An ambient occlusion pass is a rendering technique used in computer graphics to simulate how light behaves in the real world by calculating how exposed each point in a scene is to ambient light. This technique enhances the realism of 3D scenes by darkening areas where objects are close together or where light is blocked, thus adding depth and dimension. It's often utilized in multi-pass compositing to create more intricate and visually appealing images by allowing artists to manipulate the occlusion effects separately from other elements like color and lighting.
congrats on reading the definition of ambient occlusion pass. now let's actually learn it.