Lights

Lights in Unreal Engine are used to illuminate your game world, set the mood, and create realistic visuals. Proper lighting makes your game look immersive and helps players focus on important areas. Let’s explore how lights work and how to use them effectively.

What Are Lights?

• Lights are objects that simulate different types of illumination in your game.
• They can mimic natural light, artificial light, or even fantasy effects like glowing crystals.

Types of Lights in Unreal Engine

1. Directional Light
   • Simulates sunlight or moonlight.
   • Affects the entire scene uniformly, no matter where the objects are located.
   • Commonly used for outdoor scenes.
2. Point Light
   • Emits light in all directions from a single point, like a bulb.
   • Great for creating lamps, candles, or small glowing objects.
3. Spot Light
   • Emits a cone-shaped beam of light.
   • Ideal for flashlights, stage lighting, or highlighting specific areas.
4. Rect Light
   • Emits light from a rectangular surface, like a softbox or TV screen.
   • Useful for creating realistic indoor lighting.
5. Sky Light
   • Mimics ambient lighting from the sky.
   • Adds soft, indirect light to fill the scene.
   • Often used in combination with Directional Light for outdoor levels.
6. Light Emitting Materials
   • Materials that emit light, like neon signs or glowing surfaces.
   • Used for creative or futuristic effects.

How to Add Lights

1. Place Light Actors
   • Open the Place Actors panel.
   • Drag and drop a light type into your level.
2. Adjust Position
   • Move and rotate the light to aim it where you want it.

Light Settings in the Details Panel

1. Intensity
   • Controls how bright the light is.
   • Example: Increase intensity for a spotlight on a stage.
2. Color
   • Change the light’s color to create mood or effects.
   • Example: Warm yellow for sunlight or cool blue for moonlight.
3. Attenuation Radius
   • Determines how far the light reaches.
   • Larger radius lights up bigger areas; smaller radius focuses on close objects.
4. Shadow Options
   • Toggle shadows on or off.
   • Adjust shadow sharpness and quality.
5. Light Mobility
   • Static Light: Doesn’t move or change. Best for performance.
   • Stationary Light: Can change color or intensity but stays in place.
   • Movable Light: Fully dynamic and can move. Used for moving objects like flashlights.

Lighting Tips

• Combine different light types for more realistic effects.
• Use Sky Light and Directional Light for natural outdoor scenes.
• Avoid too many dynamic (movable) lights, as they can affect performance.
• Adjust shadows to enhance realism without overloading the system.

Why Are Lights Important?

• They create atmosphere and mood in your game.
• Help guide players’ attention to important areas.
• Make scenes look more realistic and visually appealing.

With proper lighting, you can transform your game into a stunning and immersive world!