The Philosophy Behind Digital Lighting Renderings



While digital lighting renderings are continuing to gain popularity among the entertainment design world there are three key ideas that every lighting designer should keep in mind before creating their first rendering.

It is important to remember that pre-viz renderings are meant to be a communication tool.

 

Designers should create lighting renderings that give a general feel for certain moments.

 

Digital lighting renderings should not be exact representations of what the actual lighting will look like, but they SHOULD be based in reality.

 

My advice to lighting rendering artists is to keep in mind “where” the actual lighting fixtures will be and “how” they will be focused. Also be mindful of the type of fixtures that might be used.

As a lighting artist you never want to create renderings that are completely impossible to achieve, or light, because if a director or architect sees that rendering and likes it, you’d better be able to actually make it happen.

Lighting renderings are also a wonderful way for designers to explore different options. While working on different lighting cues you might accidentally find an effect or look that you hadn’t previously thought of before.

Read more about digital lighting renderings here.