Bright Eye Plugin

Bright Eye is a lightweight and free Unreal Engine plugin designed for level designers and artists who need an easily accessible light source while working within the editor. It attaches a light source directly to the viewport camera, allowing users to quickly illuminate dark areas without the need to place temporary lights. By providing customizable shortcuts and settings, Bright Eye offers a flexible workflow that adapts to the user's needs, streamlining the level design process.

The plugin is also available on the Fab Marketplace and Cosmos Marketplace.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Bright Eye
2. Features
3. Installation
4. Usage
5. Contribution
6. License
7. Contact
8. Credits
9. Disclaimer

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Features

• Toggleable Light Source: Quickly turn a spotlight on/off to enhance visibility.
• Mouse Aiming: Aim the light source with your mouse for precise control.
• Customizable Settings: Modify brightness, distance, color, and viewport offset.
• User-Friendly Interface: Control the light with an easily movable panel and shortcuts.
• Fixed and Lag Modes: Switch between a fixed light or one that follows the camera with a delay.
• Customizable Activation: Hold to activate the light or toggle it on/off with a key press.
• Light Profile Support: Use custom Light Profiles (IES Textures) for advanced lighting.

Installation

If you've installed the plugin via Fab Marketplace, you can skip this step.

There are two ways to install the Bright Eye plugin:

Method 1: Install to a Project

This method installs the plugin only for a specific project, making it available only within that particular project.

1. Download the Plugin: Go to the Releases page and download the binary ZIP file for your Unreal Engine version from the Assets section at the bottom of the page.
2. Unzip the Files: Extract the downloaded ZIP file.
3. Move the Plugin: Copy the BrightEye folder into your project's Plugins directory:

YourProject/
│
├── Binaries/
│
├── Content/
│
├── Intermediate/      
│
├── Plugins/
│   └── BrightEye/
└── 

4. Enable the Plugin: Open your project in Unreal Engine, go to Edit > Plugins, and enable the Bright Eye plugin.
5. Restart the Editor: After enabling the plugin, restart Unreal Engine to apply the changes.

Method 2: Install to the Engine

This method installs the plugin directly into the Unreal Engine installation, making it available for all projects that use this engine version.

1. Download the Plugin: Go to the Releases page and download the binary ZIP file for your Unreal Engine version from the Assets section at the bottom of the page.
2. Unzip the Files: Extract the downloaded ZIP file.
3. Move the Plugin: Copy the BrightEye folder into your Unreal Engine installation's Engine/Plugins/Marketplace directory:

UE_Path/
├── Engine/
│   └── Plugins/
│         └── Marketplace/
│                  └── BrightEye

4. Enable the Plugin: Open any project in Unreal Engine, go to Edit > Plugins, and enable the Bright Eye plugin.
5. Restart the Editor: After enabling the plugin, restart Unreal Engine to apply the changes.

Usage

1. Quick Start

There are two main ways to use Bright Eye: either by having the light automatically follow the camera’s view or by manually controlling the light's direction with the mouse. Depending on your needs, you can easily switch between these methods for maximum flexibility, even combining them dynamically for more precise lighting control.

Option 1:

• Press the T key to toggle the light on and off while in the viewport.

Option 2:

• Hold Ctrl + F to aim the light at the mouse cursor and follow its movement.

Additionally:

• Press Ctrl + T to open the Control Panel and customize the settings.

2. Adjusting Light Settings

Once the Control Panel is open, you can adjust the following settings:

• Brightness: Controls the intensity of the light source.
• Radius: Adjusts the radius of the light's influence in the scene.
• Distance: Sets the distance from the camera where the light source will be end.

3. Adjusting Light View Offset

To change the light's position relative to the viewport, double-click the Control Panel's header to switch to Offset Adjustment Mode. In this mode, you can drag the light source horizontally and vertically within the viewport to set a custom offset. This allows for finer control of the light’s placement during design.

Alternatively, you can adjust the Light View Offset parameter directly in the Bright Eye Editor Settings for more precise control over the offset.

4. Additional Features in the Control Panel

• The Sync Mode button in the top-left corner of the panel allows you to toggle between Sync Mode and Lag Mode. In Lag Mode, the light source follows the camera's rotation with a slight delay, creating a more dynamic lighting effect.
• The Light Color button in the top-right corner of the panel lets you change the color of the light source, allowing you to match the lighting to your scene's needs.

You can also drag and drop the panel to any position in the viewport to fit your workflow. Simply click on the title section of the panel to drag and reposition it wherever you prefer.

5. Advanced Settings

Open the Editor Preferences, find the Plugins section, and select the Bright Eye tab. Here, you can fine-tune the tool's behavior:

• Brightness: Adjust the default brightness level of the light.
• Radius: Set the default radius of the light's effect.
• Distance: Define the default distance from the camera to the light source.
• Max Brightness: Set the maximum brightness value that can be applied.
• Max Distance: Set the maximum distance the light can be from the camera.
• Color: Choose the default color of the light source.
• Activate Light on Press: If enabled, the light will stay active only while holding down the assigned key. If disabled, the light toggles on with one press and off with another.
• Hide Panel when Idle: If enabled, the control panel will automatically hide when not in use.
• Smooth Light Rotation: Enable this option to smooth out the light's rotation when using the light source in Lag Mode.
• Rotation Delay Factor: Adjust the delay factor that determines how much the light lags behind the camera's rotation in Lag Mode.
• Light Profile: Assign a Light Profile (IES Texture) to customize the light's distribution pattern and behavior.

6. Changing Keyboard Shortcuts

To customize the keyboard shortcuts for Bright Eye:

• Open the Editor Preferences and navigate to the Keyboard Shortcuts section.
• Find the Bright Eye Actions section, or type "Bright Eye" into the Search Bar.
• Here, you can modify the shortcuts for toggling the light, aiming the light source, and opening the Control Panel, or add new shortcuts as needed.

Note: Bright Eye is an editor-only plugin and does not affect gameplay or runtime performance.

Contribution

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to report a bug, suggest a feature, or submit a pull request, please check the Issues section first.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Contact

For any questions or further information, feel free to contact me:

• Email : pullsarb@gmail.com
• Website : Pullsar.Dev

Credits

Flaticon Icons: This plugin uses icons from Flaticon under the Flaticon License.

Leartes Studios Assets: Special thanks to Leartes Studios for their Horror Mansion Environment package, which was used in creating the plugin's tutorial.

Disclaimer

Unreal Engine and its logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All rights reserved. This plugin is not affiliated with or endorsed by Epic Games.