In part eleventh of this tutorial series, I will show you how to quickly use gobos with lights to light your scene in UE5.
What is a gobo
A gobo is an object placed inside or in front of a light source to control the shape of the emitted light and its shadow
These were traditionally used for films and theater but have made their way into CGI workflows
Level
Make a new Empty Level
Open the Landscape Mode and add a simple Landscape
In Selection Mode, add a Spot Light and adjust the Intensity as necessary
Also add a Post Process Volume and activate Infinite Extent
Search for Exposure and set the Minimum and Maximum EV both to 1
Gobo
Import the gobo you wish to use in a folder
I will be using a simple gobo I made for a Blender tutorial
Right-click in the folder and make a new Master Material
Open the new Master Material and in the Details panel, change the Material Domain to Light Function
Drag your gobo into the Master Material and connect it to the Emissive Color
Save and close the Master Material
Select the Spot Light and search for the Light Function panel
Drag your new Master Material into the Light Function option
You can now add a Plane and assign a simple material to it
Change the angle of the light and see how the gobo interacts with the Plane