Project ORCS: Technical Lighting
Gradient based character Shader Rig
Shader Rig Demonstration of MDF based Masking and Directional Light tracking
Shader Light Rig. Raw capture. 27th of June 2023
Certain light props cause unwanted shadows. We wanted to retain shadows from lantern yet have controlled behaviour of shadows directly under it.
Doing it this way we still have shadows from the sun, although limited. This is probably best option without digging into the engine code.
Debug Views. Gradient based setup
Debug Views. Gradient based setup
Early development scalability pass Raw Data
Early stats on development of scalability settings
Small snippet of custom changes to UDS
Preview of cloud shading modification within UDS system
One of the BPs I've put together to help art direct certain areas of the game.
One of many MF I put together for the game. This one helps determining distances in World Space from certain location.
Billboard BP used to highlight elements against the background.
Post Process - Custom Vignette that takes into account Sun / Moon vectors to Art Direct visuals.
Material used on the window renders Skybox. We wanted to have exteriors be black when the game is taking place inside the taverns / caves. However if camera was inside the tavern we wanted to have a preview of the exterior world.
Minor VFX work i did
Light and Shader that emulates light behaviour on the assets
Quick preview of Light Prop BP.
Light flicker via curve
Light flicker in action
Assets Review process setup
VFX and material work.
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the technical lighting development for Project ORCS! Over the past 16 months, we've been refining the lighting to create a stunning visual experience. In addition to lighting, I also contributed to various tech art tasks, supporting both the Character Art and Environment Art teams. I even worked on VFX material development, including Niagara Particle Systems.
While this post is a bit messy and some materials are raw and unpolished due to the project being put on pause, I hope it provides valuable insight into what I've been working on. Enjoy this showcase of our journey!
Character Shader Rig. - I was responsible for Material setup, MPC and Look Dev
Shadow Proxies. - Art directing shadows via Dithered Masked Material in order to art direct shadows directly under the lanterns above characters
Lighting Debug Views - Made it easier to evaluate state of lighting and how it affects the scene
Scalability - Statistics and goals I had
UDS customization - Insight into UDS custom changes
Blueprints - Controlling visuals via Custom BPs
Materials - Few samples of different materials
VFX - Custom VFX materials and Niagara Particle Emitters with Lighting in mind
Credits:
Art Director: https://www.artstation.com/glennrane
Environment Art / Tech Art Lead: https://www.artstation.com/jjeverson
Material Artist: https://www.artstation.com/tinyworlds
Environment Artist: https://www.micaopenaflor.com
Concept Artist: https://www.artstation.com/rafazanchetin
Concept Artist: https://www.chelseakennedyart.com