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

# lightingEnvironment

A cube map texture that depicts the environment surrounding the scene’s contents, used for advanced lighting effects.

## Declaration

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

## Discussion

Discussion When rendering materials with the physicallyBased lighting model, SceneKit illuminates surfaces differently according to the environment that surrounds them. For example, with physically based shading, even a diffuse surface takes on some color from the sky above it and the ground below it. tip: For realistic results, reuse the same contents for both the lighting environment and the background property. For information about defining cube maps, see the discussion of the contents property.

## See Also

### Accessing Scene Contents

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