Create high-quality light fixtures in Unity

I have published an official and comprehensive Unity expert guide (PDF) on advanced techniques to create high-quality light fixtures for real-time applications. Read it and find out how you can use light cookies and advanced shaders to create convincing artificial light sources in any project made with Unity, from games or architectural visualizations to films and more!

After pointing out some of the common lighting mistakes still found in CGI nowadays and giving you recommendations on how to prevent them, the expert guide walks you through all the steps required to generate beautiful noise-free cookies with a variety of 2D and 3D programs, such as Photoshop, 3ds Max and Unity itself.

Moreover, I will explain how to set up critical post-processing settings in Unity, such as Exposure and Tone Mapping, so that your interior scenes can be lit in a more physically-correct way, one of HDRP’s mottos.

Finally, I introduce an original workflow to generate appealing caustics to bring the final ultra-realistic touch to your light sources, by adding micro-details to simulate the self-reflections of the light fitting and the structural imperfections found in the reflectors and the lampshades.

Read the full guide (PDF)

Interview for the NZZ Swiss newspaper

In November 2018, I was interviewed by Marc Bodmer, a Swiss journalist, for the Sunday edition of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a renown Swiss-German newspaper. The title of the article is “Mehr als ein Game, ein Kunstwerk”, which translates as “More than a game, a piece of Art”; the theme of the article is about the success and the quality of Red Dead Redemption 2.

In the interview, I explain the importance of dynamic lighting in an open-world game such as RDR2, as well as the challenges related to the production of such an enormous project.

Unity’s Rendering and Lighting Pipeline

Shortly after joining Unity, I wrote a Best Practice Guide for Unity’s official documentation, about the lighting and rendering pipelines in Unity, because the multitude of lighting features and permutations in Unity can initially seem daunting. Indeed, Unity provides several lighting systems and rendering pipelines, to accommodate the very large variety of platforms and project types, and it can be difficult to have a great overview of the lighting pipeline.

In the document, I explain important lighting principles and how the renderer generates a frame. To facilitate the understanding of these concepts, I have created several diagrams, decision flowcharts, and tables to give a high-level perspective of the lighting pipeline and to help users decide which render pipeline and which global lighting settings would best suit their requirements.

Download

Unity’s Lighting Pipeline PDF
Unity’s official article

Red Dead Redemption 2 Screenshots II

Official screenshots showcasing the intricate universe of RDR2.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Official Trailer #2

The following trailer offers a glimpse at the story of Red Dead Redemption 2.  I have created the cutscene lighting for the cinematics of this trailer.

“The all-new trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, the story of outlaw Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as they rob, fight and steal their way across the vast and rugged heart of America in order to survive.”

Red Dead Redemption 2 Screenshots I

Discover several new official screenshots featuring the amazing universe of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Lately, I have been focusing on cutscene lighting, and especially on the design of tools which allow our team to light cinematic sequences efficiently at any time of day and in any weather condition.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Announcement Trailer

I am now very proud to announce I have been working on the upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 for several months. We are finally ready to show the very first trailer of the game.

“Developed by the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland. The game’s vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.”

GTA V Online DLCs

I participated in the production of multiple updates for the very successful online module of GTA V, such as the large Heists DLC featuring brand new coop missions, the Lowriders DLC allowing further modifications for your cars, the Bikers DLC offering new illicit activities and the Import/Export DLC featuring several new sports cars and large garages.

I designed the lighting for several eclectic interiors such as a couple of underground and high-end car mod shops, a high performance weed factory, a state-of-the-art methamphetamine lab, a couple of biker hideouts, a luxury yacht, a dance club, a secret bunker, etc. Furthermore, I created the lighting for the in-game cutscenes of the previously mentioned DLCs.

Grand Theft Auto V for Next Gen

I supported the development of GTA V for Next Gen consoles and PC. I polished the lighting for several key interiors and cutscenes of the single and multiplayer modes.

Ryse: Son of Rome

Official marketing screenshots of Ryse: Son of Rome on Xbox One, featuring the multiplayer levels within the Roman Colosseum and the interior of the Roman Palace in the first single player level.

I supported the Ryse single player lighting team, by designing the exuberant and theatrical lighting mood for the multiplayer modular arenas, by mentoring the lighting artists in charge of the single player and by rendering high-quality marketing screenshots.