I changed one light… and everything else changed too. The scene looked brighter, flatter, and sometimes worse. That’s when I realized lighting works as a system.
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 27 of my game development journey, I learned how basic outdoor lighting works in Unreal Engine.
What I tried / learned today
I learned that Directional Light is used as the main sun light in Unreal Engine. Instead of moving it, rotating it changes the sun direction and the shadows.
I explored Sky Atmosphere, which controls how the sky looks and how sunlight scatters through it. This helped me understand why the sky color changes based on the sun’s position.
I learned about Fog, mainly Exponential Height Fog, which adds depth to the scene. Objects farther away start to fade slightly, making the world feel larger.
I noticed that the basic level already includes:
- Directional Light
- Sky Atmosphere
- Sky Light
- Fog
These actors work together to create a believable outdoor scene.
I also learned that Sky Light captures light from the environment and fills dark shadows, preventing the scene from looking too harsh or flat.
What confused me
At first, I didn’t understand why changing one lighting actor affected the whole scene.
I was confused about:
- The difference between Directional Light and Sky Light
- Why the scene looked flat without a Sky Light
- Why fog makes distant objects look faded
- Why Unreal adds all these lighting actors by default
It felt like too many things were connected.
What worked or finally clicked
I finally understood that:
Directional Light acts as the main sun
Sky Atmosphere controls sky color and light scattering
Sky Light balances lighting by filling shadows
Fog adds depth and distance
Unreal includes these by default so beginners can see a properly lit scene without setting everything up manually.
One lesson for beginners
- Lighting works as a system, not individual actors
- Rotate the sun instead of moving it
- Sky Light prevents flat-looking scenes
- Small lighting changes affect the whole scene
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 🎮🚀