The softness of the scene is derived mostly from the fog and volumetric fog. Each light is tuned to contribute more to the volumetric fog, which helps emphasize the artistic look of a scene. With a slightly higher bloom, dense fog, and volumetrics, vignette, and some other post effects, it creates a soft and inviting space.

Reflections around the scene are not complicated but can get out of control when too many are placed in a scene. One box reflection is used and smaller reflection spheres around the room provide accurate localized reflections. I did not turn on planar reflections for my mirror, which would produce a much better result, but those are quite expensive to render at run-time, as the scene is then being rendered twice.

With lighting, I try to be intentional and purposeful. Many scenes use extra fill lights in scenes to get more bounce or super high intensities to get more bounce when really that isn’t needed if the scene is exposed properly and lit properly. If an area needs more light in a certain corner, the attenuation radius might need to be increased on a nearby light. Fill lights can be beneficial and may be needed, but having complicated lighting rigs will only be harder to adjust.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges for me in this scene was lighting. I was fortunate to receive a lot of feedback and help from my former art director, Randy Nolta. I really wanted to understand lighting in Unreal, and he taught me a lot. Mentors, supervisors, and colleagues are great resources for improving your skills, so don’t be afraid to ask your network for help. Additionally, I have had the chance to professionally work on more lighting projects since taking this class, and this hands-on experience has really elevated my knowledge on the matter.

Time was also a big constraint for me as I had a long commute on a bus to work and really only had weekends and some nights to work on the scene. I didn’t actually finish the scene until a few weeks after the class concluded, but I’m glad I persisted and finished.

Afterword

It was really a joy to learn from Clinton on developing modular kits in an intelligent and systematic way. He was able to help me massage different elements into a more believable state and provide helpful suggestions.

The next project I want to work on are quick scenes that utilize scans. I want to focus on rendering things out at a high-quality in real-time with lighting, materials, post effects, and composition. That will include generating unique assets, but I see scans (much like modular kits) as a great way to put scenes together quickly.