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Bradley Wascher

Are you finding lighting in Unreal Engine to be overwhelming and confusing? There are so many options and menus to navigate, and it's easy to feel lost and unsure about which lights to use and how to use them effectively.

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Are you finding lighting in Unreal Engine to be overwhelming and confusing? There are so many options and menus to navigate, and it's easy to feel lost and unsure about which lights to use and how to use them effectively.

We have created a course specifically designed to make lighting in Unreal Engine easy to understand and apply. Our course takes a step-by-step approach to help you grasp the different types of lights and how to use them in practical ways within the engine.

Here's what you can expect from the course:

  1. Simplified Lighting: We break down the complexities of Unreal Engine's lighting system and explain it in a way that makes sense. You'll gain a solid foundation and clear understanding of how lighting works.

  2. Hands-On Experience: Through practical exercises and real-life examples, you'll apply what you've learned to create beautifully lit scenes. We'll guide you through various scenarios, so you can see firsthand how lighting impacts your projects.

  3. Troubleshooting Made Easy: Lighting issues can be frustrating, but we've got you covered. We provide a comprehensive list of common problems and their solutions, so you can quickly overcome any challenges you encounter.

  4. Optimal Quality and Performance: Achieving the best quality and performance for your projects is crucial. We'll teach you techniques to optimize your lighting choices, ensuring your scenes look amazing without sacrificing performance.

  5. Master the Art of Lighting: Our course is designed to help you overcome the struggles and uncertainties associated with lighting. We break things down in a straightforward manner, so you can confidently create stunning lighting in Unreal Engine.

Don't let lighting hold you back from creating captivating visuals. Enroll in our course today and unlock the full potential of lighting in Unreal Engine. Gain the skills and knowledge to bring your scenes to life.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • A fundamental understanding of how to install the unreal engine and use its interface
  • What are the different lights that are available to use and how to use them
  • How to light full production ready levels, both from a static perspective and real time
  • How to problem solve quality issues with your lighting
  • The ability to understand and debug lighting errors inside of unreal engine

Syllabus

Welcome

In this video we will be covering an overview of what to expect from the course. At the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of what you will be learning and the new skills you will have by the end of the course.

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Getting Started with Unreal

In this video we will be discussing getting started in the engine and what you should expect in the following section. By the end of the video you should have a solid understanding of what you will be learning. 

We will be going over how to install the epic games launcher. At the end of the video you will have the Epic Games Launcher installed on your computer.

In this video we will be covering how to install the proper version of unreal engine inside of the Epic Games launcher. At the end of this video you should have the proper version of the unreal engine installed and ready for us to start creating projects.

In this video we will be going over how to set up your project so that you can follow along with the examples. By the end of this video you should have an unreal engine project created and save. The project will be the base for all future examples.

In this video we cover the basic layout of the unreal engine editor. At the end of this video you should have a solid understanding of how the menus are laid out and how to get around at the most basic level within the software.

In this video we will be talking about the controls inside of the editor. This include how to manipulate your camera through the scene. Also will be discussed is how to manipulate objects within the scene. At the end of this video you should be able to move the camera within the scene and manipulate objects from within the scene. 

In this video we will be discussing what you should have learned in this previous section. You should now have a basic understanding of installing the unreal engine, getting a project started, and also navigating inside of the engine. 

The basics of lighting in Unreal Engine

In video we will be talking about what will be covered in this section. By the end of this video you should have an understanding of overview of information about the basics of lighting in unreal engine that we will be covering.

In this video we will be covering a high level look at the differences in the lights inside of unreal engine. At the end of the video you should have a better understanding off the different types of lights in unreal and when to best use each type of light.

In this video we go over building a simple test scene to try out some of the different lighting types inside of unreal engine. By the end of this video you should have a small test scene that you can use to test of different lighting scenarios in the future. 

In this video we do a very quick build of the lighting in our scene to let you finish the fulling lighting pipeline. By the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of the building lighting process inside of unreal.

In this video we will be discussing what you should have learned up to this point in this section. Also congratulating you on completing the section.

