BUGSY'S "0 AMBIENCE" LIGHTING TUTORIAL
Light is difficult to reproduce in a game, when it's really just a colour applied to surfaces. in reality, is light tangible? is there proof that light isn't just a construct of man to explain the absence of dark? or vice versa? is there even really dark? either way, in a game, light must act the way it does in real life, like a wave. yes, light waves are transverse waves that have all of the colours of the specturm in them, colourful lights have more or less of one spectrum colour, and no light in the universe, no matter how pure, is white. that's the first rule of FPSC lighting, unless under special circumstances, or direction of a professional, no white lights.
Transverse light waves bounce off of anything, walls included. there is no such thing as absolute darkness the same as there is no absolute light. this is an impossibility. a proper light illuminates the whole room, but can keep certain areas darker and others lighter. like so:
imageflock.com/img/1273260215.jpg[/img]
notice that while the outer edges of the room are darker, and less inviting, the light remains bright in the center
A popular style is very whitish, or vibrant lights covering a very small light zone, creating essentially the same effect I did there, however, completely unrealistic in that it does not refract off of the outer walls. this is logically impossible in nature. an example of nooby, unrealistic lighting is so:
imageflock.com/img/1273260430.jpg[/img]
notice the vibrant light making an good colour, but leaving the evil darkness monster to engulf the rest of the room. this is impossible in reality.
the proper way to create excellent lighting refractions and reflections, and keep the number of lights down, is to use a very dark lighting colour, and give it a big range. I won't be naming colours here, but if done correctly, a very large dark light can illuminate an area unbelievably well, and also create a vibrant colour near it's center.
imageflock.com/img/1272671763.jpg[/img]
skype = isaacpreston. I want to talk to YOU