UE5: Re-Create Standard Map Template Lighting & Disable/Control Auto-Exposure (Eye Adaptation)

In this tutorial you will learn how to recreate the standard map template with all the lighting actors that you need to make it work and a UE Mannequin model to judge scale as you build environments.

As well as how to disable Auto-Exposure (Eye Adaptation) which controls how your eyes naturally adjust when you go from a bright environment into a dark environment and vice versa.

Recreate the Standard Map Template

So why do you need to recreate the standard map template? This is for you to understand what actors need to be inserted to make your initial level work. This is how Epic Games has their Standard level setup and if you know what you need to use then you have better control over what to adjust.

Enable Engine Content:

Search for Floor mesh to use as your ground:

Here are the actors you need to insert into your level:

• Lights: Directional Light (Your sunlight, change Mobility: Movable)
• Visual Effects: Sky Atmosphere (creates sky dome atmosphere)
• Lights: Sky Light (Adds light into Indirectly Lit Areas or shadows of your level, set Mobility: Movable and Real-Time Capture: Enabled)
• Visual Effects: Volumetric Cloud (if you want Volumetric Clouds in the sky)
• Visual Effects: Exponential Height Fog (if you want Fog in your level and remove black void below the horizon line)
• Basic: Player Start (will spawn you in the level from this location)
• Visual Effects: Post Process Volume (will control auto-exposure and many other visuals within your level)

Disable Auto-Exposure (Eye Adaptation) in UE5.0

In UE5, Auto-Exposure is enabled by default and often you need to control this yourself or disable as you work on your lights. This will allow you to control lighting without brightness to darkness being automatically adjusted.

Insert Post Process Volume found in Visual Effects into your level:

Enable Min/Max Brightness and change both to 1 and Enable Infinite Extend (Unbound) to make this Post Process universal. This means you don’t have to be inside the volume for it to take effect:

You can then adjust Min/Max Brightness with different values to tweak your Auto-Exposure if you decide to use it.

UE5.1+ Update: Disable Auto-Exposure (Eye Adaptation)

UE5.1+ has introduced an update to how you would adjust Auto-Exposure. Instead of using Min/Max Brightness set to 1, now use Min/Max EV100 set to 0:

Extended Default Luminance Range property is enabled for new projects by default and Min/Max Brightness has been changed to Min/Max EV100.

Before 5.1 you would have to enable this option from the Project Settings in the Rendering > Default section. But having this property disabled has been deprecated.

Now in 5.1+ this Luminance Range option is enabled by default and you have to use Min/Max EV100 values.

Using UE Mannequin to Judge Scale and Environment Proportions

Include a Third-Person Game Template with your project during the initial Project Creation screen to get access to the UE Mannequins to use.

Or you can add Third Person Blueprint Template into any existing project through Content Browser. Go to Add and Add Feature or Content Pack:

Then choose Third Person:

Then inside Content Browser: Content > Characters and choose UE4 Mannequin folder or Mannequins folder which gives you the UE5 version. Both are the same height. Go into Meshes folder and drag the SK Mesh version of any UE Mannequins into your level:

Now you will have a human size scale character in your levels to accurately build and judge environments to correct proportions and dimensions.

Next Tutorial: Maya/UE5: How to Match Grid Size and Dimensions in Maya to UE5 - EXPLAINED

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