How to Create a Stunning Skybox Using Blockade Labs AI for Unreal Engine – Bonus 100+ Prompts for Skybox Blockade Lab

Skyboxes are one of the most important elements of any 3D environment, and they can make or break the visual appeal of your game or interactive experience.

But creating a skybox is not easy. You need to find or create high-quality images, stitch them together, adjust the lighting, and make sure they fit your scene. And if you want to change something, you need to start all over again.

That’s why I’m going to show you how to create a stunning skybox using an AI tool in Unreal Engine. You’ll discover how to use Blockade Labs AI Tool, a revolutionary software that lets you generate realistic and customizable skyboxes with just a few clicks. You’ll also learn how to implement your skybox in Unreal Engine and fine-tune it for optimal results.

By following this tutorial, you’ll be able to create a captivating skybox using an AI tool in Unreal Engine and enhance the visual appeal of your game or interactive experience. Ready to get started? Let’s go!

I. Understanding Skyboxes

Before we dive into the tutorial, let’s first understand what a skybox is and how it works.

A. Definition and Functionality

A skybox is a cube-shaped object that surrounds your scene and displays images of the sky on each face. It creates the illusion of an infinite sky that changes depending on the camera angle and position.

A skybox can also affect the lighting and mood of your scene by casting colors and shadows on your objects. For example, a sunny skybox can make your scene look bright and cheerful, while a cloudy skybox can make it look gloomy and dark.

B. Cube Mapping and Texture Mapping

To create a skybox, you need to use cube mapping and texture mapping techniques.

Cube mapping is a method of projecting images onto a cube-shaped surface. It involves dividing each image into six equal parts that correspond to the six faces of the cube. Then, each part is mapped onto one face of the cube using coordinates.

Texture mapping is a method of applying images to 3D objects. It involves wrapping an image around an object like a sticker or wallpaper. Then, each pixel of the image is mapped onto a point on the object’s surface using coordinates.

By combining cube mapping and texture mapping, you can create a skybox that displays images of the sky on each face of the cube and wraps around your scene like a dome.

C. Seamlessness and Texture Alignment

One of the challenges of creating a skybox is making it seamless and aligned.

Seamlessness means that there are no visible gaps or edges between the images on each face of the cube. If your skybox is not seamless, it will look unnatural and break the immersion.

Texture alignment means that the images on each face of the cube match each other in terms of color, brightness, contrast, and perspective. If your skybox is not aligned, it will look distorted and inconsistent.

To achieve seamlessness and texture alignment, you need to use high-quality images that are designed for skyboxes or have similar properties. You also need to adjust the images using editing software or tools to make them fit together perfectly.

II. Importance of Skyboxes in Scene Lighting

Now that we know what a skybox is and how it works, let’s see why it is important for scene lighting.

A. Influence on Scene Lighting

A skybox can influence the scene lighting in two ways: direct lighting and indirect lighting.

Direct lighting is the light that comes directly from the skybox onto your scene. It can be controlled by adjusting the brightness and color of your skybox images.

Indirect lighting is the light that bounces off your scene objects onto other objects. It can be controlled by adjusting the ambient occlusion and global illumination settings in Unreal Engine.

By using a skybox, you can create realistic and dynamic lighting effects for your scene that match the time of day, weather conditions, or mood you want to convey.

B. Interaction with Directional Light

Directional light is a type of light source that simulates sunlight or moonlight in Unreal Engine. It emits parallel rays of light from an infinite distance in a specific direction.

Directional light can interact with a skybox in two ways: shadow casting and light matching.

Shadow casting is when a directional light casts shadows from your scene objects onto your skybox or vice versa. It can create interesting contrast and depth effects for your scene.

Light matching is when you match the direction, color, and intensity of your directional light with your skybox images. It can create consistent and harmonious lighting effects for your scene.

By using a directional light with a skybox, you can enhance the realism and immersion of your scene by simulating natural light sources.

III. Different Methods to Create Skyboxes

There are different methods to create skyboxes for Unreal Engine. Here are some of them:

A. Unreal Engine Asset Store

The Unreal Engine Asset Store is an online marketplace where you can find and download assets for Unreal Engine projects. It has thousands of assets across various categories, including skyboxes.

You can browse through different types of skyboxes such as realistic, stylized, sci-fi, fantasy, etc., and choose one that suits your project theme and style. You can also filter by price, rating, popularity, etc., to find the best option for you.

The advantage of using the Unreal Engine Asset Store is that you can save time and effort by using ready-made skyboxes that are compatible with Unreal Engine. You can also find high-quality skyboxes that are created by professional artists and developers.

The disadvantage of using the Unreal Engine Asset Store is that you have to pay for some assets or share revenue with their creators if you use them commercially. And you also have less control over customization overall.

B. Polyhaven: A Resource for Free HDRIs

Polyhaven is a website that offers free high-quality HDRIs (high dynamic range images) for 3D artists and game developers. HDRIs are images that capture the full range of light intensity in a scene, from the brightest to the darkest areas.

