This is the documentation for Enlighten.

4. Add light sources

Owned by Jun Yoshino
Aug 02, 2022
3 min read

Let's add a light source to create the effect of direct sunlight.

From the Quick Add menu, under Lights, drag the Directional Light into the level. It doesn't matter where.

This creates a DirectionalLight actor which illuminates the level.

With the DirectionalLight actor selected:

  • in the Details tab, under Transform, set the Rotation > Y to -45.
  • in the Details tab, under Light, set the Intensity to 1000 lux.

If Unreal Editor displays a "LIGHTING NEEDS TO BE REBUILT" warning, don't worry.

This is because the Directional Light's Mobility is set to Stationary. We'll change this in the next step.

With the DirectionalLight actor selected, in the Details tab, under Transform, set the Mobility to Movable.

This tells Unreal Engine that the actor can change in game mode, and must have dynamic lighting and shadows.

 When you make changes, Enlighten updates the lighting instantly in the editor. To see this in action, use the Rotation tool (E) to rotate the DirectionalLight actor.

Because the level contains a Sky Atmosphere component, the color of the sun and sky is automatically chosen based on the angle of the sun.

Use Ctrl + Z to put the light back to its original position.

To complement the sunlight, add another light source to give the effect of light from the sky. Find Sky Light under Lights. Drag the Sky Light into the level. It doesn't matter where. 

This creates a Sky Light actor. This is used to create the effect of scattered light from the sky (as opposed to direct light from the sun).

In the Details panel, under Light, toggle Affects World off and on again. The lighting is updated instantly with your changes.

Affects World OFFAffects World ON

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