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So in cycles there often is no need for it.

So there must be a need for it in Blender Render

Can you think of a scenario where using ambient occlusion in Blender Render mode is the better choice over the other available option like spot lamps and nodes?

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eromod
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    related: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/7816/what-is-ambient-occlusion and: http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/14198/whats-the-purpose-of-ambient-occlusion-node-in-cycles and http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/51751/emphasizing-cycles-render-ambient-occlusion/51809#51809 –  Jul 15 '16 at 00:18
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    It can be used in a stylized render to increase the contrast in shadows; it's an effect that makes things look better. – Shady Puck Jul 15 '16 at 00:19
  • @shady puck, but cant you do all of that with lamps alone? – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 00:38
  • AO is used to make things look more photorealsitic, it takes in account for other objects in the scene making better shadows and lighting, reference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbWV58AH9eg – Unnamed Sentient Being Jul 15 '16 at 00:47
  • @sammy but dont regular lamps do a better job at that? The manual says that "There is no such thing as AO in real life" – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 00:50
  • maybe only use it if you have a slow computer and cant afford to use a lamp? – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 00:51
  • Same question just minutes apart http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/57878/ambient-occlusion-vs-environment-lighting – Duarte Farrajota Ramos Jul 15 '16 at 01:07
  • no, this question doesnt mention environmental lighting. It is different. – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 01:12
  • IMHO - it adds a sense of realistic dirtiness to things that get closer together. It is algorithmic, and not physically based (hence it is not something you can even do by lighting). This being said however, there is a flip side to this as well. You can also lift your lightness of values in cases where lights trying to do the work would either be very noisy or simply not bright enough (GPU/CPU BOUNCE INTENSIVE). So between not wanting to spend to much time on applying unnecessary dirt maps, or fighting with my lighting & render times, it's a pretty slick way to sell realism on the cheap. – Rick Riggs Jul 15 '16 at 01:35
  • so use it to simulate dirt in crevices? – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 01:51
  • @eromod Maybe, but as I said, it can be used. It's just an effect. Just you might use post processing tools in the compositor to change the color channels or distort the lens. You don't need the compositor. It simply enhances your image. – Shady Puck Jul 15 '16 at 02:10
  • I know that it can be used, im trying to figure out a good scenario to use it. – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 02:11
  • It looks like the best place to use AO is in Blender Render to simulate it being in Cycles. – eromod Jul 15 '16 at 02:06
  • example of usage : your model is to be used with another rendering system (game or other) which does not handle AO/lights/shadows efficiently. It can also enforce the apparent geometry of a low poly model. – lemon Jul 15 '16 at 13:17

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