Introduction

Nothing can add more life to a scene than the lighting. People will arguee that animation or FX add more and I respond with:

"How do you see the animation (or FX) in a pitch black scene?"

Light can tell a story and affect the players mood without them knowing its happening. When lighting is done perfectly this is just what occurs.

We will cover some of the basics of lights and lighting techniques here but you should be encouraged to do some research on your own. Film or Photography lighting is a great place to start with the basics.

Light Facts

Light has (color) temperature - This temperature is measures in kelvins (K) and the intensity of the light is measure in Lumens which is a formula derived from candle feet. Yes lights intensity is measured in candle power (1 candle = 4 pi lumens). There are some seriously mind-boggling (for me anyways) math that calculates all this, if you want exposure to the math I would start here. Warm lights are on the yellow/orange side of the spectrum and cool lights are your blue/purples. Warm or Cool is the first step to deciding on a light scheme, this will usually correspond with the color pallet of the game

Light Radiosity - Whenever light hits a surface it reflects from that surface and it does something amazing. It actually picks up color from the surface its hitting and that changes the color of the light forever after that. The more bounces the more color it will pick up around the scene.

Basic Lighting Setups

3-point lighting - This is lighting from three sources at three different positions to give the greatest control over shadow. The lights break down like this:

• Key light - This is the main light at the brightest illumination. It is usually is just offset from straight on the object you are lighting.
• Fill light - This light is not as bright as the key light and is usually positioned lower and to the side of the object relative to the key light.
• Back Light - This is the lowest illumination light and is positioned behind the object you are lighting to augment the shadows (soft or hard) on the object. This is also know as the rim light.

3-Point Lighting -

Warm Lighting -

Cool Lighting -

There are many other types of lights (and modifications to the above setup). There are many, many books on the subject and a good grasp of lighting is crucial for any level designer. I would suggest reading up on the subject. It will only improve your scenes.

For more information on adding lights to a scene see Lights