Workflows
These tutorials take you from an installed plugin to a saved, tested lighting setup. Each guide explains what to do, what you should see, and what to check before moving on.
Start with First bake, even if the final project is much larger. A small working scene makes it easier to distinguish installation problems from content problems.
Choose a tutorial
| Guide | What you will finish with | Start here when |
|---|---|---|
| First bake | A small level with baked surfaces, probe coverage, updated reflections, and saved lighting. | You are new to Spectral or setting up a new project. |
| Probe lighting | A tested lighting field for moving objects, with controlled overlaps and transitions. | The basic bake works and objects need lighting throughout a space. |
| Lightmapped prefabs | A Blueprint with captured lighting that works on a second static or movable copy. | You want to reuse an elevator cabin, room module, or other assembly. |
| Probe-lit fog | Local or height-based volumetric fog lit by baked probes. | Your probe field works and the target supports the fog integration. |
| Optimization | A measured comparison of bake time, lighting storage, and runtime cost. | The lighting is correct but a specific cost is too high. |
Suggested learning order
- Install through Fab, then complete First bake without adding optional effects.
- Use Probe lighting to understand coverage and how moving objects receive the stored lighting.
- Add Probe-lit fog or Lightmapped prefabs only if the project needs them.
- Use Optimization after you have a known-good result to compare against.
You do not need fog, GTAO, PCSS, custom material nodes, or prefabs to prove that an ordinary lighting bake works.
Keep a recoverable test scene
Save a separate test map or project copy before changing an established setup. Keep the same camera and exposure for comparisons, and record the settings you change. A successful bake still needs to be saved.
These pages explain a complete task in order. Interface explains individual panel controls, General Settings covers Unreal's light and mesh properties, and Placeables, Prefabs, and Spectral Material Nodes cover their respective objects.
Before planning for mobile or VR, check platform compatibility. Baking on a desktop does not make every runtime feature available on the target.