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A Practical Approach To Physical Lighting In Unreal Engine

Kevin Nally

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Course Information

Course Fee

$999 (approx. £750) per student.

Seating is limited to ensure each student has time with the instructor, and registration for these courses will be closed when capacity is reached. Purchasing a GDC Masterclass pass also gives you full access to the AI Summit at Tobacco Dock London during London Tech Week.


Course Description

People expect ever higher standards of realism in games and lighting can play a large influence in this. Physically accurate lighting is a powerful component in achieving realistic visuals but at times can seem overly complex or too technical. This course will aim to simplify the process and make it easy for you to use physically accurate lighting values in any of your Unreal Projects. Unreal Engine offers tools that support a physical lighting method and we will cover some simple tricks to make the process easier. To achieve this goal the course will go over terminology, data resources, practical methods for measuring light in Unreal, and methods to check both your lighting and your textures are in ranges that support physically accurate lighting.


Course Type

Virtual two-day course: This is a single course that takes place completely virtually over Zoom for two four-hour days with limited breaks.


Intended Audience

This class is intended for Lighting Artists, Environment Artists and Technical Artists who want to expand their skill set into a new area and are looking for a hands-on class. Participants should have a mid-advanced level knowledge of Game Engines.


Key Takeaways

  • Understanding of Physical Lighting Terminology
  • Where to find accurate lighting data
  • How to Use Physical Lighting Units in Unreal
  • How to measure and test PBR values for proper Global Illumination Contribution
  • Understand the Pros and Cons OF Using Physical Lighting Methods

Prerequisites

None.


Instructor Bio

Kevin Nally worked as an Environment Artist on the Formula One series at Codemasters, as well as the VR industry, before becoming a tutor on the UG Game Art course at Escape Studios. He teaches Environment Art to students with a focus on Lighting. In industry, his responsibilities were to create environments and research new workflows and now he teaches students best practices in Game Art and develops educational content for the new generation of artists.

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