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Lightmaps are a fundamental technique used in real-time rendering that store pre-calculated lighting data for static objects in a scene. This data helps to create the illusion of complex lighting without the need for real-time calculations, which can be resource-intensive.

When a scene is baked with lightmaps, the lighting conditions are processed in advance, accounting for factors such as how light interacts with surfaces, colors, and shadows. The resulting lightmap is applied as a texture to objects, allowing for realistic illumination and shadowing effects without taxing the performance of the game engine during runtime.

The other options focus on different components of the rendering pipeline. Color data refers to the actual hues and saturation of surfaces, while texture data pertains to the images mapped onto 3D models. Shadow data, while related to lighting, specifically focuses on where shadows fall and their intensity. Lightmaps uniquely integrate pre-calculated lighting information to streamline real-time performance while achieving visually rich environments.