Easy Light Sprites
Version - 1.0.0
Document Last Updated - 01 July 2024
Thank you for purchasing the Easy Light Sprites package. With Easy Light Sprites, environment artists can effortlessly incorporate sprite-based light impostors into their scenes. Whether you need to simulate light sources emanating from distant vistas or intimate settings like towns or Christmas festivals, ELS provides the tools you need.
The package includes three blueprints designed to seamlessly integrate camera-facing sprites into your projects: a single light sprite, a spline-based light sprite spawner, and a volumetric spawner.
Most settings are shared across these blueprints, except those specific to the spline or volumetric variations. We'll delve into the settings for the spline-based variant first, followed by those exclusive to the other options.
Currently, due to material constraints, the rotation of each blueprint variant is locked to the z-axis. For the spline-based variant, use spline points to orient the sprites within your scene.
Additionally, directional light functionality is limited in the spline and volume-based variants. Currently, you cannot enable blinking in conjunction with the directional feature.
Please note that the system only spawns light sprites; custom meshes are not currently supported.
Table of Contents
Version 1.0.0 - 27th January 2021
ELS Settings
Spline Adjustments
Adjust Spline
You can adjust the spline by clicking on the control points and moving them using the transform handles.
You can add additional spline points by right-clicking on the spline and selecting "Add Spline Point Here" from the drop-down menu.
Default Settings
Number of Lights
You can add additional sprite on the spline, by adjusting the “Number of Lights” spinner.
Scale
You can scale the sprites by adjusting the "Scale" spinner.
Glow Intensity
You can change the glow intensity for each sprite by adjusting the "Glow Intensity" spinner.
Light Radius
You can adjust the size of each light source by adjusting the "Light Radius" spinner.
Light Density
You can change the density of each light source by adjusting the "Light Density" spinner.
Glow Color
You can change the color of all sprites by adjusting the value of "Glow Color A".
"Glow Color B" is used in the "Randomize Color" setting below.
Master Opacity
The "Master Opacity" spinner lets you adjust the opacity for all Light Sprites.
Sprite Blink
Enable Blink
The "Enable Blink" toggle activates the blinking effect for Light Sprites.
Blink Speed
The "Blink Speed" spinner determines how quickly the sprites blink.
Blink Delay
The "Blink Delay" spinner determines if there is a delay between each sprite on the spline or within a volume, creating a roving blink effect. Values above 0.5 reverse the direction of the roving blink.
Blink Duration
The "Blink Duration" spinner determines how long each blink remains active. For example, lights will only appear briefly when the value is set below 50.
Blink Fade
The "Blink Fade" spinner determines how long the light takes to fade from off to on and off again.
Sprite Flare
Enable Flare
The “Enable Flare” setting determines if the sprite makes use of a flare texture.
Flare Intensity
The "Flare Intensity" spinner determines the prominence of the flare texture.
Light Flare Blend
The "Light Flare Blend" spinner determines how much the core of the light source blends with the flare.
Flare Texture
You can change the flare texture by selecting a new one from the "Flare Texture" drop-down.
Randomize
Randomize Scale
The "Randomize Scale" toggle randomizes the scale of the sprites on the spline or in the volume. The "Random Scale A" and "Random Scale B" spinners determine the minimum and maximum sizes of the sprites.
Randomize Opacity
The "Randomize Opacity" toggle randomizes the opacity of the sprites on the spline or within a volume, defaulting to values between 0 and 1.
Randomize Color
The "Randomize Color" toggle lerps between the two colors set under the Default Settings roll-out.
Sprite Fade
Edge Fade Distance
The "Edge Fade Distance" spinner determines how much each sprite fades into a nearby mesh.
Far Fade
The "Far Fade" spinners fade the sprites out at a distance. "Far Fade Start" determines where fading begins, and "Far Fade Length" determines the distance over which fading occurs.
Near Fade
The "Near Fade" spinners fade sprites out when the camera is close. "Near Fade Start" sets where fading starts, and "Near Fade Length" determines the distance over which fading occurs.
Sprite Flicker
Sprite Flicker
Sprite Flicker simulates natural light perturbations over a distance. ELS randomizes flickering using values between "Flicker Speed Min" and "Flicker Speed Max" for each sprite.
Directional Light
Enable Directional Light
ELS supports directional light sources. When using splines or volumes, directional lights cannot be used simultaneously with blinking. "Red", "Green", and "Blue" spinners set direction in world-space. To determine direction, place an "Empty Actor" in your scene and use the transform gizmo.
When "Red", "Green", and "Blue" spinners are set to "0.0", light sources are disabled. Refer to the diagram below for correct spinner values.
ELS Volume Settings
Default Settings
Number of Flares
The ELS Volume blueprint, like ELS spline, spawns multiple sprite lights based on the "Number of Flares" spinner value.
Extents
"Extents" spinners control volume size.
Align to Mesh
To align light sprites to the underlying meshes and terrains, toggle "Align to Mesh." It positions sprite lights on the surfaces of collidable static meshes below the volume. The "Trace Distance" spinner sets how far the trace extends. If beyond this distance, sprites aren't aligned and are removed from the volume.
Surface Z-Offset
"Surface Z-Offset" spinners prevent sprite lights from intersecting aligned surfaces, averaging positions randomly between "Min" and "Max" values.
Update History
Version 1.0.0 - 27th January 2021
Initial Release