Godot 4 VoxelGI and SDFGI: Global Illumination for 3D Game Levels
Godot 4 ships two global illumination systems — VoxelGI for enclosed spaces and SDFGI for open worlds. Here's how to configure both and prep your 3D assets for each.
Lighting — 3D Modeling Articles
10 articles tagged lighting. Tutorials and workflow notes for 3D artists shipping game-ready assets to Unity, Unreal Engine 5, Godot 4, and Blender.
Virtual Shadow Maps in UE5: asset prep and performance tuning
Virtual Shadow Maps replace UE5's legacy cascaded system with per-page dynamic resolution — but only if your 3D assets are prepared correctly for the new pipeline.
Reflection Probes in Unity URP, Unreal Engine 5, and Godot 4: Bake, Blend, and Optimize PBR Reflections
Learn how to place, bake, and blend reflection probes in Unity URP, UE5, and Godot 4 to make PBR metallic and glossy assets look convincing in-engine.
Unity HDRP vs URP: choose the right render pipeline
HDRP delivers cinematic lighting and volumetrics while URP keeps frame rates stable on mobile — here's how to pick the right pipeline for your Unity 3D game assets.
Lightmap Baking in Unity URP: Static Lighting Setup, Lightmap Settings, and Optimizing Bake Times for Game-Ready Assets
Master lightmap baking in Unity URP: set up static objects, configure UV channel 2, choose the right lightmapper, and cut bake times in half.
Free 3D furniture assets in Unity URP: import, lighting, and batching
Importing free GLB furniture into Unity URP is only step one — here's how to set up lighting, reflection probes, and static batching for a scene that performs.
Particle Systems for Game VFX: Unity VFX Graph, Niagara, and Godot 4 GPUParticles Compared
Unity VFX Graph, Unreal Niagara, and Godot GPUParticles3D handle particles very differently. This guide covers setup, GPU vs CPU emitters, and how to pick the right system so your VFX runs at 60 fps on mid-range hardware
Lightmap baking in Godot 4: LightmapGI and texel density
Master Godot 4's LightmapGI system: scene prep, UV2 channels, texel density tuning, probe placement, and mobile compression for game-ready baked lighting.
HDRI Lighting in Blender: Create Studio-Quality Renders for Your Game Asset Portfolio
Master HDRI lighting in Blender to produce portfolio-ready renders of your game assets—faster setup, better results, zero guesswork.
Unreal Engine 5 Nanite & Lumen: The Complete Guide for Game-Ready 3D Assets
Nanite and Lumen change how you build and light 3D assets for UE5. Here's what every game artist needs to know to ship production-ready models fast.