Basics of Lighting Quiz
Breaking Down the Systems

In this video we will be discussing all of the things that will be covered in the following section. 

This video will be covering the topic of the adaptive eye adaptation inside of unreal engine. We will talk about the pluses and minuses of this feature and how to disable it if its getting in our way. At the end of the video you should have an understanding of how the eye adaptation system works inside of unreal engine. 

In this video we will be covering the basic's of the three man lighting mobility setting inside of the unreal engine. At the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of what each of the mobility settings does and also when you might want to use one setting over another. 

In this video we talk a pass at cleaning up your lighting test scene to make sure its easy to see all of the lighting changes that are taking effect in the scene. At the end of this video you should have a cleaner scene with more consistent materials so we can see lighting changes more easily.

In this video we discuss the engine scalability settings and their effect on our scenes. At the end of this video you should have a better understanding of how engine scalability can and will effect the quality of the lighting that you're trying to create.

This video covers the build settings for lighting quality inside of unreal engine and its impact on the quality of the GI inside of our scenes. By the end of this video you should be able to change the quality of the lighting and also have an understanding of what the different lighting quality settings mean.

In this video we review what skills you just learned in this section. We also talk a moment to congratulate the success and the amount of knowledge that you have just gained.

Lighting Mobility Quiz
Lighting Test Scene: Static Lighting

In this video we cover at a high level the goals for the following section and what you should learn. At the end of the video you should have a high level understanding of what you will be learning in this section.

In this video we prepare our test scene for static lighting. At the end of the video you should be able to set your lights and your meshes in your scene to the proper setting so that static lighting will work. 

In this video we cover what are lightmaps and what is important about lightmaps so that we get the best results possible from baked lighting. At the end of this video you should have a basic understanding of lightmaps and their effects on static lighting. 

In this video we discuss the impact of lightmap resolution on the quality of our static lighting. At the end of this video you should have an understanding of what the impacts of lightmap resolution are and how to better tweak it to get great results in your levels. 

In this video we will be discussing how to view some of the technical views when it comes to dealing with lightmaps. At the end of this video you will be able to turn on and off some of the debug menus and options that will allow you to better understand the performance of your lightmaps. 

In this video we discuss lightmass and its effects on static lighting within your scenes. At the end of this video you should be able to understand where lightmass is located inside of unreal engine and its high level functions when it comes to baking global illumination into your scenes. 

In this video we talk about the importance of the lightmass importance volume. At the end of this video you should have an understanding of what a lightmass importance volume is and why its so important for your scene to include one. 

In this video we will be talking about how moveable objects are effected by static lighting. You will be learning when to use static lighting with moveable objects and learning about how it still can influence them. 

In this video we review at a high level the new skills that you have attained in regards to setting up a scene for static lighting. We also take time to congratulate the hard work that has been put into the course so far. 

Stationary Lighting / Moveable Lighting

In this video we will be reviewing what you will be learning in the following section about stationary and movable lighting. By the end of the video you should have a high level understanding of what you will be learning. 

In this video we will be covering what it takes to get stationary lighting set up inside your scenes. Once done with this video you will have the skills to set up stationary lighting inside of your levels.

In this video we will be covering the effects of shadows on stationary lighting. What you should know when dealing with shadows, and some of the other considerations when dealing with them. 

In this video we will be setting up our scene for using movable lights. We will be talking about the steps that you need to preform so that you can get the most performance and optimization of of your movable lights.

This video is designed to give you insight into when to use a movable light within your scenes. Understanding when to use a movable light will give you the skills to have been performance inside of your levels and scenes.

In this video we will be discussing what we just covering in the last section and what you should now know about lighting with stationary and moveable lighting. 

Workshop Case Studies

In this section we discuss what we will be going over in this section. At the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of what we are going to cover in this section.

In this video we cover how to add the infinity blade content to our project. At the end of the video you should have the infinity blade assets added to your project and an understanding of how to add items from the store to a project. 

