2D Lights Streamline - Tell us your thoughts!

As part of the ongoing design work to improve workflows and performance in 2D Rendering we are planning to streamline the 2D Lights.

We plan to:

  • Replace the Parametric Light and with preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes for: Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle.
  • Remove the Falloff Offset parameter as this is vestigial functionality from the development of the lights.
  • Remove the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D

We want your feedback to help guide this refinement process:

Parametric Light 2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component?
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D?
  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions?
  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact?
  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful?

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights?
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter?
  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions?

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights?
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D?
  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions?

If you would rather answer these questions in private, please follow this link to answer a short survey.
https://forms.gle/YtKapQ5tAGzfCV5k6

We’re looking forward to hearing from all of you!

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Parametric Light 2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component? No, using Sprite Light nearly exclusively.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D? N/A.

  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? None.

  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact? N/A.

  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful? N/A.

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights? No.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter? N/A.

  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions? I would hold candlelight vigil but move on quickly.

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights? No, it seemed redundant with Sprite light, so just used Sprite light.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D? N/A.

  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? None.

2 Likes

Parametric Light 2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component? No.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D? N/A.

  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? At the moment it won’t impact.

  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact? I think it would.

  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful? N/A.

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights? Yes.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter? I’m using it to create a flickering effect.

  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions? I would try to find an alternative.

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights? No.

  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D? N/A.

  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? None.

2 Likes

Parametric Light 2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component? No.
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D? N/A.
  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? N/A.
  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact? Yes.
  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful? N/A.

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights? NO.
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter? N/A.
  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions? N/A.

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights? Yes.
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D? Using it like a projector.
  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? Can‘t easily make a complicated shape of light.
2 Likes

Hi @Starsmiao ! Thanks for the feedback. Could I get a visual of what this looks like? It might be possible to do it with other features.

Yessome time I would use Sprite Light2D for a big shape like a big paper cut. I use to make a fire spark with Point Light2D and cookie because I can control the angle and radius. I would like to remove cookie and get better performance.

Thanks for the additional info. It would very helpful to see how controlling the angle and radius of the Point Light helps with a fire spark. Would it be possible to share an image of this?
I’d also like to understand why you want to remove the cookie for the fire spark. How would you make it look like fire without a cookie?
Sprite Light 2D certainly sounds like the right kind of light for what you are describing.

I am getting a black screen in my WebGL build after implementing 2D lights. Help.

The 2D team need to figure out where 2D features live. I missed this post due to the fact that I don’t check the 2D forums since 2D lighting is an experimental feature and thus I figured would be asked in the 2D preview forums.
Parametric Light2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component? No, we use freeform lights when we need a shape.
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D? N/A
  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? N/A
  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact? N/A
  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful? We feel freeform lights supersede all behaviors of the parametric light and parametric can be removed.

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights? Yes!
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter? We primarily are using it as a way to control light direction of freeform lights. This can represent of day light shifting of the 2D light. So that as the time moves during the day the lights will shift their offset to simulate light shafts at specific angles.
  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions? We’d probably need to have unique shafts for every time of day. This would affect our workflows fairly considerably and increase the amount of time it would take to handle these types of lights.

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights? No
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D? Although we don’t use it in our current project. I could see this being useful to reuse a cookie at particular angles of light. Sure you could make a custom sprite light for every use case to achieve a similar result, but at a cost of needing to have custom light textures/sprites in memory. I feel you should keep the point light cookie around unless it has a perf impact.
  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? N/A
3 Likes

Falloff Offset parameter
This is how I’m using the Falloff Offset with the Freeform lights to simulate a fluorescent lamp. It helps to control the end of the light falloff and soften the borders of the shape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aweGLxWYKjs

If you remove it without any alternative, I would have to redo all my lights.
I’ve neither used Parametric lights nor Sprite Cookies yet.

