Demystifying the Skylight [Unreal Engine 4 & 5]
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2024
- This weeks tutorial concerns the Skylight actor. The Skylight in Unreal Engine 4 (4.26) is probably the weirdest light, and most misused and misunderstood light out there. This video serves to demystify the Sky Distance Threshold and how it's so important for lighting interiors, and lighting exteriors in Unreal Engine 4. This tutorial serves to help people understand the purpose of the skylight. How to use the skylight, and why you should be using it this way. Not only does this work with Raytracing / Raytraced GPU's but this also works well WITHOUT Raytracing. You can use HDRI / Cubemaps with the skylight in this video. Again, Raytracing is NOT an absolute must.
We also take a look at Mesh Distance Field Ambient Occlusion (also known as DFAO), and how drastically it can affect your scenes.
Let's dive in!
PS. This works the same way in Unreal Engine 5! Lumen just makes it even better :)
#unrealengine
#lighting
#skylight
#raytracing
#nvidia
#ue4
#tutorial
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This video is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:33 - Setup
11:22 - Distance Field Ambient Occlusion
13:10 - Donations and Thanks
--------Cameras and Gear Used To Film This Video ------
DISCLAIMER: This video/description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
My Streaming / Recording Setup (How this Video was Recorded)
Godox LEDP 260c LED Panel: amzn.to/3toBWtJ
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Just a bit of info since we have a lot of newcomers here, this approach is mainly targeted towards cinematics use (as that is what this channel is about), where you don’t have multiple environments/biomes to light at once. Obviously if you’re making a game, you will need to take a different approach here in regards to a low sky distance threshold. In my mind that was obvious but I realize now that I should have specified this more clearly in the video.
All your info is so helpful, thank you so much once again!!
Thank you for your video. It’s really helpful. Will you also make a video about skylight for game settings when you have time ? I really appreciate you.
Hi sir I am facing problems unreal engine charecter contact shadow ,
@@gokupiske5965 I second that request
My biggest question here was what options there are for handling reflections with real time capture.
Hey folks! I'm aiming for a June 1st release/announcement for my Patreon page, stay tuned for more info coming soon!
Hey! My first encounter with your content. I think it’s great. Do you have a full course on Unreal Journey..?
Man, your videos are just essential to the community. We are so lucky to have you
Thank you so much! I just want to give back :)
Amen Art! Amen
Just for the tip of adding a chrome ball you deserve thousands of likes. It is amazing how something so little can make a big difference when lighting.
Haha thank you! Yeah I feel completely crippled when trying to light a scene without a chrome ball. It just feels like I'm walking in the dark with my eyes closed.
This was extremely helpful. Thanks for sharing this.
I just used random settings or recolored an hdr because it was so confusing.
Haha you're not alone! The skylight actor behaves unlike anything I've ever seen before. I love it, but it takes some getting used to. :)
Whenever William posts it makes me happy...
Because I know he is one of the only UE4 artist who can make hard topics easy to grasp 😀
Thank you! Makes me happy to hear that! I'm always a bit concerned that things get a bit too complicated!
EVERY TIME.... Best channel by far
same ♥
Qz😢😢
Probably the most clear and understandable tutorial I've seen on unreal lighting so far, thanks a lot !
Small tip: If you do need realtime capture, that is the perfect time to use the lower hemisphere color feature. Most of the time, set it to the diffuse color of your landscape. You'll get that indirect lighting color from the grass, sand, or whatever ground your scene is using. If the environment is more varied, you might want to just use a medium or dark grey.
Yes! 100% agreed. Thanks for chiming in!
uhm. i dont see any cases where your whole level has only one color lol. v
@@bestboy007 Only the bottom hemisphere. In many cases having a solid color is actually preferable in the grand scheme of things, gives you a bit more control over the look of the scene. There isn’t a right or wrong answer here, whatever looks best/works.
@@bestboy007 You could either hyper localize it, good enough for getting a specific shot or render. Generalize it, good enough for an open world game where the landscapes are pretty uniform. Or use a blueprint to update the lower hemisphere color depending on the location, which could work well for any game with dynamic lighting.
Of course you're basically lighting an entire scene with one HDRI, but it works well enough most of the time. I just tried it on the Rural Australia map and it looks great. Much better than black or sky blue, which are the other 2 options.
SSGI also helps in similar ways or in combination.
@@ZacDonald and how do you make interiors darker in Australia demo for example?
I've just started learning Unreal for Video Production purposes, and boy all your videos had helped me tremendously, all quality content, from the virtual camera settings to understanding the skylight actor, Thank you!! Looking forward to learn more about reflections from you!
I learned a lot from your stream the other day about Skylight. Happy to see a standalone tutorial on this.
As usual, your tutorials are extremely helpful William. Great service to those of us trying to improve our Unreal skills
This has become my favorite learning resource...
