ARRI has unveiled LUKA, an intuitive plugin for Unreal Engine that brings ARRI lighting and camera tools into a real-time virtual environment.
LUKA was designed to help users test lighting and camera setups, explore creative looks, and prepare shoots with greater confidence before arriving on set. As it was designed to be user-friendly, LUKA enables anyone to experiment with elaborate lighting setups, such as lighting a large sound stage or complex practical locations, all without the high costs associated with physical experimentation.
It features accurate ARRI Virtual Fixtures, ARRI Virtual Cameras, real-time rendering, and support for previsualization, LED wall production, and post-production workflows.
Users can model virtual fixtures and cameras to test creative looks, simulate complex lighting environments, and visualize exposure levels using tools like false color.
ARRI Virtual Cam emulates various ARRI camera models and their settings, evolving Unreal Engine’s Camera Actor into a fully realistic production camera and incorporating key lens properties such as focal length, focus setting, and T-stop. The accurate color rendition and exposure levels achieved by ARRI’s virtual cameras and lights are especially helpful for building a dependable previsualization that is profoundly useful not just logistically, but creatively as well.
Real-time rendering allows users to instantly and smoothly see the effects on light, shadow, and reflections as you dynamically move lights and cameras around on your virtual set. You can build your 3D space from scratch, or choose and adapt the countless environments available in Unreal Engine. You can even scan the faces of performers with consumer hardware to practice sculpting light on realistic virtual avatars.
LUKA supports real-world data, including data sheets for custom fixtures, and allows users to apply the same Lee or Rosco gels used in actual SkyPanels to match virtual and physical lighting.
The plugin allows for the export of lighting plots, which can be used to set up real-world equipment with high accuracy. It also supports DMX control, enabling users to save lighting programs in the virtual world and apply them directly to physical gear on set.
Currently, you can get a LUKA Trial License that is valid for three months for free.
