13. Sky and Lighting

Title: Crafting the Sky and Lighting for My Animated Short

One of the most important aspects of creating the atmosphere for my short film was designing the sky and lighting. I wanted a night scene with a bright half-moon that stood out and illuminated the environment. To achieve this, I modeled the moon and placed its center at the center of the scene, allowing me to easily rotate it to match the camera angles and composition of each shot.

The stars were created using a particle system. This method allowed me to distribute countless small points across the sky, giving it a natural and immersive look. To enhance the overall visual impact, I applied an emissive material to the stars and the moon, ensuring they both glowed brightly against the dark sky. For the moon, I chose a slightly bluish tint to align with the overall eerie vibe of the animation.

To add more depth to the sky, I used a gradient texture for the world background, blending darker tones with a hint of light at the horizon to resemble the transition of dawn. This gradient added a touch of visual complexity and helped balance the lighting across the scenes.

Designing the sky and lighting was a rewarding process, as it brought the spooky yet magical atmosphere of the animation to life.