I started realizing I dont really like the linear grind of busting out tutorials for hours. But catching something new on your channel daily keeps me progressing and learning, and keeps it fresh and fun...
Thanks for doing what you do bro
Thank you so much! I'm just glad it could be of service. I totally feel you, long 2-3 hour tutorials can be a real pain. VERY useful of course, but it takes a long time to get through those
Man, I don't know what it is, but your videos feel like they have so much value! Really appreciate your work style of teaching!
Thank you so much sir! I really appreciate that!
Hey William, Hope all is well. Just wanted to comment on the presentation. Everything was very nice. The annotations, the intro video, and the smooth transitions were subtle and great. And I know those little things take a lot of time so I appreciate your work man!
Hey William, brand new to Unreal Engine and all of the things you are showing and explaining are fantastic. I cant wait to get started on working on some ideas. Thanks!
Man, your tutorials are excellent. Thank you for posting them
This was a really great video and gave me exactly what I was looking for. Couldn't understand how the skylight was affecting my scene in relation to all the other light sources. Thank you.
It's been six years using Unreal Engine, but you save my life every week anyway :D
Pure gold has always!
This is gold! Thanks for sharing your learning with the community. Best wishes!
Thank you sir! Appreciate it!
Yes! Iam all for the interactivity livestreaming offers, but as a dad of a newborn and working full time, these short and info packed vids are just perfect. Thanks William, you rock!
Hahah I totally get you! Fortunately the livestreams are always available for viewing even after the live ends, so you don't miss anything :)
Woaaahhh maan, I've just discovered your channel and boom. Even the first video made a huge progress of my understanding of this particular light. I'll stay a while browsing. Thank you the effort!
Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad it could help you out! Welcome to the (small) community :)
The way you explain things is just amazing! Thanks for the great content!
Thank you! That makes me happy to hear!
Great content, I’m totally blown away from production quality and clarity, thanks.
Thank you so much Giorgio! I appreciate that!
Once more, can we enjoy the fact that all of this was completely FREE ! Big respect !
What a game changer !! Thank you so much!! Like always, your tutorials and content are amazing, you are a wizard :)
was waiting for this since the livestream, great as always!
Thank you! Hope it helps!
This is an awsome explanation on how this is working. And it helped me finding a bug in my map where the sky light is not working.
Man, i can not thank you enough, I've been away from unreal for a while because of work and deep in my mind i was thinking about my issues in lighting, was driving somewhere and noticed beautiful landscape and it was lit 90% by skylight so i immediately knew my problem because i was trying to make things look pretty under sunlight but when camera turns towards the other side it gets really ugly..
then i came home and saw your stream, that was great and this video too, please keep doing this and wish you best of luck and more success.
your videos are really helpful for me as a starting lighting artist. thamk you so much man for doing this, we really appreciate it
Great video !
I'm quite a newbie to Unreal Engine so this kind of tutorials help me a lot !
You got a new subscriber. :)
Excellent!! Your lighting videos have been extremely helpful!!!
Thanks for the great video to demystify how the skylight works, it genuinely helps me a lot!!
The pleasure is mine! Thank you for watching!
man Will, you're the man, i was literally trying to figure out on my own how to add my own hdri, couldn't figure it out but now i know why hah. hope you and yours have a fantastic new years
This is the video that should come up first when looking for Skylight instructions. Thank you for this!!
Wow it's soooo cool! Thank you! I love the content and please don't stop making your videos. It's super helpful!
Billion thanks. This is most satisfied UE video ever for me
William. Amazing content as always.
rewatching this again and it is great
Thanks so much! I appreciate it :)
Love ur videos and the way u explain every thing, as i am new in unreal but learning so much from you
You're very welcome sir! Thanks for watching!
Although i watched your whole live stream, didnt want to miss out on another gem. Thanks
1 more because im still watching & you are A-MAZZING!!!! your content is amazing & how you explain things is next level!
im so happy to be a student of a humble & wise teacher. Just what ive been lookin for. Thank you....
Hey William, I do not know any words to thank you. God Bless you.
God that's so simple and effective! I needed this video ages ago, Thank you so much!!
Omg... I was working on a project where we were having issues with distance falloff of objects in the rear view mirror of the car. We had to come up with an overly complex camera to material projection to get it to have enough detail, when this could have been the solution all along... wow. Pumped to try it out. Brilliant video man.
You're a Great Teacher. I learnt a lot of interesting things/tips on your channel. Keep the good work.
Great tutorials as usual. Cheers
One of the most useful unreal engine lighting videos there is. Nice one.
Thank you so much!
WF you are a gift to us all. I wish you strength and growth with your magic!
Thanks for uploading this. It's a simple, but effective tutorial.
Man, you're one of the most underrated RUclipsrs out there. I learnt a lot from your videos.
Aw thanks! I appreciate that!
Thanks! Nice to have someone delve in with the details.
How am I just finding out about you now. All your videos are SO GOOD.
