---
title: background
framework: scenekit
role: symbol
role_heading: Instance Property
path: scenekit/scnscene/background
---

# background

A background to be rendered before the rest of the scene.

## Declaration

```swift
var background: SCNMaterialProperty { get }
```

## Discussion

Discussion If the material property’s contents object is nil, SceneKit does not draw any background before drawing the rest of the scene. (If the scene is presented in an SCNView instance, the view’s background color is visible behind the contents of the scene.) If you specify a cube map texture for the material property (see the discussion of the contents property), SceneKit renders the background as a skybox.

## See Also

### Accessing Scene Contents

- [rootNode](scenekit/scnscene/rootnode.md)
- [lightingEnvironment](scenekit/scnscene/lightingenvironment.md)