Tutorial: Real-Time Character & Environment Lighting
The Gnomon Workshop has released Real-Time Character & Environment Lighting, a guide to professional lighting workflows in Unreal Engine 5, recorded by Firaxis Games’ Eric Roin.
The intermediate-to-advanced-level workshop provides over two and a half hours of video training.
Master professional real-time lighting techniques in Unreal Engine 5
In the workshop, Roin explores professional character and environment lighting workflows that can be used to create realistic-looking games and cinematics.
He begins with general lessons in character lighting before moving on to environment lighting, exploring the key settings in Unreal Engine 5 in detail.
The tutorial breaks down three different shots, with each of them having their own unique sets of challenges, including how to represent them at different times of the day.
Other topics covered include how to light interior and exterior shots, storytelling through environment lighting, and colour theory in environment design.
To conclude the workshop, Roin provides his tips for working as part of a team, best practices for working on high-profile professional projects, and advice on how to present your portfolio as a lighting artist.
Although all of the training takes place in Unreal Engine 5, the same principles and techniques can be applied to other game engines.
The workshop uses commercial assets from BigMediumSmall’s Apocalypse pack.
About the artist
Eric Roin is a lighting artist at Firaxis Games. He was previously Unreal Engine technical artist at previs firm The Third Floor and an Unreal Engine generalist at VFX facility Zoic Studios.
His credits include Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Mortal Kombat 11, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Shazam.
Pricing and availability
Real-Time Character & Environment Lighting is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, providing access to over 300 tutorials. Subscriptions cost $54/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.
Read more about Real-Time Character & Environment Lighting on The Gnomon Workshop’s website
Full disclosure: CG Channel is owned by Gnomon.