You can use HDRIs as skyboxes for Unreal Engine by importing them as cube maps and applying them to a skybox material. You can also adjust the exposure, rotation, and tint of the HDRIs to fit your scene.

You can browse through hundreds of HDRIs on Polyhaven that cover various themes such as nature, urban, space, etc., and download them in different resolutions and formats. You can also filter by category, mood, time of day, etc., to find the best option for you.

The advantage of using Polyhaven is that you can access high-quality HDRIs for free and use them for any purpose without attribution. You can also find realistic and diverse HDRIs that capture different lighting conditions and environments.

The disadvantage of using Polyhaven is that you have to download the HDRIs separately and import them into Unreal Engine manually. You also have limited customization options for HDRIs compared to other methods.

IV. Using an AI Tool for Skybox Creation – Blockade Labs Skybox

If you want to create a skybox that is unique, customizable, and easy to use, you can use an AI tool for skybox creation. In this tutorial, we will use Blockade Labs AI Tool, a revolutionary software that lets you generate realistic and customizable skyboxes with just a few clicks.

A. Introduction to Blockade Labs AI Tool

Blockade Labs AI Tool is a software that uses artificial intelligence to create realistic and customizable skyboxes for Unreal Engine. It allows you to specify the desired skybox parameters such as time of day, weather, clouds, sun position, etc., and generate a skybox image in seconds.

You can also edit the generated skybox image using various tools such as brushes, filters, gradients, etc., to fine-tune it to your liking. You can also save your skybox image as a cube map or an HDRI and export it to Unreal Engine with ease.

The advantage of using Blockade Labs AI Tool is that you can create a skybox that is tailored to your project theme and style without any artistic skills or technical knowledge. You can also create a skybox that is seamless and aligned by default and adjust it as much as you want.

IV. Using an AI Tool for Skybox Creation

If you want to create a skybox that is unique, customizable, and easy to use, you can use an AI tool for skybox creation. In this tutorial, we will use Blockade Labs AI Tool, a revolutionary software that lets you generate realistic and customizable skyboxes with just a few clicks.

A. Introduction to Blockade Labs AI Tool

Skybox.blockadelabs.com is a free online tool that lets you create stunning 360° images from text prompts. You can use it to generate realistic or fantastical worlds for your VR, XR, or game projects. You can also remix existing skyboxes with different styles, or sketch your own ideas and let the AI fill in the details. You can download your skyboxes as equirectangular images, or share them with others using unique links. Skybox.blockadelabs.com is powered by Skybox AI, a cutting-edge technology developed by Blockade Labs, a company that aims to bring out the world-building technowizard in everyone.

B. How to use the Skybox Tool and create the Desired Skybox

To use skybox.blockadelabs.com, you need to follow these steps:

1. Go to the website and enter a text prompt in the box. For example, you can type “a futuristic city at night” or “a tropical island with a volcano”.
2. Click on the Generate button and wait for the AI to create a 360° image based on your prompt. You can also use the arrow keys to rotate the image and see it from different angles.
3. If you are not satisfied with the result, you can click on the Remix button and enter a new text prompt that will affect the style of the image, while keeping its structure and depth intact. For example, you can type “make it more colorful” or “add some clouds”.
4. If you want to sketch your own idea and let the AI fill in the details, you can click on the Sketch button and use the tools and guides to draw the image. You can also specify a text prompt that will influence the generation. For example, you can sketch a castle in the distance and type “a medieval fantasy world”.
5. When you are happy with your skybox, you can click on the Share button to get a unique link that you can copy and paste to show others your 360° world. You can also click on the Download button to get your equirectangular image for use in your interactive experience builder app of choice.
6. If you want to use your Skybox in Unity, you can download the Blockade Labs SDK for Unity from GitHub and follow the instructions to import your Skybox using your Blockade Labs’ public API key and ID.

V. Implementing the Skybox in Unreal Engine

Now that you have downloaded your skybox image from Blockade Labs AI Tool, you can implement it in Unreal Engine. Here are the steps to do that:

A. Importing the Skybox into Unreal Engine

To import your skybox image into Unreal Engine, you need to follow these steps:

• Open your Unreal Engine project or create a new one.
• In the Content Browser, right-click and select Import to /Game.
• Browse to the folder where you saved your skybox image and select it.
• In the Import Options window, make sure the Texture Group is set to Skybox and click Import.
• Your skybox image will be imported as a texture asset in your project.

B. Creating a Cube Map

To use your skybox image as a skybox in Unreal Engine, you need to convert it into a cube map. A cube map is a type of texture asset that contains six images that correspond to each face of a cube.

To create a cube map from your skybox image, you need to follow these steps:

• In the Content Browser, right-click on your skybox texture asset and select Create Cube Map.
• In the Create Cube Map window, give your cube map a name and click OK.
• Your cube map will be created as a cube map asset in your project.

