Anyone able to help with lighting?

o_dr.flexyjerkov · 10-24-2006, 09:21 AM

Can anyone help me out with lighting as i am still very unsure on how to get realistic looking lighting in HL2. When ever i put in a light it looks all fake and crappy.
any chance someone can make me a nice rmf with a load of different examples of lights or something for me to have a look at.

Thankz

o_sidd42 · 10-24-2006, 10:29 AM

One page of various lighting related things

Rule number 1 of nice lighting is make sure your light_environment matches the skybox: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sky_List
That takes care of outside areas.

If your going for a semi-realistic theme, a sensible(easy) thing to do is make a nice slightly orange bulb light, and a nice slightly blue flourescent light. Then just copy and paste these where it seems right. You can also use a wide spreading dim fake white light with no model for extra illumination.

If you just want some example lights + models, look at sdk_d1_trainstation_01.vmf etc.

Defrag · 10-24-2006, 10:32 AM

Look at the sdk maps. The ideal setup for source is a high ceiling with a light with a fairly high constant setting (500 = light carries further. 500000 = light is fairly even at all distances and carries for very long distances) and then smaller quadratic (default falloff) lights dotted around the place with a brightness of ~350-500 to give localised lighting.

You can achieve some nice effects through experimentation, it's just a pain in the balls because of the lack of a lighting preview.

If your areas are a little too dark, add some very low brightness (~20) and high constant (500000) lights using the same colour as your light_environment ambient light colour. HDR doesn't require this approach, but you can just turn these lights off for when HDR is used (set their HDR brightness to 0).

o_nezumi · 10-27-2006, 09:18 PM

Don't forget texture lighting just because you're using source either. It's really nice to be able to have a shape emit light instead of a point.

o_own3r · 10-27-2006, 11:12 PM

I looked into texture lighting a while ago, and if you have a long strip of it, it behaves exactly like row of light entities. Different textures have a different brightness and frequency of light entities it seems.

o_nezumi · 10-28-2006, 11:32 AM

You mean a strip of light doesn't emit evenly along it's whole length? Like there are several parts of the texture that emit more brightly than other parts? If that's what you mean than it's because you're not using the 'nochop' light textures. I'm not sure which textures are or aren't nochop, of the ones that don't say explicitly, but the nochop light textures emit light evenly across their whole surface.

o_sh4x · 10-31-2006, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Defrag

Look at the sdk maps. The ideal setup for source is a high ceiling with a light with a fairly high constant setting (500 = light carries further. 500000 = light is fairly even at all distances and carries for very long distances) and then smaller quadratic (default falloff) lights dotted around the place with a brightness of ~350-500 to give localised lighting.

You can achieve some nice effects through experimentation, it's just a pain in the balls because of the lack of a lighting preview.

If your areas are a little too dark, add some very low brightness (~20) and high constant (500000) lights using the same colour as your light_environment ambient light colour. HDR doesn't require this approach, but you can just turn these lights off for when HDR is used (set their HDR brightness to 0).

Defrag I love you.

I had problems and now everything is just fine thanks to your info.

I really appreciate the tips you guys give sometimes. I wish I could be part of the team.. heh.

o_nodnarb · 10-31-2006, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sh4x

Defrag I love you.

I had problems and now everything is just fine thanks to your info.

I really appreciate the tips you guys give sometimes. I wish I could be part of the team.. heh.

you have also helped me much developers, both in tfc, and FF. Thanks alot

o_2d-chris · 11-02-2006, 10:14 AM

Not sure this has been said and it is fairly obvious but often forgotten ...

Make sure every light you add in the world has some kind of logical source, you often see rooms with bright lights with nowhere for it to come from!

You can get ambient lighting (subtel glow throughout the map) by using the ambient in the light_environment or by using either texture lighting or very subtel point lights.

o_bumgravy · 11-02-2006, 01:34 PM

Can you do texture lighting in HL2? (its subtle by the way 2d-chris

)

o_nezumi · 11-03-2006, 10:42 AM

Yes you can, but there aren't very many standard light textures.

o_swampthing360 · 11-03-2006, 01:32 PM

just a quick question
whats hdr?.... i hear u guys talkin a bout it but i have no idea what it is lol

o_2d-chris · 11-04-2006, 02:15 AM

It stands for high dynamic range lighting - technical crap for an effect that overbrightens a light and gives a hard to explain glow for the lighting.

Either way the HDR is way overrated, im not a fan of it at all.

o_nezumi · 11-04-2006, 11:22 AM

HDR means basically that the game simulates your iris opening and closing. When the average brightness on your screen is high, the game automatically makes everything darker, and vice versa.

Bloom means that bright pixels bleed color onto their neighboring pixels. It basically makes bright things glow, kinda.

A lot of people call bloom HDR but it's different. You'll see mention of full HDR and bloom only or something like that in the graphics settings in a source game.

