Lights

11

Lights

Lights illuminate objects. If your scene contains no lights, then it will render entirely black (unless, for example, you are using shaders with incandescence). You can also use lights to:

• deform objects (warps)

• influence the motion of objects during a dynamic simulation (forces)

• emit particles

• create special optical effects (for example, halos, lens flares, or fog).

In This Section:

• Creating a Light 226
• Light Options 227
• Displaying Light Icons 228
• Linking a Light 229
• Link Editor 233

Creating a Light

You can create a light using the Light tools or using the Multi-lister. You can use the light options to set properties for any new light you create.

Light#1 isn't used explicitly as a name; the first light with a given name is implicitly numbered 1.

By default, lights are named sequentially as you create them: Light, Light#2, and so on. To avoid confusion, however, you should name all lights as you create them. If you let the system assign default names and later combine two or more files, all lights are renumbered to avoid duplicate names. It may then become difficult to distinguish lights by name.

To create a light using the Light tools:

See Light Types on page 255.

1

Select a tool from the Lights cascading menu, or click one of these icons:

2

Place the light by clicking in the modeling window, or by typing a set of coordinates in the prompt line.

A new light swatch appears in the Multi-lister, and a new light icon appears in the modeling window. Each type of light has a unique modeling window icon and Multi-lister swatch.

To create a light using the Multi-lister:

See New Light on page 25.

• In the Multi-lister, select Edit > New Light. A new point light swatch appears in the Multi-lister, and a new point light icon appears in the modeling windows at 0,0,0.

To display the light options box:

See Light Options on page 227.

• Do one of the following:

• Select Lights from the Objects menu, then click the box beside the name of a light type (for example, Objects > Lights > Point ), or

• Double click the light icon from the Tool Palette.

Light Options

The Color, Intensity, Decay, Shadows, and Exclusive options are common to all light types. Spot lights, volume lights, and directional lights also have additional options.

Color

The RGB values for the light's color. The default setting is white (255, 255, 255).

Intensity

See Intensity on page 243.

Decay

See Decay on page 244.

Exclusive

See Exclusive Link on page 244.

Displaying Light Icons

You can control whether light icons are displayed in the modeling windows.

To toggle the display of lights on or off:

• Select DisplayTgls > Object Toggles > Lights.

To open the Toggle Lights Options:

• Select DisplayTgls > Object Toggles > Lights .

Toggle Lights Options

Toggle Type

Toggles the display of lights in All Windows or just in the Current Window (the active window). The default setting is All Windows.