Lights illuminate the objects in your scene and help you accurately evaluate the form of your sculpted model. You can modify
the brightness (intensity) and color properties (diffuse color) for a light and define whether it casts shadows. A default
light exists in the but you can create additional lights.
The three light types are:
- - A point light source emits light evenly in all directions from an infinitely small point in space. A point light is often
used to simulate an incandescent light source.
- - A directional light source simulates a very distant point light source. Its light rays are parallel to each other, as if
emitted perpendicular to an infinitely large plane. A directional light is often used to simulate a light source like the
sun.
- - An image-based light source simulates lighting based on an environment image you specify and generally provides a more
even illumination compared to other light types. You can have only one image based light in the at a time. High Dynamic Range Images (HDRI) are supported and a few sample HDR images are provided in the following directories:
- (Windows) <drive>:\My Documents\Mudbox\<version>\data\Textures\Lightprobes
- (Mac OS X) /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Autodesk/Mudbox <version>/textures/Lightprobes
- (Linux) /home/<username>/Mudbox/<version>/Textures/Lightprobes
TipKeep the number of lights in the to a minimum to improve interactive performance.
Create a light
- Select and select , , or from the list.
A light is created in the and appears in the .
Edit light properties
Do any of the following:
- Select the light in the , then edit its properties in the window.
- Right-click the light in the and select . Edit the properties in the window.
Move or rotate a light
Do any of the following:
- Edit the light’s transformation properties - In the window menu ensure that the option is turned on. In the , click the light’s name so its transformation properties appear in the window. Edit its X, Y, Z or properties in the section of the window.
NoteEnsure you turn off the option in the window menu when you are finished transforming an item to return the to its original display state.
- Use the light’s transformation manipulator - Select the light in the then turn on the option in the window. Drag the transform manipulator that appears in the to move or rotate the light as required.
Note
A point light source only has a move transform manipulator, while directional and image-based lights have a rotate transform
manipulator.
- Using hotkeys - Select the light in the then press and click-drag in the while pressing either the left or right button on the stylus/mouse as follows:
The + left button hotkey lets you rotate a light (relative from its current position) in the direction you drag. Rotating the
light source is useful when you want to backlight a model and is useful when you need to rotate an light source.
The + right button hotkey lets you rotate the light so it immediately points from the location you click in the . This option is useful if you frequently tumble the model when sculpting and want to quickly update the light’s direction
to evaluate the model’s surface.
Rename a light
- Right-click the light in the and select from the menu that appears.
- Type a new name for the light in the window that appears and click .
Delete a light
- Right-click the light in the and select from the menu that appears.
Note
One light source must exist in the scene at all times. If you have only one light in the scene (default or otherwise) it cannot
be deleted.