And IMO, as these things go, HDR is the best thing since sliced bread. And by sliced bread I mean colored lighting.

**mervaka** · 11-04-2006, 11:44 AM

HDR in photography terms is completely different though

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...amic-range.htm

<3

10-24-2006, 09:21 AM	#1
o_dr.flexyjerkov Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Anyone able to help with lighting? Can anyone help me out with lighting as i am still very unsure on how to get realistic looking lighting in HL2. When ever i put in a light it looks all fake and crappy. any chance someone can make me a nice rmf with a load of different examples of lights or something for me to have a look at. Thankz

10-24-2006, 10:32 AM	#3
Defrag Retired FF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Scotland Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Look at the sdk maps. The ideal setup for source is a high ceiling with a light with a fairly high constant setting (500 = light carries further. 500000 = light is fairly even at all distances and carries for very long distances) and then smaller quadratic (default falloff) lights dotted around the place with a brightness of ~350-500 to give localised lighting. You can achieve some nice effects through experimentation, it's just a pain in the balls because of the lack of a lighting preview. If your areas are a little too dark, add some very low brightness (~20) and high constant (500000) lights using the same colour as your light_environment ambient light colour. HDR doesn't require this approach, but you can just turn these lights off for when HDR is used (set their HDR brightness to 0). __________________ Fortress Forever. Level Designer, Gameplay Dude and whatnot.

11-02-2006, 01:34 PM	#10
o_bumgravy Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Can you do texture lighting in HL2? (its subtle by the way 2d-chris)

11-04-2006, 11:44 AM	#15
mervaka A Very Sound Guy! Fortress Forever Staff Join Date: May 2005 Location: UK Posts Rated Helpful 15 Times	HDR in photography terms is completely different though http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...amic-range.htm <3 __________________ Support FF:

10-24-2006, 10:29 AM	#2
o_sidd42 Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	One page of various lighting related things Rule number 1 of nice lighting is make sure your light_environment matches the skybox: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sky_List That takes care of outside areas. If your going for a semi-realistic theme, a sensible(easy) thing to do is make a nice slightly orange bulb light, and a nice slightly blue flourescent light. Then just copy and paste these where it seems right. You can also use a wide spreading dim fake white light with no model for extra illumination. If you just want some example lights + models, look at sdk_d1_trainstation_01.vmf etc.

10-27-2006, 09:18 PM	#4
o_nezumi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Peoples Republic of Harmfull Free Radicals Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Don't forget texture lighting just because you're using source either. It's really nice to be able to have a shape emit light instead of a point.

10-27-2006, 11:12 PM	#5
o_own3r Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	I looked into texture lighting a while ago, and if you have a long strip of it, it behaves exactly like row of light entities. Different textures have a different brightness and frequency of light entities it seems.

10-28-2006, 11:32 AM	#6
o_nezumi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Peoples Republic of Harmfull Free Radicals Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	You mean a strip of light doesn't emit evenly along it's whole length? Like there are several parts of the texture that emit more brightly than other parts? If that's what you mean than it's because you're not using the 'nochop' light textures. I'm not sure which textures are or aren't nochop, of the ones that don't say explicitly, but the nochop light textures emit light evenly across their whole surface.

11-02-2006, 10:14 AM	#9
o_2d-chris Join Date: May 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Not sure this has been said and it is fairly obvious but often forgotten ... Make sure every light you add in the world has some kind of logical source, you often see rooms with bright lights with nowhere for it to come from! You can get ambient lighting (subtel glow throughout the map) by using the ambient in the light_environment or by using either texture lighting or very subtel point lights.

11-03-2006, 10:42 AM	#11
o_nezumi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Peoples Republic of Harmfull Free Radicals Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	Yes you can, but there aren't very many standard light textures.

11-03-2006, 01:32 PM	#12
o_swampthing360 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Surrey, SE England Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	just a quick question whats hdr?.... i hear u guys talkin a bout it but i have no idea what it is lol

11-04-2006, 02:15 AM	#13
o_2d-chris Join Date: May 2005 Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	It stands for high dynamic range lighting - technical crap for an effect that overbrightens a light and gives a hard to explain glow for the lighting. Either way the HDR is way overrated, im not a fan of it at all.

11-04-2006, 11:22 AM	#14
o_nezumi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The Peoples Republic of Harmfull Free Radicals Posts Rated Helpful 0 Times	HDR means basically that the game simulates your iris opening and closing. When the average brightness on your screen is high, the game automatically makes everything darker, and vice versa. Bloom means that bright pixels bleed color onto their neighboring pixels. It basically makes bright things glow, kinda. A lot of people call bloom HDR but it's different. You'll see mention of full HDR and bloom only or something like that in the graphics settings in a source game. And IMO, as these things go, HDR is the best thing since sliced bread. And by sliced bread I mean colored lighting.

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