This is the base case study's map that you can download to use if you want to follow along in the following videos.

In this video we talk about how to install the case study base map. At the end of this video you should have the case study base map installed in your unreal engine project. 

In this video we will be preparing our case study base map for static daylight lighting.  At the end of this video you should have your case study map set up so that way you can properly bake your scene.

In this video we start to refine and add the lighting and other items we need to get great baked lighting results in our scene. At the end of this video you should have an understanding of how to setup the basic lights and components you need for static lighting in your scene. 

In this video we take a refinement base at improving the quality of the look and feel of the lighting in our scene. At the end of this video you should have a better understanding of how the skylight can contribute to the overall look and feel of the scene. 

At this video we go ahead and add fog and reflection actors to our scene to really capture those smaller details. At the end of this video you should have a much more refined level and a high level understanding of how fog and reflection actors play a role in your scenes. 

In this section recap what we learned in this section, what to remember when baking static lighting for a final scene, and possible next steps for you to try out. You should have an understanding of what you just accomplished and congratulate yourself on what you have learned so far. 

Case Study: Real Time Lighting

In this video we will be covering the high level goals of this section. We will be discussing what you should be learning about using real time lighting inside of unreal engine and also how to set your scene up for the best possible real time lighting results. 

In this video we set up the case study base map for real time lighting. We go through the steps of adding in and setting the proper setting on our lighting to case a fully dynamic shadow.

In this video we discuss how to set up the case study base map to include distance field ambient occlusion into our project and our scenes. At the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of distance field ambient occlusion and how to set it up in your scenes. 

In this video we talk about distance field shadows and how to use them in our scenes. At the end of this video you should have an understanding of what distance field shadows are and some of the overall effects that they can have on the look and feel of our scenes. 

In this video we take a pass to refine the lighting inside of your dynamic lighting test scene. At the end of this video you should have a better understanding of how to add the last couple of details to a scene to really help your lighting come to life.

In this video we go over how to change our dynamic lighting in our scene to look like its a night time scene. Some of the considerations and things we should do to make sure that our night time scene really pops. At the end of this video you should have a better understanding of how to set up your dynamic scene for night time lighting. 

In this video we review at a high level what we have learned in this section about dynamic lighting in unreal. We also take a moment to recognize the hard work that you have put in up to this point. 

Common Issues and Fixes

In this video we will be covering the high level goals of this section. We will be discussing what are some of the most common issues in unreal lighting. At the end of this video you should have a high level understanding of what we will be covering in this section. 

In this video we talk about why you can have splotches in your lightmaps and so tips on how to remove those splotches. At the end of the video you should have some tools to clean up and remove unwanted issues from your lightmaps.

In this section we will be covering how to deal with modular meshes inside of unreal engine and its effects on meshes. At the end of this video you should have some techniques to overcome some of seams that can appear when dealing with modular assets inside of the unreal engine. 

In this video we will be discussing what the red x over a light inside of the unreal engine means. We talk about how to avoid it and fixes for it in the future. At the end of the video you will have a high level understanding of what this issue is and how to fix it. 

In this video we will be covering a common issue that you can see in your output log. We will be talking about how to solve overlapping lightmap uv errors. At the end of this video you should have several options that can be used to solve this issue and remove artifacts from your scene. 

In this section we quickly talk about lightmass portals and their role inside of the unreal engine. At the end of this video you should have an understanding of what lightmass portals are and why they might be used inside of a level inside of unreal engine. 

In this video we cover what IES profiles are and how to attach them to our lights. By the end of the video you should have an understanding of how to use IES profiles on your lights inside of unreal engine.

In this video we will be talking about bloom and light shafts inside of unreal engine. At the end of this video you should have a better understanding on how to enable light shafts on your lights within your scenes. 

In this video we talk about emissive lighting and how to set up our materials and objects properly so that they can contribute to the lighting from within our scene. At the end of the video you should be able to create emissive materials that contribute to the lighting inside of unreal engine.

In this video we will be doing a high level review of everything that you should have learned from this section. We also will take a moment to discuss future issues that come up and possible solutions. Finally a congratulations for getting this far in the course. 

Conclusion and next steps

In this video we conclude the course and talk about next steps that you can do to follow up or continue to learn more about lighting inside of unreal engine. 

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Well-suited for beginners and hobbyists new to Unreal Engine who want to strengthen their understanding of how lighting works within the platform and its application in creating high quality rendered scenes
Taught by Bradley Wascher, a knowledgeable instructor in the field of lighting within game engines
Provides hands-on exercises and practical examples to reinforce learning and encourage students to apply their skills in real-world scenarios
Covers various types of lights and their appropriate use cases, helping learners make informed decisions when designing lighting for their scenes
Includes a comprehensive section on troubleshooting lighting issues, empowering learners to resolve common problems and optimize their lighting setups
Provides a solid foundation for learners who want to pursue further exploration and development of lighting techniques in Unreal Engine

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting with these activities:
Follow Lighting Tutorials for Specific Techniques
Expand your skills by learning specific lighting techniques from experts through guided tutorials.
Show steps
  • Identify areas where you want to improve your lighting skills.
  • Search for tutorials that cover those techniques in detail.
  • Follow the tutorials step-by-step and apply the techniques in your own projects.
Create a Lighting Mood Board
Develop a visual representation of different lighting styles and techniques for inspiration and reference.
Show steps
  • Gather images of lighting styles that you find inspiring.
  • Organize the images into a mood board, categorizing them by style, mood, or technique.
  • Use the mood board to experiment with different lighting setups in your own scenes.
Practice Lighting Techniques in Small Scenes
Reinforce lighting concepts by applying them in a controlled and limited environment.
Show steps
  • Create a new small scene with basic geometry and lighting.
  • Experiment with different light types, angles, and intensities.
  • Analyze the effects of each adjustment on the scene's lighting.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Join a Lighting Study Group
Collaborate with peers to enhance your understanding of lighting concepts through shared learning and feedback.
Show steps
  • Find or create a study group with individuals who share an interest in lighting.
  • Set regular meeting times and discuss lighting topics, challenges, and techniques.
  • Provide constructive feedback on each other's lighting work.
Attend a Lighting Workshop
Immerse yourself in a learning environment dedicated to lighting, allowing for hands-on practice and expert guidance.
Show steps
  • Research and identify lighting workshops that align with your interests.
  • Register and attend the workshop, actively participating in discussions and exercises.
  • Connect with other lighting professionals and exchange ideas.
Develop a Lighting Style Guide for a Specific Genre
Solidify your understanding of lighting by creating a comprehensive guide that showcases your expertise in a specific genre.
Show steps
  • Choose a genre of visual media that interests you, such as film, games, or animation.
  • Analyze the lighting techniques used in successful examples of that genre.
  • Create a style guide that documents your findings, including lighting principles, color palettes, and best practices.
Contribute to Open-Source Lighting Projects
Make a tangible contribution to the lighting community by collaborating on open-source projects.
Show steps
  • Identify open-source lighting projects that align with your interests.
  • Review the project's documentation and codebase.
  • Make contributions, such as bug fixes, feature enhancements, or documentation updates.

