Editing Pikipedia:Sandbox

===''Pikmin''===

The only dynamic light is sunlight, that shades all objects but does not actually calculate shadows. This light moves throughout the day, beginning foggy and bright in the morning, clear and at average brightness for the majority of the day, and fading to yellow to orange and finally to very little light as [[Day#Sunset|sunset]] approaches (except in [[The Forest Navel]]; sunlight is still present there but does not move or change color). All objects in an area have shading based on this light, but none of the scenery casts real moving shadows based on this light. To help players perceive Pikmin locations, up to 50 Pikmin will cast soft shadows that move throughout the day, even when there is no sunlight. In order to optimize processing power, shadows cast by Pikmin are not drawn if more than 51 Pikmin are on the field; instead, they will all have faint shadows directly underneath them. Enemies always have this sort of faint shadow, except for the [[Beady Long Legs]]. Environmental objects like [[Vegetation|plants]] never move on the map, so one large texture accounts for all their shadows. The exception is [[Pellet Posies]], which cast soft dynamic shadows just like Pikmin.

===''Pikmin 2''===

Sunlight in [[Pikmin 2|''Pikmin 2'']] behaves very similarly to that in the previous game, except the color of sunlight varies by area, and fog is generally less pronounced. Around noon, the brightness of the sunlight generally increases, and toward the end of the day it dramatically decreases and turns orange. Yet at any point in the day, when a leader approaches an incomplete [[cave]] from above ground, the lighting always mixes a very foggy green color to its current color. All objects are shaded by this sunlight, but most of them (including static objects) do not cast accurate shadows. Instead, most moving objects cast circular shadows directly beneath them, and those shadows never move. However, unlike the shadows in ''Pikmin'', these circular shadows can actually dim other objects, and their simple shape allows many shadows to be rendered at once. Several objects have uniquely shaped shadows for specific reasons, such as:

===''Pikmin 3''===

The [[Wii U]] can process a great deal more data about lighting 3D objects than the [[GameCube]], and so [[Pikmin 3|''Pikmin 3'']] presents a much more accurate representation of physical lighting. All objects in ''Pikmin 3'' cast accurately shaped shadows, including the terrain itself. However, these shadows and lights do not follow the sun depicted in the sky; instead, shadows stay directly under objects for a majority of the day, so that object locations (particularly with airborne objects) can more easily be perceived. A new innovation ''Pikmin 3'' brings is that background shadows, while they are still large textures, actually ''do'' affect the shading of other objects, even as they sway throughout the day. This minor detail greatly enhances the realistic look of the environment.