Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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00:00 Intro
01:11 Overview of Realistic Graphics
02:02 MODELING-----------
02:32 level of detail
03:11 what program should I use?
03:22 MATERIALS----------
04:45 getting materials
05:32 online to unity
07:32 making materials
07:57 optimization techniques
09:13 trimsheets
10:16 channel packing
12:38 LIGHTING----------
13:04 render pipelines
14:39 light rays
15:29 how games handle lights
16:46 baked lighting
17:45 mixed lighting
18:44 reflection probes
19:05 realtime GI
19:38 comparing lighting strategies
20:24 Future of Graphics

------------ 1. MODELING
1-1 Getting Started
★ The Donut Tutorial (For total beginners): youtube.com/watch?v=nIoXOplUvAw&list=PLjEaoINr3zgFX8ZsChQVQsuDSjEqdWMAD
★ youtube.com/watch?v=KFEb51rinwI&list=PLQk3p-aJsSWTKKmuFwnzEVaf3ovKIg1jx
★ Paid Blender Tutorial (I took this and loved it): cgboost.com/courses/robotic-planet#overview

1-2 Level of detail
○ Level of Detail overview: youtube.com/watch?v=ifNyVS2_6f8
★ Making an LOD asset for Unity: youtube.com/watch?v=v1xBGuxTqfI&list=PLQk3p-aJsSWTKKmuFwnzEVaf3ovKIg1jx&index=6
○ LOD Tool (Paid): simplygon.com
○ LOD Unity Tutorial: learn.unity.com/tutorial/working-with-lods-2019-3#

1-3 What program should I use?
○ blender.org/download

------------ 2. MATERIALS
2-1 Texture Properties
○ Materials overview: youtube.com/watch?v=jQTl7W4comU

2-2 Getting materials
○ Free Online options:
○ ambientcg.com
○ freepbr.com
○ cgbookcase.com
○ polyhaven.com

2-3 Online to unity
○ Node Wrangler: youtube.com/watch?v=XTVWy4IIH3A
○ Simple bake: blendermarket.com/products/simplebake---simple-pbr-and-other-baking-in-blender-2
○ Channel Packer pro (lets you move materials online directly into unity): assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/utilities/channel-packer-pro-182987

2-4 Making materials
○ Other Options:
○ adobe.com/products/substance3d/apps/painter.html#
○ fab.com/channels/unity
○ marmoset.co
○ armorpaint.org
○ Materialize: boundingboxsoftware.com/materialize/downloads.php

2-5 Optimization Techniques
★ Unity Tunnel Sample - learn.unity.com/tutorial/creating-believable-visuals?uv=2019.4&projectId=5c514a74edbc2a00206947de

2-6 Trimsheets
○ Short overview: youtube.com/watch?v=uUJShalzWy8
○ Long overview: youtube.com/watch?v=sny8ot97Ixc
○ Vuk Bakonovic: artstation.com/vukbanovic

2-7 Channel Packing
○ youtu.be/HANAToqXy6A?si=ikvjkN3DIkL-OG8M

------------ 3. LIGHTING
3-1 Lighting Intro
○ Good Beginner Tutorial - learn.unity.com/mission/creative-core-lighting
○ Overview of Lighting - youtube.com/watch?v=VnG2gOKV9dw&t=90s
○ Technical Overview of Graphics - youtube.com/watch?v=C8YtdC8mxTU

3-2 Rendering pipelines
○ Choosing a pipeline: youtu.be/xS6g15XL8jQ?si=_hTxJbQTDqzwuLHi
○ Comparison chart documentation - docs.unity3d.com/2021.2/Documentation/Manual/render-pipelines-feature-comparison.html

3-3 Light rays
○ Unity's Documentation (A dense read, but covers everything)- docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LightingInUnity.html

3-4 How Games Handle Light
○ Helpful Documentation -docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LightingOverview.html
★ Unity GDC talk (I found this talk to be the most in depth, and the most helpful) -youtube.com/watch?v=hMnetI4-dNY)

3-5 Baked lighting
★ Detailed breakdown of settings - youtube.com/watch?v=okYhs6kQ0xw
○ Super Short Tutorial Showing how to Bake - youtube.com/watch?v=NOv31HSqs6U
○ Detailed Tutorial Showing how to Bake - youtu.be/KJ4fl-KBDR8?si=zKOGqMQce9Qzq7JL
○ Documentation (Dense, but very helpful) - docs.unity3d.com/Manual/LightingGiUvs-landing.html

3-6 Mixed Lighting
○ Covers a ton of lighting topics - youtu.be/DlxuvvYZO4Q?si=Vk2PBUel-ncjBiY0
○ Overview of Light probes - youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=_E0JXOZDTKA
○ Detailed breakdown of Unity's new LightProbe system - youtube.com/watch?v=iU7X5xICkc8&t=4s -

3-7 Reflection probes
○ youtu.be/NIAG2QsLqsA?si=wbQroVY-FqtYwlrK

3-8 Realtime GI
○ Optimizing lighting for Realtimg GI -learn.unity.com/project/lighting-optimization-with-precomputed-realtime-gi

3-9 Comparing Lighting strategies
○ Comparison chart - youtu.be/DlxuvvYZO4Q?si=2e9KzpnAFh54wmPp&t=1550

Future of Graphics
○ Set up RayTracing - youtube.com/watch?v=ad9f_nKU0ZA
○ Test out PathTracing - youtu.be/ad9f_nKU0ZA?si=kq8uR8_DXI9Bgnqh&t=1907

Credits: Music from Lud and Schlatt's musical emporium
Edited by Zinjo & Isto Inc.