Lighting Design

The Spawn Point

I perceive here as the player spawn point. To create a welcoming and secure atmosphere, I maxed out the intensity of the main light, bathing the room in a comforting warmth. Also, I placed a floodlight projecting a gentle, warm orange hue onto the right-side wall.

Warm orange room behind police tape, with a chalkboard and wall graffiti reading THEY ARE COMING

Guidance Lighting

Upon stepping out of the spawn point, players will immediately notice a flashlight. The flashlight targets a warning sign, guiding them to explore cautiously.

Dark blue-lit hall with a bright fluorescent tube overhead and an orange-lit doorway in the distance

Engaging Lighting

This spot was initially too dark to see anything. To fix this, I added a glowing button to the wall, catching players' attention and encouraging exploration. The red light also stands out against the teal surroundings.

Red-lit area behind a quarantine no-entry sign, with a glowing red button on the wall and teal light beyond

Accent Lighting

Initially, the end of the corridor appeared rather plain and uninspiring. To enhance its ambiance, I chose a lamp with a broad beam angle and placed it directly above the shelf.

An orange desk lamp lighting cement bags and a water bottle on a shelf against a tiled wall

Wide-angle View

This is how players would perceive the corridor. The light casting onto the wall noticeably enhances the overall contrast, adding depth to the scene.

Wide view of a dark teal tiled corridor with warm light falling on the right wall and a bright doorway at the far end

The Opposite Side

The opposite side of the corridor is dimmed with a dark red ambiance, as it does not serve any significant function. Nonetheless, I added a brighter purple glow in the middle to attract players towards the room filled with loot.

Corridor lit dark red with a purple glow at its centre and a quarantine sign on the right

Upstairs

A bulb stands in the entry to the second floor, creating a sharp contrast with its dark surroundings, instantly capturing players' attention and potentially suggesting that "there's more to explore beyond the wire fence."

A bright glowing light bulb on a shelf beside bottles, with a dim orange stairwell behind it

Level Exit

In accordance with its symmetrical design and to introduce more variety, I employed contrasting colors. This approach implies that the two exits could lead to distinct outcomes, allowing the players to make their own choice.

Symmetrical dark hall with a purple light over the left exit and an orange light over the right exit

During the concept phase, I used Lumen for fast iterations. Its dynamic global illumination helps me a lot for trying out new lighting ideas. Then, I turned off Lumen and used its screenshots as references to refine the baked lighting for this lighting design project.

Spawn room lit in orange with Lumen, with graffiti on the wall and police tape across the front — LumenBaked

The same spawn room with baked lighting, nearly identical in orange tones and shadows — LumenBaked

Red-lit shelving beside a teal-lit corner with a glowing red button, rendered with Lumen — LumenBaked

The same red and teal corner with baked lighting, close to the Lumen result — LumenBaked

A glowing light bulb on a shelf beside a quarantine sign and orange stairs, rendered with Lumen — LumenBaked

The same bulb and stairs with baked lighting, slightly darker around the stairs — LumenBaked

Dark blue hall with a fluorescent tube overhead and a lit doorway beyond, rendered with Lumen — LumenBaked

The same hall with baked lighting, adding a visible light beam beneath the fluorescent tube — LumenBaked

In the Lumen workflow, a room is often lit with one light source and the bouncing indirect lighting would then take over the whole room, whereas the traditional light baking workflow requires more light sources to correctly brighten up a room. As you could tell from below, I placed three more area lights to fake the bounce lighting.

Orange spawn room lit with Lumen, with a single light icon near the ceiling — LumenBaked

The same spawn room in the editor, showing three added area light icons and a bounding box — LumenBaked