# Working with Skybox

Uranus Skybox effect adds to your project a dynamic skybox that features a 24 hours day/night cycle, sun, moon and starts, together with 2D procedural clouds.

This dynamic skybox can render a prefiltered cubemap in real-time that can be used to add realistic sky lighting and reflections to your models.

![uranus-effects-skybox.js](https://1509054222-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FGsgEJH9gaH2xgjDg0z9Q%2Fuploads%2FrAupKLJRSXYKNBLO1WKL%2Furanus-effects-skybox.gif?alt=media\&token=ca1c6a14-acef-4549-b8cd-91bd37623b62)

### How to activate?

The easiest way to use Uranus Skybox in your project is to drag and drop the `Uranus Sky System` template found in the SDK commons folder to your scene.

That will add the Skybox entities to your scene together with the required scripts. The following entities will be added:

* **Uranus Sky System:** This entity is used as the parent holder entity of the Skybox system. You will find the `uranusEffectsSkyboxCubemap` script attached to this entity responsible for rendering the real-time prefiltered cubemap.
* **Sun Sky:** An entity with a Render component responsible for rendering the Skydome model. That is a specially prepared hemisphere like model used for rendering the day sky with the clouds. On the same entity the `uranusEffectsSkybox` script is attached which is the main script responsible for compiling and controlling the Skybox shader.
* **Moon Sky:** Similar to the Sun Sky entity but responsible for rendering the night sky.
* **Light Pivot:** This entity is used as the pivot entity for the two directional lights used for the sun and moon.
* **Sun Light**: A directional light entity simulating the sun casting light and shadows to the scene.
* **Moon Light**: A directional light entity simulating the moon casting light and shadows to the scene.

![Uranus Sky System in the PlayCanvas editor](https://1509054222-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FGsgEJH9gaH2xgjDg0z9Q%2Fuploads%2FseHzmBoxRvCjqgAAe3ov%2Furanus-effects-skybox-editor.jpg?alt=media\&token=a33ce58d-287c-479f-89df-7a0380162d2a)

{% hint style="warning" %}
Both the Sun Sky and Moon Sky render components should be rendering on a separate scene layer and not on the main World layer. In the SDK examples that layer is called **Sky** and replaces the PlayCanvas default **Skybox** layer, which should be disabled.

Make sure that all of your active cameras have the Sky layer added to the component layers list so the Skybox is visible.
{% endhint %}

![Uranus Skybox Effect, Sky layer in the PlayCanvas project settings](https://1509054222-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FGsgEJH9gaH2xgjDg0z9Q%2Fuploads%2FNsBCtHL8EaWQ49ShehGD%2Furanus-effects-sky-layers.jpg?alt=media\&token=d1d649fa-46a8-4cd7-ae70-7adf00e63ffc)

### How to adjust daytime?

The active time of the day is set directly on the **Light Pivot** entity, by setting its Z rotation to a value between 0-360. Some references to real hours:

* Angle 0, midday
* Angle 90, sunset
* Angle 180, midnight
* Angle 270, sunrise

There is an app wide event which can be used to programmatically set the required time in the 0-24 time range:

```javascript
this.app.fire('UranusEffectsSkybox:setTime', 13);
```

You can have the day time animate to automatically simulate how time progress, based on the selected animation speed. To do that find the `Animate speed` property on the `uranusEffectsSkybox` script and set it to a value larger than 0. 

Note that you should do that **only on the Sun Sky** entity, that is the Master sky entity and it will animate both of the day and night sky entities.