3 Likes

Parametric Light 2D

  • Are you using the Parametric Light 2D component? No
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using Parametric Light 2D? N/A
  • If we removed the Parametric Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? N/A
  • If we provided preconfigured Freeform Lights for commonly used shapes such as Triangle, Square, Hexagon and Circle, would that minimise that impact? N/A
  • What other preconfigured Freeform Lights shapes would you probably find useful? N/A

Falloff Offset parameter

  • Are you using the Falloff Offset parameter on any of the 2D lights? Yes
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Falloff Offset parameter? Preventing hard edges between lights, which important.
  • If we removed the Falloff Offset parameter, how would this impact your productions? Yes, it would have a significant impact on the lighting since it is used extensively, unless there is another manner of achieving the same effect. In any event, it is likely to require a lot of work,

Sprite Cookie on Point Light 2D

  • Are you using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, parameter on any of the 2D lights? yes.
  • If so, how are you using it? What problem are you solving using the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D? Cookies being used to create shadows that are important for the look of the game.
  • If we removed the Sprite Cookie from the Point Light 2D, how would this impact your productions? Yes, unless a viable alternative is provided.
1 Like

Thank you all in helping us to understand how you guys have been using the 2D Lights, in particular, the Falloff Offset parameter. We are in the midst of jamming alternative ways to help achieve those mentioned outcomes.:slight_smile:

We thought we would also mention that the soft edges of the lights could be controlled via the Falloff and Falloff Intensity parameters which you guys have demonstrated and both these parameters are here to stay.

@Ferazel , yours is an interesting use case which we would really like to understand it correctly.

Could you help to elaborate a little on how you use the Falloff Set parameter to achieve the daylight shifting effect?

It would be super helpful if you could provide any screenshot(s) to help us accurately understand your desired process or even the outcome. Thank you!

1 Like

Welcome to the forum @Saeglopur1992 ! Thank you for joining the community!

Perhaps if you were to start a separate new thread and provide more details on your issue, it would be easier to understand and to assist you. Like what were you tweaking before it stopped working.

Basically, it’s a poor man’s light shaft. For tall windows that bleed light in the mornings, vs sunset we can use the same light but animate the offset to fake it like a window that is facing north an example could be.
Morning/Noon/Sunset
6776693--783755--upload_2021-1-28_11-49-55.png6776693--783758--upload_2021-1-28_11-50-35.png6776693--783761--upload_2021-1-28_11-51-3.png

4 Likes

Not sure if this is the right place, but have you considered introducing 2D directional light and something like shadow falloff/cookie?

Let me explain the question/use case:

Right now, all the lights basically behave like point lights when it comes to normal mapping and shadows. Even freeform light shines from pivot spot, so that the shadow has always the direction from pivot of the light to shadow caster (though extended further from shadowcaster), wherever it might be. That doesn’t feel very well when it comes to natural light sources which are supposed to be so far away that the shadow casting angle is basically constant, just like 3D directional light works. The same goes for the normals, which are lit from the direction of the pivot spot of the light. So currently there’s no way to apply “daylight” on your normal mapped sprites, at least without excessive use of unnecessary amount of lights :slight_smile:

The shadow falloff/cookie is meant especially for top-down projects where you can use them as sort of drop shadows extended from shadowcaster, but not for the whole length of the light, but just for preset amount. Or is there any dedicated drop shadow system for top-down projects in development?

Thanks in advance!

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This is a must-have feature for me.

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It has been requested here too.

https://forum.unity.com/threads/current-2d-renderers-missing-core-features.1023772

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Thanks a lot, will watch that thread as well!

So
 Falloff offset has been removed in 2021. How can I achieve the same effect I explained above ( #10)?
I don’t see any alternatives. As I explained back then, this will break all my light effects as soon as I upgrade URP.

I just upgrade my project from 2019 to 2021 and see there is a lot of things changed in 2d light, and basically, I can’t achived what I’ve done in 2019. I use falloff offset and parametric light a lot to fast build scene with lights that has direction.
![7037335–834250–4MCG7R_9TPG{C(S$H_7Y.jpg|1920x1080
Now with fallout offset gone, I can’t recover scenes the way they are.

Also the normal light behaves differently with new version of URP.My game is pixel style and I use normal for characters and some objects to achieve an lightened edge effect. In 2019 if I set normal map filter mode to point, lightened pixels looks sharp and distinct. But now they appeared light filtered in linear method, is this the effect that supposed to be, or how can I make it behave like before, or how can I change the 2d light method in shaders?
7037335--834253--QQæˆȘć›Ÿ20210413184401.png

The unity version was typed wrong in second image, its 2021.1
I’m not an english speaker, hope you could understand the expressions.