The iCal plugin allows Obsidian users to generate iCal calendar files from tasks within their vault, identified by specific date formats. Tasks are appended with emojis to denote their status (e.g., completed, in progress). Users can choose to save the calendar locally or upload it to GitHub Gist for integration with external calendar applications like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and more. The plugin also supports various task formats, including Obsidian Tasks and Day Planner, offering flexible settings to customize which tasks to include and how to format events. Additional features include the ability to ignore completed or outdated tasks, process internal links, and periodically update the calendar.