FRONT

Culls front-facing triangles during shadow rendering.

Only back-facing triangles (away from the light) are rendered into the shadow map. Front-facing triangles are culled before rasterization.

Renders: Back faces only

Pros:

• Significantly reduces shadow acne (self-shadowing artifacts)

• Often used with shadow biasing techniques

Cons:

• May cause shadows to appear detached from objects ("Peter Panning")

• Can miss shadows on thin geometry

• Requires careful tuning to avoid visual artifacts

Best for: Advanced scenarios where shadow acne is problematic and detachment artifacts are acceptable. Typically combined with depth bias adjustments.

Note: This trades one type of artifact for another. Use only when BACK produces unacceptable shadow acne.