Advanced HDRi bakground tool + 64 HDRi collection

Made some changes to the tool! Improved some options and simplified the workflow, hidding or automating some other features which I think usually didn’t tweaked by anybody. So have send it to be updated into the marketplace and it should become updated during next week.

Another comparison between the Unreal Engine default’s backdrop and my Adv HDRi background tool:

As always, UE Backdrops seems to not allow a full Global Illumination, and leaks Ambient Occlussion too.

Best regards!

New version already available to download!

Hello, can you use this tool in game runtime mode? My requirement is to import HDR files and update background in game runtime mode. Thank you!

Hi @anonymous_user_afe7bebf ,

Not really, as it has been designed within an Editor Widget, to work during the development of the game, through the Unreal Editor. But an Editor Widget could be easily copied and converted to a common Widget Blueprint, so if you know to do it, you can!

(Anyway, loading HDR images into your game from your computer during runtime would require additional tools, of course).

Thank you and best regards!

Hey Miguel!

Just purchased your tool/images from the market. I am new to unreal and this seemed like a simple way to create imagery outside my architecture scenes. I went to the youtube page but was wondering if there is a simple tutorial or documentation to access for a newcomer? Thanks!

Hi @draculapresley !

Thank you very much!

There is no other info, however, it can seem a litte complex for a beginner, but it’s simply because on the video I’m showing lots of its features. You simply need to keep the ones you need. Also, there are some steps written into the example scenes. But, basically: place the blueprint into the scene, assign a HDR image to your sky light, clic on my blueprint placed on the scene and clic on its option called something like Update blueprint -> you should start viewing your spherical background!

Anyway, if you still have doubts, let me know!

Hi [Miguel, thanks for delivering such a nice tool for the industry!

I’m looking forward to using it but lately, I’m planning to stay awhile with the GPU lightmass feature i “forced” in UE. Can you tell me does your plugin works with GPU lightmass?](https://forums.unrealengine.com/member/1149859-miguel1900)

Hi @Godzil !

I use GPUL too and, yes, it also works with static lighting, so it will work with the default CPU lightmass or with the “unofficial” GPU lightmass too. (You will need to mark the option of my tool referring to enable it for Static Lighting).

Thank you!

Already fully compatible with UE 4.26!

in your youtube video (0:40 of the video) in Hdri Background Setting you have options that i don’t have:
“cast shadows” and “full global illumination” - I use 4.26 unreal version
is that normal that i don’t have them

other than that - great tool - actually both of them (I bought them recently)

Hi @ersghsr5gqa ,

Thank you very much!

It’s completely normal, don’t worry. I have removed them because they are not necessary anymore and it simplies the workflow.

Best regards,
Miguel

last question… :slight_smile:
“debug comparision screen” - what exactly is it comparing ?

Good question! I still want to create a more detailed video, but free time always lacks!

That compares the ‘non-Ray Tracing’ appearance, simply being a background with its original HDRi colors, in ‘Unlit’ lighting mode (as the typical background, before Ray Tracing arrival), versus the full Ray Traced appearance, casting and projecting shadows, in ‘Lit’ mode. This is useful to try to match the RT colors (using the rest of parameters) with the original colors of the image itself, without extra effects, as with all RT effects, it may suffer some kind of… alteration (well, apart of the fact that Ray Traced shadowed areas should be darker than in the original image, where Ray Traced shadows didn’t exist before).

Hope it helps :slight_smile:

Thank you and best regards!

Hi @Miguel1900

Does your tool only work with raytrace?
It is not a problem actually, but I am asking to understand its possibilities.

Initially, I prefer to see the HDRI lighting at the best possible in realtime and I guess RTX is what takes me there, and when I have a good angle, I can render the camera similar to an offline-render approach so to say.

Is it expected to bake the light once I am happy with the setting? I am thinking of the flickering that occurs if the scene is heavy and

Also, does this tool need any recapture skylight?

Hi [USER=“761421”]Haider of Sweden[/USER] ,

It works with any kind of lighting: Ray Tracing, ‘normal’ (non-Ray Tracing) dynamic lighting, and even Static (baked) lighting. But obviously each one have a different behaviour, due to its own nature.
For example: with my tool using RT you don’t need to use a Directional Light, as RT can illuminate a scene getting the ‘emission’ of an HDR image. Using Dynamic lighting you would need to use a Directional Light, as movable (non-RT) lights can’t ‘throu’ lights from an image. And for Static lighting, you could illuminate with the HDR image of the sky too (like with RT), but you till need to bake your lighting.

About your RT question, you won’t need to bake the lighting, as RT is totally dynamic.

And about recapture, what do you mean? It simply works with a Skylight (as any other Skylight placed by yourself) and with a Dome, which has a project image onto it, to simulate the background. But all in an unified, customizable and ready-to-use way.

Thank you and best regards!

Thank you for clarifying.

  1. What if I cannot use RT but still need the HDRI emission? If the situation requires (eg if the scene is too large for RT) I will be need to do a baking, and that is fine. I would still like to use HDRI as main source, and maybe in addition use Directional Light to strengthen things.

In fact, this is how I found your tool, because I was looking for a solution that took the emission from HDRI no matter if I use RT or “normal”.

  1. What I meant regarding the recapture, please see this video, at this given time https://youtu.be/0iQJkSpOoOQ?t=1080
    … here, I was wondering of “recapture” is still relevant in your tool.

  2. if I use a directional light as complement, did your tool support linking the light to the HDRI, ie if I rotate the HDRI, the light would also be rotated?

Hi!

1- Actually for lighting it works like any other Skylight in Unreal, so if you have already tested your own workflow for lighting with a HDRi Sky, it will work the same. HDRi emission, as fas as I know, can be used for RT real-time lighting, and for Static baked lighting (depending if you use a Statis Sky, or set it as Movable, as usual in Unreal). But real-time HDRi Skylight won’t work for Movable “normal” lights (as usual in Unreal too).

2- Hmmm… never used Recapture before. I was waiting to have some spare time to test it (sorry for the delay), and now I have done it, but I can’t find the sense. When I make any change on any Sky (even without using my tool, I mean) I don’t see any reason to use it, as my lighting scene is automatically recaptured. Please, could you give me some more details of a situation in which I can use the Recapture button, so I can test it?

3- No, sorry. My tool manages the HDRi for the Skylight and for the background in an easy and ‘synced’ way. But if you place any other light, it will be an additional independet actor placed in Scene. Every HDRi can has its own ‘sun ring’ drawn in the image, in a very different position, so I couldn’t place a complementary sun in a default position. It should be placed and rotated manually, to find the matching angle between your own complementary added light and the HDRi projected into the background dome (and inside Skylight lighting source HDR image). Once done, well, you simply need to set a new angle within my tool (it will automatically match the banckground image and the Skylight HDR light source image), and the same delta angle to your complementary added light (for example, if you added 10 degrees around Z axis, you should simply add 10 degrees to your ‘sunlight’ too, once you have matched booth positions previously).

Hope it helps,
Best regards!

It seems that Ray Traced GI is enabled even though I have it disabled in both my Skylight and in my Post process Volume.

How do I disable so that I only have Ray Traced reflections and cast shadows?

Hi Eco,

I have checked it right now. It’s on your hand, as my blueprint is not managing any GI parameter. On the dynamic demo scene, there is a Post Process Volume included, with GI enabled, but when I disable it, there is no more GI on the scene.

Best regards!