C. Creating a Skybox Material

To apply your cube map to a skybox in Unreal Engine, you need to create a skybox material. A skybox material is a type of material asset that defines how your cube map is rendered on a skybox.

To create a skybox material from your cube map, you need to follow these steps:

• In the Content Browser, right-click and select Create Basic Asset > Material.
• Give your material a name and double-click on it to open it in the Material Editor.
• In the Material Editor, drag and drop your cube map asset from the Content Browser into the graph area.
• Connect the output of your cube map asset to the Emissive Color input of the Material node.
• Set the Shading Model of the Material node to Unlit and click Apply.
• Your skybox material will be created as a material asset in your project.

D. Configuring the Lighting Tab

To use your skybox material as a skybox in Unreal Engine, you need to configure the Lighting tab. The Lighting tab is where you can set up various lighting settings for your scene such as directional light, skylight, ambient occlusion, etc.

To configure the Lighting tab for your skybox material, you need to follow these steps:

• In the main toolbar, click on Settings > World Settings to open the World Settings panel.
• In the World Settings panel, expand the Lighting section and click on the arrow next to Environment Color to open its properties.
• Set the Source Type to SLS Specified Cubemap and click on the None button next to Cubemap.
• Browse to your Skybox material asset and select it.
• Your skybox material will be applied as an environment color for your scene.

VI. The Impact of Skyboxes on Scene Depth

One of the benefits of using skyboxes in Unreal Engine is that they can create a sense of depth and realism for your scene without adding excessive geometry. Here are some ways how skyboxes can impact scene depth:

A. Adding Depth without Excessive Geometry

Skyboxes can add depth to your scene by creating a background that extends beyond your scene objects. This can create a sense of scale and distance for your scene and make it look more immersive.

For example, if you have a scene with a mountain range, you can use a skybox with a matching mountain image to create a seamless transition between your scene and the sky. This can make your scene look more realistic and natural.

However, if you were to model the mountain range as geometry instead of using a skybox, you would have to add a lot of polygons and textures to your scene. This can increase the complexity and size of your scene and affect its performance and loading time.

By using a skybox, you can avoid adding excessive geometry to your scene and save memory and performance.

B. Leveraging Images for Realistic Environments

Skyboxes can also leverage images for realistic environments by using photos or HDRIs that capture real-world scenes. These images can provide accurate and detailed lighting and color information for your skybox and make it look more believable.

For example, if you have a scene with a cityscape, you can use a skybox with a photo or an HDRI of a real city at night. This can provide realistic lighting and color effects for your skybox such as street lights, neon signs, moonlight, etc.

However, if you were to create the cityscape as geometry instead of using a skybox, you would have to manually add and adjust the lighting and color effects for your scene. This can be time-consuming and challenging to achieve realistic results.

By using a skybox, you can leverage images for realistic environments and save time and effort.

VII. Exploring the Possibilities with AI Tools

Using an AI tool for skybox creation can open up new possibilities for your Unreal Engine projects. Here are some of them:

A. Benefits of AI for Concepting and Prototyping

AI tools can help you with concepts and prototyping by allowing you to quickly generate and test different skybox ideas for your scene. You can use AI tools to experiment with different parameters such as time of day, weather, clouds, sun position, etc., and see how they affect your scene.

You can also use AI tools to edit and fine-tune your generated skybox images using various tools such as brushes, filters, gradients, etc., to match your vision. You can also use AI tools to export your Skybox images in different formats and resolutions for different purposes.

By using AI tools, you can speed up the conception and prototyping process and find the best skybox option for your scene.

B. Experimenting with Different Skybox Ideas

AI tools can also help you experiment with different skybox ideas by allowing you to generate unique and diverse skybox images for your scene. You can use AI tools to create realistic or stylized skyboxes that suit your project theme and style.

You can also use AI tools to create fantasy or sci-fi skyboxes that defy reality and imagination. You can use AI tools to create skyboxes with multiple suns or moons, alien planets or stars, magical or futuristic effects, etc.

By using AI tools, you can experiment with different skybox ideas for your Unreal Engine development

Conclusion

Creating a captivating skybox is an essential aspect of game development in Unreal Engine. By following this tutorial, you have learned how to create a stunning skybox using an AI tool in Unreal Engine. You have discovered the fundamentals of skyboxes, their impact on scene lighting and depth, and how to use Blockade Labs AI Tool to generate and implement a skybox in Unreal Engine with ease.

By leveraging AI and Unreal Engine’s powerful features, you can easily create immersive and visually striking environments for your game or interactive experience. With this newfound knowledge, you are now equipped to incorporate dynamic skyboxes into your Unreal Engine projects and elevate the overall user experience.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned something new. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. And if you liked this tutorial, please share it with your friends and colleagues who might find it useful.

Thanks for reading and happy skyboxing!

BONUS!!

BLOCKADE Skybox Prompts Samples – 100+ Prompt Ideas Categorized with the Scene Setting