Using Cookies to Create Realistic Lighting- Game Dev Series 165

Objective: make the realistic of your lighting to a higher level with cookie.

Cookie, not just a dessert, or log records in your web browser, but a nice texture of lighting to make your game scene more like a real world.

This is actually the shape of light you would see when turn on a torch and reflect it on a wall. And its also the texture would make the lighting in game scene looks more like in real world.

Now download a light cookie texture and import it to Unity, lets make it become real.

Cookie texture

First, change the Texture Type to cookie.

I would use spotlight as the first sample of using cookie, select Spotlight in Light Type.

Then change Alpha Source to From Gray Scale. This would measure the gray scale of image to generate transparency.

After setting these, click Apply from the bottom.

Apply to lighting

I’ve already prepared a spotlight to demonstrate. You would see the light effect reflect on floor is quite flat and mediocre.

Go to Inspector, there is an option Cookie under Emission section.
Drag in the cookie texture.

This would pop up a warning about the issue between HDRP and cookie texture, don’t worry, just click Fix.

Now you should see the cookie texture is perfectly shows on the floor.

With more using into game scene, it would become an immersive environment.