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 🎮🚀
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