Three point lighting is the most commonly used lighting method in real life studio settings.



The key light is the main light source of the scene.

The fill light lights up the shadows that are casted from the key light. It is softer and dimmer than the key light.

The rim light, or back light, illuminated the subject from the back. Its purpose is to separate the character from the background. Sometimes this light isn't necessary if your background is obviously separated from the background. The rim light does not need to be overly bright, and unless its for artistic reasons a subtle rim light is usually enough.

In short:

• Key light is the brightest lamp that shines on the subject.
  
• Fill light is a much dimmer light that shines on the shadows the key light casts.
  
• Rim light is casted behind the subject in order to separate them from the background.

Here is the setup in-game, followed with images of the individual lamps.



Here is the character with the lighting setup.



Key light


Fill light


Rim light


You'll notice that in the final render, it doesn't look like that three lamps are shining on the subject. This is the result you should be going for; the lights should not be so different from each other that it's obvious that different lights are shining on the subject.

Lighting isn't entirely realistic in Garry's Mod. When a light is shone on the ground, the light bounces back from the surface and goes everywhere.



Garry's Mod does not simulate this effect, and in turn causes shadows to be pitch black or dark while doing character lighting in a dark room.

You can see this in the image I posted in the previous section. Note how the shadows are just dark, even though they should have some sort of light.


Here's what the subject looks like if we add a white background. Lights should be reflecting back with a setting like this.


Luckily, there's an easy work around in order to solve this problem.

Bounce lights simulate the light from a light source, usually the key light, hitting the ground and bouncing back towards the subject. This lamp is usually casted upwards at the subject. This light is always soft and dim, and should not be noticeable.



Here's the same exact setup shown previously, but with a bounce light added.





Bounce light


Compared to the previous render, the shadows are much better. They aren't dark, and just bright enough to simulate light bouncing. The bounce light is extremely subtle, and it appears that only basic three point lighting was used.

You may need to use more than one bounce light in order to illuminate any shadows that you may need. If your character lighting entirely depends on pitch black shadows, you can choose to not use bounce lights.

The problem with three point lighting diagrams, like the one I posted in the first section, is that people will tend to follow the diagram exactly. This can cause multiple renders to appear the same and generic, immediately losing attention from the audience.

Three point lighting diagrams should be used as a loose reference instead of a strict rule. Using the basic theme of key, fill, rim, and bounce lights, you can change the lighting of any character with the same setup.

Here's several examples using the same character, but with the lamps in different positions.






Here is the lighting setup for the last one. It's a completely different setup, but still follows three point lighting.


The best way to go about this is to set your lighting up following a three point lighting diagram, and then experiment from there. Move lamps in different spots, and adjust their settings to your desire.

You can change the color of the lighting to match the lighting of the setting, or for artistic purposes.

The trick to make the color subtle and not overbearing is to choose the lighter shade of the color you want to use, instead of using the high contrast shade of color.

Let's go back to our example and add a light blue background to simulate the subject standing outside.


To simulate the sun shining on the subject, let's change the key light color from white to a subtle yellow/orange.



This is a very subtle difference that will give the lighting more color to match the scene, but won't make it too noticeable.


Let's do the same to the fill light.



The colors were exaggerated a hair for the sake of this guide to see the difference between white light and subtly colored light, but you should experiment to see which fits your needs.

You can apply this same principle in order to achieve stylized lighting. Adjust accordingly to your needs.

Hopefully this guide has been helpful for you. It'll take time and practice to understand lighting, but after no time you'll be able to light characters flawlessly.

Here are a few more examples of character lighting I made in Garry's Mod using the same methods in this guide.





Here is a page that goes a bit more in depth on this subject.[lightingpixels.blogspot.com]

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