Lights all have basic properties:
- Color
-
The color of the light
cast on objects. Click the sample square to set the color. The slider
sets the value of the color (from dark to light), which also scales
the overall intensity.
- Intensity
-
The brightness of
the light. Can be positive (casts light) or negative (removes light).
A value of zero produces no light.
NoteIn ray tracing mode, negative intensity lights may cast unusual
or inverted shadows.
- Drop-off distance
-
The
total distance (in meters) that the light will travel from the light
source. Objects that are further than this distance from the light
will not be illuminated.
- Drop-off rate
-
Controls
the drop-off of intensity (or the “decay”) from the position of
the light source to the limit of the drop-off distance. As the rate
increases, objects further from the light will receive more of the
total intensity of illumination.
- Cast Shadows in Ray Tracing
-
Activate shadows
for this light when in Ray Tracing mode.
- Ray Tracing shadow and
highlight softness
-
Sets
the softness of shadow edges and highlights created by this light
by specifying a light source size. A larger size will cast softer
shadows and highlights based on the distance from the light source
to the object.
Spot lights have additional
properties:
- Cone angle
-
The angle
(in degrees) from edge to edge of the spot light beam.
- Penumbra angle
-
The
angle (in degrees) from edge to edge of the start of the penumbra (or
edge drop-off). This value cannot be larger than the cone angle.
A value equal to the cone angle produces a hard edged cone of light,
while a value of zero starts the penumbra from the center of the cone.
- Radial drop-off
-
The
rate at which the overall intensity drops off from the center to the
edge of the light cone. Can be set to any positive number. A value
of zero produces even illumination across the cone angle.