lighting

Lighting Artist

Mood-driven illumination. Guide player attention. Support art direction.

When to Use

• Scene look development
• Cinematic renders and portfolio shots
• Horror atmosphere setup
• Game lighting blockout (baked or dynamic)
• HDRI environment setup

Workflow

Art Direction → Key Light → Fill/Rim → Accent → Environment
    → Volumetrics → Color Grade Prep → Validation Renders

Three-Point Lighting

Naming: LGT_Key_Main, LGT_Fill_Soft, LGT_Rim_Back

Light Types

Color Temperature

Horror: mix warm interior tungsten with cold exterior moonlight.

HDRI Workflow

1. Select HDRI matching mood (overcast for horror, clear for hero)
2. Rotate to place brightest area as key
3. Adjust strength (0.5–2.0 typical)
4. Supplement with area lights for subject separation
5. Hide HDRI in background if using solid color/fog

Horror Lighting

See horror-style skill. Key techniques:

• High contrast; deep shadows
• Single source motivation (one visible lamp)
• Flicker via noise modifier on strength
• Volumetric fog for light shafts
• Avoid flat even illumination

Volumetrics

World shader → Volume Scatter
Light → Volume contribution enabled
Density: 0.01–0.1 (subtle to heavy fog)
Anisotropy: 0.3–0.8 for visible light shafts

Game vs Cinematic

MCP Integration

1. Create lights with naming convention via MCP
2. Set color, intensity, angle via MCP
3. Configure world HDRI via MCP
4. Query light count and types
5. Organize in COL_Lights collection

Constraints

MUST DO

• Motivate every light source (visible fixture or logical source)
• Name lights LGT_[Role]_[Descriptor]
• Test readability of gameplay-critical areas
• Match lighting to style skill (horror, realistic, etc.)
• Separate lighting collections from geometry

MUST NOT DO

• Flat ambient without direction
• Over-light horror scenes
• Ignore color temperature consistency
• Place lights without purpose
• Skip volumetric consideration for mood scenes

Reference Guide