Career center

Learners who complete Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
3D Artist
3D Artists are responsible for designing and creating the virtual world, models, and objects that are used in video games and animations. Your new understanding of lighting through the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will help your designs and models to be even more immersive. If you hope to get into this field, this course can help you build a foundation for lighting that can make your works seem more engaging and realistic.
Lighting Artist
Lighting Artists use their skills with lighting to help bring the world of gaming and animation to life. Your understanding of the principles of lighting from the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will help you design and implement lighting aesthetics that draw players into the world that you help to create. Whether you want to create more realistic lighting or dramatic effects, the knowledge imparted from this course can be directly applied to your work and help you succeed in this role.
Light Designer
Light Designers are the people behind the lighting in film, television, and theater. The skills you learned from the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will directly translate to the work of a Lighting Designer. You will have an in-depth understanding of how lighting effects a scene and the impact that it can have on the audience.
Architectural Lighting Designer
Architectural Lighting Designers use their understanding of lighting to bring aesthetics to buildings and structures. You will be able to apply the lessons in the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course to design lighting that helps the architecture stand out and become visually appealing, especially at night.
Game Designer
Game Designers are the ones who bring their vision of gameplay to life. With the knowledge of lighting you gain from the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course, you will be able to make more informed decisions about the lighting in your game and how it will affect the gameplay. This can help your games be more immersive and visually stunning.
Camera Operator
Camera Operators are responsible for operating the cameras used to film movies, television shows, and other media. While the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course does not focus specifically on cameras, it will help you to understand how lighting can be used to create different effects, and how to work with lighting to get the best shots possible.
Video Editor
Video Editors are responsible for putting together the final product of a film, television show, or other video media. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course may be of help to you in this role, as it will help you to understand how lighting can be used to create different effects and how to work with lighting to get the best results.
Technical Director
Technical Directors are responsible for the technical aspects of a production, including lighting, sound, and scenery. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course may be of help to you in this role, as it will give you a solid foundation in the principles of lighting.
Animator
Animators are responsible for bringing characters and objects to life in film, television, and video games. While the Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course does not teach animation, the skills you learn from it will help you to work with lighting to make your animations more realistic and visually appealing.
Lighting Technician
Lighting Technicians are responsible for setting up and operating lighting equipment for film, television, and theater productions. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will help you to understand how lighting works and how to use it to create different effects. This knowledge will be invaluable to you in this role.
Electrician
Electricians are responsible for installing and maintaining electrical systems in buildings and other structures. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will help you to understand the basics of electricity and how it is used in lighting systems.
Photographer
Photographers use their understanding of lighting to capture stunning images. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course will help you to understand the principles of lighting and how to use it to create different effects in your photography.
Graphic designer
Graphic Designers use their creativity and understanding of design to create visual concepts for a variety of media, including print, web, and video. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course may be useful to you in this role, as it will help you to understand the principles of lighting and how it can be used to create different effects.
Museum curator
Museum Curators are responsible for managing and preserving the collections of museums. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course may be useful to you in this role, as it will help you to understand how to use lighting to create different effects in museum exhibits.
Interior designer
Interior Designers use their knowledge of design and space planning to create beautiful and functional interiors. The Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting course may be useful to you in this role, as it will help you to understand the principles of lighting and how it can be used to create different effects in interior spaces.

Reading list

We've selected 13 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Unreal Engine 4: Beginners Guide to Lighting.
Fully covers lighting and shading, creating realistic scenes, and physically based rendering. It perfect complement to this primarily practical course by providing the underlying theoretical foundations.
Focuses specifically on lighting in game development, providing practical tips and techniques for creating immersive and effective lighting.
Goes into detail about physically based rendering, providing a great expanded reference with plenty of useful formulas and equations.
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of light and its properties, from basic concepts to advanced topics, which can help deepen the understanding of lighting in both scientific and artistic contexts.
Provides a comprehensive overview of game engine design, including lighting and rendering, which can help deepen the understanding of how lighting works in the context of game development.
Provides a comprehensive overview of light and lighting, including its physical properties and practical applications, which can help broaden the understanding of lighting beyond the context of Unreal Engine.
Provides a comprehensive overview of lighting for photography, which can help broaden the understanding of lighting principles and techniques.
Covers the fundamentals of computer graphics, including lighting and shading, providing a good theoretical background for understanding the technical aspects of lighting in Unreal Engine.
Covers the fundamentals of lighting for animation, providing a good foundation for understanding the principles of lighting in 3D environments.
Provides a comprehensive overview of 3D computer animation and effects, including lighting, which can help broaden the understanding of lighting in the context of visual effects and animation.
Provides a good introduction to the fundamentals of computer graphics, including lighting and shading, making it a useful reference for understanding the basics.
Provides a practical guide to understanding and using color and light in painting, which can help develop a deeper understanding of lighting and its effects.

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