My models were fine. Textures were okay. But the scene still looked wrong.
This post is part of my daily learning journey in game development.
I’m sharing what I learn each day — the basics, the confusion, and the real progress — from the perspective of a beginner.
On Day 49 of my game development journey, I focused on lighting for game environments and why it matters so much.
What I tried / learned today
I learned that lighting is one of the most important parts of a game environment.
Lighting doesn’t just make things visible — it sets the mood of the scene. Good lighting can make even simple assets look better.
I worked with:
- Directional Light to control the sun angle
- Sky Light to fill dark shadows
- Sky Atmosphere for outdoor lighting
- Fog to add depth and distance
I also learned that lighting affects performance, not just visuals.
What confused me
At first, I didn’t understand why the scene looked bad even with good assets.
I was confused about:
- Which light to adjust first
- Why shadows were too dark
- Why lighting changed the color of objects
Small changes created big visual differences.
What worked or finally clicked
I finally understood that lighting can save weak models and ruin good ones.
Without proper lighting, assets look flat and lifeless. Once I balanced light intensity and direction, the scene started to feel real.
I also realized lighting should be planned early, not added at the end.
One lesson for beginners
- Start lighting early in environment work
- Don’t use too many lights
- Balance intensity and color
- Test lighting often
- Lighting defines the environment
Slow progress — but I’m building a strong foundation.
If you’re also learning game development,
what was the first thing that confused you when you started?
See you in the next post 🎮🚀
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