question about lighting models in a game engine

#1

I have this problem:

I have some models and I want to import it to a game engine so it looks real. How can I setup the lights, or what can I do to put the lights in texture to look very real.

I have to mention that my engine renders only color information so that is the main reason that I have to put all the texture information in just one file.

I use maya and I have tried to bake the light texture but it didn’t look so good.

Please help me.

Thnks.

#2

I don’t have any Maya-specific info to give you, since I only use 3ds max. But typically when you have a game that only renders color maps, with no dynamic lighting, then the texture artists will paint all the lighting in by hand.

If you are new to painting, or otherwise lack those skills, an alternative (and more time-consuming) method would be to model a high-res version. Use whatever advanced shaders you like on it, set up nice lighting, etc. Then “bake” all that surface information and lighting into a low-res model. If you just try to light a low-res model and bake that, you’ll run into shading problems because there isn’t enough detail in the mesh to get proper shading.

But the best way, hands-down, is to paint the lighting in by hand. Look at the Quake III textures for a good reference of how well this can be done. One example from Quake III here, plus many good tips…
http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?t=61068

Also check out the “Prelighting” sticky thread in that forum section.

#3

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