Lighting Characters - 3D Game Production Blog Task #4

Character Lighting Setups

Characters in video games can be lit the same real life models are lit up for photography. I have gathered a couple examples below.

The butterfly lighting setup uses one light from just above the camera to achieve a clear one directional lighting effect. It highlights all of the main features of the face and shows the details. This is a very simple yet effective setup.

The Rembrant style lighting is very iconic for the triangle that forms by connecting the nose shadow with the cheek. This is a very effective and clean lighting setup that gives a more pronounced look to the subject, while avoiding the total darkness of one side that the split lighting setup creates. This setup is also similar to the loop lighting setup, which again does the same kind of lighting from an angle, but doesn't go as far to create a triangle.

Three Point Lighting Setup

The three point lighting setup uses three main light sources on one subject, the key light, the fill, and the rim light in order to provide a controlled environment where any changes to the setup can be made as needed to produce many interesting setups.

The key light is the main light that shows us the focal point of the subject. It is usually directed slightly to the side instead of directly at the subject. Multiple different implementations exist with high and low key lighting to create completely different moods. The key light brightness affects how dramatic the setup becomes overall and is therefore an important consideration.

The fill light functions as the counterpart to the key light, by lighting the side that the key light doesn't. It helps create an overall softer feel. 

The rim light lights the subject from the back, and it's main use lies in separating the subject from the background. It can also provide visual interest on the shaded side of an object. Additionally, rim lighting can highight parts such as hair and make them create additional visual interest.