Very informative and concise content. Really appreciate your videos.
Thank you!
Very enlightening
Well done video sir. No paid for tutorials have I seen are quite as good as these.
very informative tutorial !! thank you !!
Extremely helpful tutorial!! cant wait to apply this to my current scene!
Very helpful! Thanks for the video.
Thank you William!
Your content is always amazing!!
Thank YOU for watching! I Appreciate the comment :)
Thank you. This is really helpful. I was use UE since UE3 and quite familiar with baked lighting and static mesh. Then I moved to Blender Cycles and EEVEE for really long time. Learned the concept of ray tracing, the use of HDRI and the concept of light probe where it was easy to understand in EEVEE and even Unity. But UE sky light really bugged me for a long time, The result is wayyy different from what I expected. This video enlighten me as well as my scene.
Espectacular!! Everything is much clear now. Thanks!!
Interesting approach!
The best quality of tutorials is here .... trust me.
Can’t thank u enough… have found new inspiration through ur videos
Goodness thank you so much for your generosity! really appreciate it!
Using the skylight as an Hdri Is the most amazing thing youve could teach me, thanks 🥺😭❤️
Cheers! Happy to help!
Thanks for your proffesional attitude towards us. Can learn a ton!
Thanks so much! Your videos are great as they are very current and well explained.
After diving deeper into the skylight, I discovered that the HDRI Backdrop actor has the Skylight already set up with Sky Distance Threshold set to 1 and Lower Hemisphere Is Solid Color turned off. I also like how you don't have to 'Recapture' as you have to do with the standalone Sky Light Actor.
Thanks! Yeah the HDRI backdrop is just a blueprint that updates the skylight actor when you make changes. It recaptures for you. That said, i don't always like having the actual HDRI dome. Sometimes it's not necessary or even desireable. Totally depends on your usage!
Psh, small simple video just totally changed my entire game! thanks soooo much brother
Mate, this video is awesome! It help me a lot with my new project. Thank you very much. Best regards from Brazil.
I'm glad I found your channel, I'm a newbie un Unreal and its helping me allot
just wanna leave a comment to say thank you. really appreciate you share your experience and knowledge
Another Great Useful Video.
Every time i came here i know that i learn something good
Thank You !
Thanks so much! Happy to help!
Awesome content ,It was really useful for me
Sir you're my savior for UE4 lighting setup
It's never too late, to become a subscriber of an amazing channel. Thanks you so much!
Thank you! And welcome to the (small) community!
@@WilliamFaucher I'm sure it will be huge very soon, thanks again for what you're doing 🙌
we have not yet in this phase but this will be very useful so i'll keep in this tab and playlist :) thanks man!
ANOTHER ONE! Great education, sir William!
Thanks so much sir!
You are an absolute hero!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing!
The pleasure is mine! Thanks for watching!
very well explained! thanks
YOU ARE THE BEST!!! Thank you for you tutorial
Thank you William you are the best lecturer in software i never met
You're too kind! Thank you!
that was PERFCET. thanks you man
Wow! that's very basic and useful to help the new like me to perfomance better, thanks!
Thanks! My goto artist for early learning Unreal, skylight info super helpful
Thanks so much!! I appreciate it!
Dude, thank you so much for this and other videos.. When I did a lot of lighting, I never really used SkyLight when I worked in production in UE4 (game had only artificially lit environments bar 1 case which I did not lit myself :) ) and did not really touch UE5 since I switched jobs to a company where we use an inhouse engine.
So now that I started to do some personal work and also start wrapping my mind around UE5, this was SOOOOO helpful to make me understand wtf I was looking at and how to find a good balance in the indirect lit areas as well as how the SkyLight integrates and contributes to the overall picture!
Thank you again for this video and for the many other you posted! Awesome and to the point info! Thank you, thank you, thank you! :)
Very good! Very pedagogical! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Brilliant video, William
Thank you!
Learned a lot, thanks.
YOU ARE THE BEST!!! Thank you for you for your valuable tips!!!
The pleasure is 100% mine! Thanks for watching!
Great video William!!! Thanks!
Thanks Joaquim!
thank u! That was a very useful tip. Keep up great work!
"I'm an eternal student". You my friend get it. And I'm glad to find your videos as my own studies progress!
thank you, your videos are short simple and very helpful
Amazing.Love yours videos.
Sir Bill. Best vids. Amazing.
William, you know you are the only person on youtube that I give him a (Like) before I watch the video? :D, great tutorial master !!!!. Thank you so much and congratulation on showing in the Epic launcher, you totally deserve it !!!!
I am an Eternal student too!! Soo happy to meet other like-minded people out there!!!!
I reallyyyyy appreciate your authenticity & warm-heartedness
❤ keep it real brother!
PS nice beard btw.
Great video as always, Thanks!
Thank you for watching!
it was super helpful...thank you
Very grateful man thank you for that
The pleasure is mine! Thanks for writing!