Architectural Scene
Project Overview
An atmospheric lighting study featuring a classical European palace reflected in still water during golden hour. This project explores advanced lighting techniques, volumetric effects, and realistic water reflections to create a moody, cinematic scene.
Lighting Design
The lighting setup was designed to capture the magical quality of twilight:
- HDRI skybox carefully chosen and color-graded for authentic sunset atmosphere
- Volumetric fog with custom density and scattering parameters
- Interior lights with realistic falloff and warm color temperature
- Rim lighting from the sky to separate the building from the background
- Reflection captures strategically placed for accurate water reflections
Water Simulation
The water surface required special attention to achieve realistic stillness while maintaining visual interest:
- Custom water shader with planar reflections
- Subtle normal map animation for micro surface detail
- Color absorption based on depth for realistic water clarity
- Screen-space reflections combined with planar reflections for optimal quality
Post-Processing & Color Grading
Extensive post-processing was applied to achieve the final cinematic look:
- Custom LUT for color grading with emphasis on warm highlights and cool shadows
- Bloom and lens flares for light sources
- Vignette and film grain for atmospheric depth
- Chromatic aberration subtly applied for lens realism
Challenges & Solutions
The main challenge was achieving perfect symmetry in the water reflections while maintaining performance. By using a combination of planar reflections for the main building and SSR for distant elements, I achieved the desired look without compromising frame rate.
Key Learnings
This project deepened my understanding of natural lighting phenomena and how to replicate them in real-time rendering. The importance of reference photography and understanding how light behaves in different atmospheric conditions proved invaluable.