If you've ever wanted to know more about how the global illumination tech in Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's The Division works, this is the post for you.

See, at GDC 2016 Ubisoft Massive's Nikolay Stefanov gave a fascinating talk about exactly that, explaining how the game's global illumination tech is based on radiance transfer probes and allows real-time bounce lighting from completely dynamic light sources, both on consoles and PC.

Stefanov said this was great during production, since it gave the Division lighting artists instant feedback and made quick iterations possible. He went on to share in-depth technical details of the system and how it integrates into a physically-based rendering pipeline. A number of solutions to common problems (such as how to handle probe bleeding in indoor areas) was also discussed, as was the team's approach to improving performance and memory optimization for consoles.

It was a great, in-depth talk that's well worth taking the time to now watch (for free!) via the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.

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