Showcased at Unreal Fest Seattle 2024, MegaLights in Unreal Engine 5.5 is a new feature that aims to change the game when its comes to creating dynamic light and soft shadows. It uses ray tracing to create realistic shadows from different area lights
The new tool aims to lower the cost involved in creating dynamic shadowing and unshadowed light evaluation, unlocking the possibility of using expensive light sources like textured area lights on consoles. Now senior environment artist Saga Alayyoubi has shared some behind-the-scenes footage from the demo, showing custom modeling and sculpting of ornate architecture and various props.
You can see the final MegaLights demo from last month's event below. The team used some elements from KitBash3D, modifying them to make them integrate with their own assets. Some elements from the demo are available in the Fab store.
For more on Unreal Engine, see our roundup of new Unreal Engine 5.5 features.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.