Light Profiles

The Volumetric Light Profile allows you to fine-tune settings for volumetric light sources in your Unity project and to share these settings between multiple lights throughout your scenes.

Creating a New Volumetric Light Profile

1. Create a Profile:
   • Right-click in the Project window and select Create > Sparrow > Volumetric Lights > VolumetricLightProfile.
     • Rename the new profile as needed.

2. Loading Saved Values:
   • The dropdown in the Inspector shows if a saved profile is loaded.
     • Changes are auto-saved when you leave the Inspector.

You can also create a profile from the inspector of a light that has no profile assigned yet. Just click the “New” button and all the settings from the individual light will be transferred to the newly created profile.

Options and Settings

1. Blending Mode:
   • Alpha: Default blending mode.
     • Additive: Adds the light, creating brighter effects.

2. Alpha:
   • Sets the light’s transparency. Values range from 0 (fully transparent) to 1 (fully opaque).

3. Override Light Color:
   • Overrides the light color.
     • Color: Set a new color if the override is enabled.
     • Intensity: Define light intensity for the new color.

4. Intensity Multiplier:
   • Multiplies light intensity. Values range from 0 to 2.

5. Custom Fading:
   • Use a custom gradient for fading.
     • Gradient: Define the gradient that controls light attenuation.

6. Override Fade Distances:
   • Override default geometry and depth fading values.
     • Geometry Distance: Distance over which light fades based on geometry.
     • Camera Distance: Distance over which light fades based on the camera.
     • Edge Fade Strength: Strength of the Fresnel-based fade effect.

7. Use Fog Texture:
   • Use a texture to create fog effects.
     • Fog Texture: Texture used for masking the light.
     • Fog Texture Tiling: Determine how the texture is tiled.
     • Fog Opacity: Adjust the opacity of the fog.
     • Vertical Scrolling Speed: Vertical scroll speed of the fog texture.
     • Horizontal Scrolling Speed: Horizontal scroll speed of the fog texture.

Applying a Profile

To apply a profile to a light object:

1. Select Light Component:
   • Select the desired light object in the scene.
     • Open the Inspector.
   Add Volumetric Light Component:
   • Click Add Component and add Volumetric Light.
     • Go to the settings of the Volumetric Light Component.
   Assign the Profile:
   • Drag the created VolumetricLightProfile into the profile field of the Volumetric Light Component.

That’s it! Your light object will now use the Volumetric Light Profile and benefit from detailed customization options.

Summary

Using the Volumetric Light Profile in Unity, you can create stunning light and fog effects by fine-tuning color, blending, and fading options. Leverage these powerful tools to enhance the visual appeal and atmosphere of your game scenes.