TeamSpecBot: American spelling

2026-10-20T04:46:09Z

American spelling

TeamSpecBot: Level Editor: lighting and lightmap baking workflow

2026-10-20T03:47:50Z

Level Editor: lighting and lightmap baking workflow

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A TeamSpec map is lit by its '''sun''' and '''sky''', the '''lights''' you place, and a baked '''lightmap''': light, bounced light and shadow worked out once, ahead of time, and stored with the map. Baked light looks rich and costs players almost nothing to draw.

== 1. Sun and sky ==
Open '''Map Config > Environment''' ([[Level Editor/Map Config#Environment|Map Config]]):
* '''Sun (DirectionalLight3D)''': its rotation is the direction the sunlight comes from; set its colour and energy.
* '''World Environment''': the sky, the ambient light (light that reaches everywhere), fog, glow and colour adjustments.

== 2. Lights ==
Place '''Omni''' and '''Spot''' lights from the Functional menu where the sun does not reach: interiors, tunnels, lamps. Set their colour, energy and range in the inspector. See [[Level Editor/Entities/Lights|Lights]].

== 3. Bake ==
Open '''Map Config > LightmapGI''':
* Its inspector holds the lightmap's settings, such as quality and the number of light bounces.
* '''Bake Lightmaps''' bakes now, so you can see the result in the editor. The progress dialog shows each stage; the editor does not respond while it bakes (on purpose, so the level cannot change mid-bake). Hold {{Key|Esc}} to cancel; the previous lighting is kept.
* '''Clear''' removes the bake.
* '''Bake lightmaps on export''' (on by default) bakes again every time you export, so the exported map always has up-to-date light. You only need the Bake button to preview.

A bake and a clear are each one undo step. The status line under the buttons reports the result, for example ''Baked 412 mesh(es) successfully.''

{{Note|''Nothing to bake, no static geometry found.'' means the map has no still geometry yet.}}

== What is baked, and what is not ==
* Still brushes, displacements, terrain and props are baked.
* Things that move or switch are lit by '''light probes''' instead, so they leave no baked shadow where they stood: [[Level Editor/Entities/Door|doors]], switchable [[Level Editor/Entities/Group|groups]], and props linked from an imported Source map.
* Geometry far outside the area where play happens is left out of the bake and lit by probes. The bake dialog and the status line say how many meshes ''lie outside the play area''. A single stray object kilometres away would otherwise spread the bake thin and make it slow.
* The [[Level Editor/Entities/3D Skybox|3D skybox]] takes no lightmap; its own lights, the sun and the sky light it.

== Seeing your lighting while you work ==
The [[Level Editor/Menus/View#Viewport Rendering window|Viewport Rendering]] window and the View menu change how the editor draws the map without changing it: '''Fullbright''' to see colours without light, '''Headlight''' to see the shape of a dark map, '''Lighting Only''' to see the light alone, '''Exposure''' to brighten the view.

{{Tip|Raising the map's ambient light does not brighten a baked surface: surfaces with a lightmap ignore it. Brighten with lights and bounces, or use the headlight to work.}}

== Tips ==
* Keep the number of lights with real-time shadows low; baked shadows are free in the game.
* If you see a line of light along a flush join between brushes, check the brushes' '''Weld On Export''' is on, or put them in a group with '''Merge On Export'''.
* Bake once early to check the look, then rely on bake-on-export.

== Related pages ==
* [[Level Editor/Map Config|Map Config]]
* [[Level Editor/Entities/Lights|Lights]]
* [[Level Editor/Workflows/Exporting and publishing|Exporting and publishing]]

{{Level Editor nav}}

[[Category:Level Editor]]
[[Category:Level Editor workflows]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:46, 20 October 2026
Line 3:		Line 3:
	== 1. Sun and sky ==		== 1. Sun and sky ==
	Open '''Map Config > Environment''' ([[Level Editor/Map Config#Environment\|Map Config]]):		Open '''Map Config > Environment''' ([[Level Editor/Map Config#Environment\|Map Config]]):
	* '''Sun (DirectionalLight3D)''': its rotation is the direction the sunlight comes from; set its ~~colour~~ and energy.		* '''Sun (DirectionalLight3D)''': its rotation is the direction the sunlight comes from; set its color and energy.
	* '''World Environment''': the sky, the ambient light (light that reaches everywhere), fog, glow and ~~colour~~ adjustments.		* '''World Environment''': the sky, the ambient light (light that reaches everywhere), fog, glow and color adjustments.

	== 2. Lights ==		== 2. Lights ==
	Place '''Omni''' and '''Spot''' lights from the Functional menu where the sun does not reach: interiors, tunnels, lamps. Set their ~~colour~~, energy and range in the inspector. See [[Level Editor/Entities/Lights\|Lights]].		Place '''Omni''' and '''Spot''' lights from the Functional menu where the sun does not reach: interiors, tunnels, lamps. Set their color, energy and range in the inspector. See [[Level Editor/Entities/Lights\|Lights]].

	== 3. Bake ==		== 3. Bake ==
Line 23:		Line 23:
	* Still brushes, displacements, terrain and props are baked.		* Still brushes, displacements, terrain and props are baked.
	* Things that move or switch are lit by '''light probes''' instead, so they leave no baked shadow where they stood: [[Level Editor/Entities/Door\|doors]], switchable [[Level Editor/Entities/Group\|groups]], and props linked from an imported Source map.		* Things that move or switch are lit by '''light probes''' instead, so they leave no baked shadow where they stood: [[Level Editor/Entities/Door\|doors]], switchable [[Level Editor/Entities/Group\|groups]], and props linked from an imported Source map.
	* Geometry far outside the area where play happens is left out of the bake and lit by probes. The bake dialog and the status line say how many meshes ''lie outside the play area''. A single stray object ~~kilometres~~ away would otherwise spread the bake thin and make it slow.		* Geometry far outside the area where play happens is left out of the bake and lit by probes. The bake dialog and the status line say how many meshes ''lie outside the play area''. A single stray object kilometers away would otherwise spread the bake thin and make it slow.
	* The [[Level Editor/Entities/3D Skybox\|3D skybox]] takes no lightmap; its own lights, the sun and the sky light it.		* The [[Level Editor/Entities/3D Skybox\|3D skybox]] takes no lightmap; its own lights, the sun and the sky light it.

	== Seeing your lighting while you work ==		== Seeing your lighting while you work ==
	The [[Level Editor/Menus/View#Viewport Rendering window\|Viewport Rendering]] window and the View menu change how the editor draws the map without changing it: '''Fullbright''' to see ~~colours~~ without light, '''Headlight''' to see the shape of a dark map, '''Lighting Only''' to see the light alone, '''Exposure''' to brighten the view.		The [[Level Editor/Menus/View#Viewport Rendering window\|Viewport Rendering]] window and the View menu change how the editor draws the map without changing it: '''Fullbright''' to see colors without light, '''Headlight''' to see the shape of a dark map, '''Lighting Only''' to see the light alone, '''Exposure''' to brighten the view.

	{{Tip\|Raising the map's ambient light does not brighten a baked surface: surfaces with a lightmap ignore it. Brighten with lights and bounces, or use the headlight to work.}}		{{Tip\|Raising the map's ambient light does not brighten a baked surface: surfaces with a lightmap ignore it. Brighten with lights and bounces, or use the headlight to work.}}

Level Editor/Workflows/Lighting and lightmaps - Revision history

TeamSpecBot: American spelling

TeamSpecBot: Level Editor: lighting and lightmap baking workflow