Depends on the game, but usually a shadow map is rendered by a shadow-casting spotlight, then projected onto the geometry.
But an AO map represents a broader lightsource, like the whole sky. So it has softer shadows, mostly just the nooks and crannies are darkened with an AO map. It's less direction-specific.
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But an AO map represents a broader lightsource, like the whole sky. So it has softer shadows, mostly just the nooks and crannies are darkened with an AO map. It's less direction-specific.