ARRI LUKA brings virtual lighting and cameras to Unreal Engine previs

ARRI's new LUKA plugin for Unreal Engine lets gaffers and DPs test lights and cameras in a real-time virtual environment. A free three-month trial license is available now.

ARRI has released LUKA, a plugin for Unreal Engine that puts virtual versions of its lighting fixtures and cameras into a real-time previsualization environment. Aimed at anyone from film students to working gaffers and DPs (the virtual versions are much cheaper than the real things), it's designed to be usable without prior Unreal Engine experience.

My name is LUKA

The plugin has two main components. ARRI Virtual Fixtures are modeled on the detailed specifications of real ARRI luminaires, replicating their color output, intensity, and light distribution. Fixtures integrate with lighting networks and control panels via ArtNet and sACN, and common accessories including diffusion, bounce, and flags can be attached or positioned around them. Shadows reflect the characteristics of the source, whether hard-edged from an open-faced lamp or softened through a diffusion frame.

ARRI Virtual Cam, meanwhile, emulates a range of ARRI camera models and brings key lens parameters, including focal length, focus setting, and T-stop, into Unreal Engine's Camera Actor. A LiveLink connection allows a virtual camera to be twinned with a physical ARRI camera, syncing settings in real time for ICVFX work on LED volumes. An ARRI Color Management calibration tool is included to improve on-wall results.

Rendering uses Unreal Engine's Lumen system, giving real-time feedback as lights and cameras are moved around the virtual set. Environments can be built from scratch or sourced from Unreal Engine's existing library. ARRI says consumer hardware can be used to scan performer faces for lighting tests on virtual avatars.

Practical applications span pre-production, LED wall production, and post, where the plugin can accelerate CG integration and streamline data handover.

Pricing and availability

LUKA is available now for Windows (Win64). A trial license is available here and lasts three months. Pricing for full commercial licenses has not been announced. The ARRI team can be reached at mrplugins@arri.de for technical questions and feature requests.