GameMaker Realtime 2D Illumination

Categories: Game Development
Wishlist Share
Share Course
Page Link
Share On Social Media

About Course

Bring your 2D games and visual projects to life with real-time lighting techniques that deliver depth, atmosphere, and realism! This course takes you deep into the world of dynamic lighting for 2D spaces—equipping you with the practical skills and foundational knowledge to implement illumination systems from scratch. 

This course dives deep into advanced lighting systems using GameMaker, teaching you how to implement dynamic lights, shadow casting, and normal map-based edge lighting—all fully interactive and performance-conscious.

What Will You Learn?

  • Learn how to use GameMaker surfaces to isolate and blend light and shadow layers
  • Explore the difference between static and dynamic lights, and how real-time lighting is simulated in 2D using draw logic and blend modes.
  • Implement systems that cast cone-shaped shadows based on a sprite's height and vary the intensity based on the distance to a light source.
  • Learn how to set up a simple render pipeline that enables you to draw different layers in the correct order.
  • You used additive and subtractive blending to mix light and shadows into the final scene render in a visually convincing way.
  • Learn how to create a day-night cycle.

Course Content

Introduction
In this section, we outline the course objectives and discuss strategies to help you maximize your learning experience.

  • Course Overview
  • Prerequisites & Target Audience
  • What You’ll Build
  • How to Get the Most Out of This Course

Setting Up Our Project
In this section we will set up the basics for our project in GameMaker.

Fundamentals Of 2D Lighting
In this section we will explore how 3D lighting can be approximated in a 2D environment. We will explore different types of light sources and our approach.

Core Rendering Pipeline
In this section we will explore how a rendering pipeline can be configured in such a way that we can layer several effects.

Implementing Lights in GameMaker
In this section we will implement ambient light, point lights, falloff and discuss how light calculations can be optimized.

Normal Maps And Shadow Casting
In this section we will explore how shadows are implemented in 2D and explore how we can create silhouettes.

Soft Light Effects
In this section we will explore how we can make light sources look softer and warmer, making them more appealing to look at.

Extending The System
In this section we will look at a few quality of life improvements.

Conclusion
Time to round up the course and discover what you learned!

Student Ratings & Reviews

No Review Yet
No Review Yet