a dynamic lighting setup? That looks generally very good and is comparable easy to use. And why is the performance hit from a single stationary light so high for every frame, even if no objects are moving (especially in VR) (I have only 2 moveable objects in the whole scene). ---
**Author:** ![pmlvl](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@pmlvl](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/pmlvl)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 2:15pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752/2 "2015-05-25T14:15:34Z")
The picture present low quallity shadow - 256 res for that huge object is definitlly to low, set 2048 for this shape and see the result. For dynamic light i prefer to switch on: Ray Traced Distance Field Soft Shadows with is more realistic result. > **[Distance Field Soft Shadows](https://docs.unrealengine.com/4.27/en-US/BuildingWorlds/LightingAndShadows/RayTracedDistanceFieldShadowing/)** > > An overview of using Mesh Distance Fields to create dynamic soft area shadowing. If You play with stationar light be sure what type shadows you got there: static or dynamic. Turn of dynamic or static lighting in your Stationary light. ---
**Author:** ![anonymous\_user\_c0687f281](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@anonymous\_user\_c0687f281](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/anonymous_user_c0687f281)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2015, 8:31am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752/3 "2015-05-26T08:31:33Z")
Hi pmlvl, many thanks, I will try to set a higher lightmap resolution (would be great, if there was some ‘auto’-value possible, based on the default scale of the mesh). Distant field shadows arent’t currently working in VR, so I can’t use them. But many thanks, will definitely keep an eye on that. ---
**Author:** ![Magnvs](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@Magnvs](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/Magnvs)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752/4 "2015-10-11T01:04:32Z")
2048 for that little side table? Isn’t that the second largest size of lightmap possible? ---
**Author:** ![pmlvl](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@pmlvl](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/pmlvl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2015, 7:57am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/4-8-0-p2-weird-looking-static-shadows-a-classic-one/318752/5 "2015-10-11T07:57:38Z")
2048(is definitly to high) for floor not for table, for this what i see 512 should be ok for floor. table can have even 32px. If You increas lightmaps light 2048 the swarm calculating take long time, better keep lightmap smaller and increase the quallity for Lightmap build.