Warm Lighting in Unity HDRP
Previously, I shared my workflow and thought process for structuring an Office Den in Unity HDRP.
In this follow-up article, I demonstrate how I transformed the atmosphere of this level into a cozy environment by purposing my lighting to depict warmth. However, this will be written as a level design diary rather than a tutorial as all the concepts used were previously discussed(I will be citing the articles as I go in).
Objective: As part of my GameDevHQ curriculum, I was supplied with a starter file to structure an office den. After adding the furniture, I will be adding light sources where applicable. Additionally, I will show how reflection probes aided my lighting process.
Table of Contents
· Adding the Light Sources
∘ Scones:
∘ Window Lamp
∘ Center Lamp
· Light Probe Usage
· Reflection Probes
· Bloom Post Processing Effect
· The Result:
Adding the Light Sources
Adding the light sources was a logical process, the furniture I included in the scene contained lights such as lamps and scones. My main concern was using the appropriate light types. I knew from personal experience and from researching Unity’s Official Manual that Point Lights are often recommended for lamps, I tried spotlights as well but I didn’t like the results very much.
All lights are mixed lighting and have their shadow mapping enabled and volumetrics.
Note: I will go over the volumetrics later in the article.
Furthermore, I made sure all the lights had their temperatures tipped to the warmer side — this is how we get that nice cozy look.
Each light source has its own Emissive Map as well, which is why the silhouette of the lamps and scones as well as the mesh seems to glow accordingly. The Emissive maps’ HDR is also set to match the warmth.
Now, let’s take a look at the lights individually.
Scones:
For the scone point lights, I tweaked the shadow map values because they would otherwise produce an overly-square shape at the ceiling that I really didn’t like. The image above is an attestation to the changes made, and the image directly below displays the scene prior to the change.
Window Lamp
The window lamp, which I’ve affectionately started calling baby lamp, is also a point light, set to be a bit warmer than the scones and with less intensity. This is meant to be a soft reading lamp after all.
Center Lamp
Lastly, the big lamp at the center is set to be more intense as it brightens a broader area.
Another light source present in the scene is the Fireplace, but this is more complex than the regular light sources I am covering today and therefore will have its own article later on.
Light Probe Usage
To make the lighting in my scene more even, I made use of light probes. I learned that to use light probes, I go through the time-consuming process of baking everything in my scene, I can simply use mixed lighting, select two or three objects to be static, and interpolate/bounce the lighting between them. In this case, I chose the rug and the floors to be my static objects — they are the ones that will produce that bounce of lightning. The reason why I chose these specific objects is that they have warm colors which further reinforces the warm/cozy atmosphere I’m going for.
The change is subtle and mostly reflected onto the ceiling (since it’s interpolating between the two opposites). But sometimes it’s the little details.
Reflection Probes
I made use of Reflection probes to add a touch of realism to the reflective surfaces, however, I kept reflectiveness at a minimum to make sure my environment wasn’t overblown by shine when it’s meant to be a more rustic design.
Here you can see how the reflection probes add a polished feel to the wooden floor.
and here you can see the reflection probes working their magic on the wooden surface of the fireplace.
Even this vintage cupboard with the bowl and wine glass is enhanced by reflection probes.
In motion:
Bloom Post Processing Effect
The lighting wouldn’t be complete without this beautiful post-processing effect. I added a Global Volume to enhance my scene with overrides for volumetric lightning and fog, and a bloom effect. This combination of overrides adds a sort of hazy or smoky feel to the room.
The Result:
