Class LightSource

Represents a single vehicle light source that can be implemented as either a Unity Light component or an emissive mesh material for headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and other vehicle illumination.

Inheritance

object

LightSource

Namespace: NWH.VehiclePhysics2.Effects

Assembly: NWH.VehiclePhysics2.dll

Syntax

[Serializable]
public class LightSource

Remarks

LightSource provides a unified interface for controlling both traditional Unity Light components and emissive mesh materials. This allows for flexible lighting setups where some lights use actual illumination (Light mode) while others use visual-only emissive materials (Mesh mode).

Light mode uses Unity's light system for actual scene illumination, suitable for headlights and searchlights. Mesh mode modifies material emission properties for visual indication without scene lighting, ideal for brake lights, turn signals, and decorative lighting where performance is prioritized.

The light source can be controlled through intensity values and supports HDR colors for realistic automotive lighting effects. Emission color and intensity are automatically synchronized with the underlying Light or Material components.

Fields

emissionColor

The HDR color of the emitted light or emissive material. Supports high dynamic range values for realistic bright automotive lighting effects. Used by both Light mode (tints the light color) and Mesh mode (sets material emission color).

Declaration

[ColorUsage(true, true)]
[Tooltip("The color of the emitted light.")]
public Color emissionColor

Field Value

Type	Description
Color

isOn

Gets whether the light source is currently turned on. Updated by TurnOn() and TurnOff() methods.

Declaration

[NonSerialized]
public bool isOn

Field Value

Type	Description
bool

light

Unity Light component (Point/Spot/Directional) for actual scene illumination. Only used when type is set to Light. Provides real lighting but has higher performance cost. Ideal for headlights and searchlights that need to illuminate the environment.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Light (point/spot/directional/etc.) representing the vehicle light. Will only be used if light type is set to\r\nLight.")]
public Light light

Field Value

Type	Description
Light

meshRenderer

MeshRenderer with emissive material for visual-only light indication. Only used when type is set to Mesh. Modifies material emission without scene lighting. Better performance than Light mode. Ideal for brake lights, indicators, and decorative lighting. Material must support emission (Standard shader or HDRP Lit shader).

Declaration

[Tooltip("Mesh renderer using standard shader. Emission on the material will be turned on or off depending on light state.")]
public MeshRenderer meshRenderer

Field Value

Type	Description
MeshRenderer

onLightTurnedOff

Called when the light is turned off.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Called when the light is turned off.")]
public UnityEvent onLightTurnedOff

Field Value

Type	Description
UnityEvent

onLightTurnedOn

Called when the light is turned on.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Called when the light is turned on.")]
public UnityEvent onLightTurnedOn

Field Value

Type	Description
UnityEvent

rendererMaterialIndex

Material array index to modify when the MeshRenderer has multiple materials. Use 0 for single-material meshes. Only relevant when type is set to Mesh.

Declaration

[Tooltip("If your mesh has more than one material, set this number to the index of the required material.")]
public int rendererMaterialIndex

Field Value

Type	Description
int

type

Type of the light.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Type of the light.")]
public LightSource.LightType type

Field Value

Type	Description
LightSource.LightType

Methods

TurnOff()

Turns off the light source by disabling the Light component or removing material emission. Invokes onLightTurnedOff event. Has no effect if already off.

Declaration

public virtual void TurnOff()

TurnOn()

Turns on the light source by enabling the Light component or applying material emission. Invokes onLightTurnedOn event. Has no effect if already on.

Declaration

public virtual void TurnOn()