When creating a new camera in Unity, what does the term "Depth Only" in Clear Flags imply?

The term "Depth Only" in the context of Clear Flags for a camera in Unity indicates that when this camera renders a frame, it will clear the depth buffer but not the color buffer. This means that it is focused specifically on ensuring that the depth information is accurate for any objects that may be rendered after it, while ignoring any color information or visual elements already drawn to the screen.

When a camera is set to "Depth Only," it allows for certain effects involving post-processing or rendering of 3D objects to appear correctly without affecting the visual output of the scene elements on the screen at that moment. This can be particularly useful in layering scenes or when utilizing multiple cameras to create complex visual effects, such as UI overlays or separate scenes that rely on precise depth interactions.

The other options, while related to rendering concepts, do not accurately describe the function of "Depth Only." For example, "Ignoring everything in the scene" does not capture the fact that depth information is still being processed. Similarly, "Displaying only textures" and "Rendering only 2D elements" misinterpret the specific focus on depth calculations without color display in this approach.