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• The internship

• Lighting Art

• - Bound By Duty

• - Ember

• - Unannounced

• Level Design

Internship May to December 2025

Engine: Stingray

I had two roles during my internship at Fatshark - Lighting Artist and Level Designer.In lighting I worked on three projects:
- Bound By Duty
- No Man's Land
- Ember mode for existing missionsIn level design I worked on one project that's unannounced.

I started off by placing DDGI volumes and reflection probes to cover the entire player area.

The middle outside area is where you start and end the mission, so I wanted this to feel impactful and memorable.I highlighted the big machine in the middle and the smaller one in front of it since these are the units that I feel makes this level stand out from the rest.The tubes on the smaller machine got lost a bit, so I highlighted them with spotlights for a rim light effect as if it came from the spotlights on the side.

The art direction for this level is based on a pre-existing mission, so I chose fixtures from and based the color scheme on that mission.

I wanted the door at the end of the level to have a different type of lighting setup than the rest, so I increased the volumetric fog and put a spotlight behind it to create a strong silhouette.

When the end event is cleared, I wanted to guide the player and make the environment feel more alive, so I scripted some lights to switch on.

I wanted to differentiate the different areas, so I chose a warmer color for the fixtures to frame the area.Here I also use mainly linear fixtures in contrast to the rounder shapes in the middle area.

I wanted to highlight the area where the enemies spawn (the entrance in the middle of the picture), so I put lights at the sides.Since they frame the player area these fixtures were also linear.

I added a flickering light to enhance the feeling of this place being left behind.

Similar to how the left part's round fixtures ties back to the middle part, I wanted to do the same in this area with the spotlights and the fixtures highlighting the red banners.

This area is a bit more chaotic, so I wanted to change approach in how the other areas had been lit up.I highlighted the machine and the building where the enemies spawn from, and then I let the sun shadows get more space.If there are sun shadows in a level I always try to preserve and enhance them as long as they serve a purpose.

The room differs a lot from the other areas. Not only in appearance, but it also has an event where you have to blow up the ice that has stopped the machinery from moving.This had some interesting architecture to work with. I lit the big drill in the center from underneath to contrast the lighting in the rest of the level.

Small, green, none shadow casting spotlights on the dashboard to make the displays pop.

Static shadow casting lights underneath the stairs created interesting shadows and also framed the area in a nice way.

Scripting for when the ice has been removed from the cog wheels and the player has pulled the lever.I wanted this achievement to give some payoff, so I made this sequence of lights turning off and new ones turning on.

One spotlight to light up surrounding area instead of four.

I flipped the spotlight to light up the area better. I use these solutions in places the player can enter, and when the light doesn't affect the volumetric fog.

If I want to achieve a certain look, but want to keep it as optimized as possible and if the light doesn't really add anything to the space, I sometimes turn off the light and keep the emissive material on the fixture.The light would blur out the interesting shadows created by the sun, so it made sense to turn the light off in this case.

Rays from fire. I wanted to create fog rays, and placing them near these grid patterned bridges was one way to do it.

Shadows from ceiling. I try to find different ways to vary the lighting, and by working with shadows opens up a lot of possibilities. But I keep performance in mind, both in overlap to other light sources and in the spotlight's shadow resolution.

Spotlight direction providing guidance, and volumetric fog behind the pillars creating depth.

Fog rays to pull focus to this area. Guiding with fixture in different light color to stand out.

Finding places to place lights to create interesting shapes.

Red light for subtle guidance. It's in the warm part of the color wheel, but still stands out from the yellow and orange.I also saw an opportunity to create interesting shapes with the light here.

Interesting shapes from shadows from the fire. The idea is to pull the player's focus towards this area since this is where you open the gate in the previous picture.

Guiding light color and interesting shadows.

Repeating pattern with light under stairs.To create consistency, I use repetition as much as I can and just a few design elements.

Creating counter shapes to the angled walls with fog rays.

Red guiding light at the end of the area. This place was a bit tricky to navigate, so I wanted to highlight and guide the player forward.

This same area as mentioned above also made it possible to create interesting shapes with the shadows.

This was a vista that I wanted to highlight extra, both for it's striking esthetic and since an event happens in this area which creates a variation in pacing.I wanted to create an aggressive impression, to enhance the danger. I did this with hard shadows created by one key light and no proper fill light. Also, I increased the volumetric fog to give the unlit "arms" a silhouette.

I enhanced parts of the architecture I found interesting to create a sense of space for the player.

This was a vista that I wanted to highlight extra, both for it's striking esthetic and since an event happens in this area which creates a variation in pacing.I wanted to create an aggressive impression, to enhance the danger. I did this with hard shadows created by one key light and no proper fill light. Also, I increased the volumetric fog to give the unlit "arms" a silhouette.

Big light shapes on big paths to keep harmony and a sense of direction.

Guiding direction of light that also created interesting fog rays and shadows.

Embers falling from the fan to communicate that there's a fire above. It also creates movement in the shadows which makes the space feel more alive.

Fire in surrounding area to expand the space.

Guidance with fixture with different light color than the rest in the area.

Sometimes I like to use silhouettes rather than lighting up the object, like this fence for example.

Here's another example of silhouettes. I wanted to enhance the architectural elements with the arches.I try to keep the lighting design as simple as possible. In this case all that was needed was a single spotlight with high volumetric fog to enhance the silhouettes, and some fires along the way for movement.

Volumetric fog to enhance guidance.

When I see something that makes a mark on the environment I generally try to highlight it. In this case it also was the way forward, so it supported the purpose of guiding the player as well.

Sometimes simple lighting design is enough if it's placed correct.This space didn't really need more than a fixture in the roof. The shelves contrasts against the dark walls behind them. The shadow on the frame of the doors on the side highlights the shape.

Complex shadows created by a spotlight from outside through the window. White light color to guide the player.

Boss arena. I brought out the architectural elements I felt stood out and made this space feel big, since it's the last area in the level.I created a counter shape to the valve pillar with a spotlight on the wall beneath it.

Fire behind the trains created a silhouette for them and a depth to the area. It also increased the sense of urgency.

Unfortunately this project is still in production, so I can't show anything yet.