3D Lighting and Materials

Abstract

This chapter focuses on Lighting and Materials in Godot, specifically for 3D. Here, we’ll focus on Godot’s standard material and light types and then explore its two major lighting systems: Global Illumination and Light Baking. By understanding and using these techniques, you’ll effectively transition from Unity to Godot’s lighting system, and you’ll be able to configure Godot scenes to achieve high-quality visual results in 3D. It must first be admitted, however, that Godot’s lighting system is rudimentary compared to the newer HDRP (High Definition Render Pipeline) in Unity. In the Unity HDRP, we see an extensive, real-time PBR system for easily creating high-quality scenes, by tweaking just a few settings and materials. Godot, by contrast, is more limited in its lighting features out of the box. But still, that being said, Godot is capable of delivering high-quality lighting that makes a 3D scene compelling. Although a PBR workflow is supported and features exist to achieve a photo-realistic finish, the results are often performance intensive for many systems. This means that Godot may not be the right choice, right now, for a “photo-realistic” game. But that still leaves us many options and styles. We’ll explore lighting in this context throughout the chapter.