What can be said about the lighting data in a baked lighting approach?

In a baked lighting approach, lighting data is pre-computed and stored prior to runtime, which allows for efficient usage during gameplay. This process involves calculating how light interacts with static objects and surfaces in the scene and saving that data in lightmaps or other forms. As a result, during the game, the engine can quickly apply this pre-calculated data, leading to improved performance and rendering speed since the complex calculations are avoided in real-time.

With pre-baked lighting, the visual quality is enhanced as well because it captures subtle light effects like shadows and color bleeding that would otherwise require considerable processing power if calculated every frame. This makes the approach particularly beneficial for scenes with many static elements, where performance is critical.