Simple Lighting Techniques Used in HyperFast

A brief overview of the lighting techniques used in the indie game HyperFast.

May 29, 2017

2 Min Read

I'm not an expert on lighting, or anything really... this is just a quick explanation of the lighting techniques used in my game HyperFast, made with Unity.

My approach is fairly straight-forward...

Most importantly, I start by choosing the Skybox, because much of the lighting will be based on that!

For the fog, I select a color that compliments the skybox and blends well with the horizon.

Next, I add a Directional light. I don't use solid white for its color - add some color that's appropriate for the time of day. Brightness, or intensity, again depends on the time of day, but I rarely set the value higher than 1.0.

I set the Ambient light. Usually between 0.5 - 1.0 and use a cool color like blue or purple.

I use the Standard Shader with a black/white Emission texture for the lighted signs.

I'll use Spotlights or Point lights to highlight certain objects and areas of interest within a scene. Usually, without shadows, and baked for better performance.

Sometimes I'll use a second or third Directional light as a "fill" light or "back" light, for more contrast or to mimic bounced light.