Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
3
II
Volumetric Light Effects in
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Nathan Vos
3.1 Introduction
Volumetric light effects are caused by light being scattered in humid, dusty, or
smoky environments (as in Figure 3.1). It's an amazing looking natural phe-
nomenon. It can be used to create great-looking images and add a lot of atmo-
sphere to the environment.
Many articles have been written about light scattering and volumetric light
effects. Most of them focus on techniques that improve rendering performance
and image quality. However, most of them don't address the challenges that need
to be overcome when implementing the effect in a real-life game scenario.
In this chapter we will talk about how we managed to take our engine to the
next level by introducing volumetric light effects in
Killzone: Shadow Fall
and
how we dealt with the problems we encountered during the development process.
Figure 3.1.
Examples of volumetric light effects.
