Automatic placement of accent lights

Auto placement sets the position, orientation and drop-off distance of the accent light to appropriate values based on the current camera distance to the associated objects and the placement method you choose.

Auto placement is done using the Accent Light Properties dialog box.

To open the Accent Light Properties dialog box:

1. Press the L key (or select Appearance > Accent Lights) to open the Accent Lights interface.
2. In the Accent Lights interface, right-click an accent light and select Properties.

In the Accent Light Properties dialog box, click the Choose>> button to select the auto placement method for the accent light.

• In Front of Lit Objects: places the accent light in front of the associated objects (relative to the current camera view) and slightly above and to the right. This is the same auto placement that is done when an accent light is first created.
• Behind Lit Objects: places the accent light behind the associated objects and slightly above and to the left. This is the inverse of In Front, and is useful for back-lighting and “rim” lights.
• Above Lit Objects: places the accent light above the associated objects, pointing at the center of the bounding box of the associated objects.
• Behind Current Camera View: places the accent light behind the camera, but pointed at the associated objects. This is useful for intuitive positioning using the camera controls and for “headlamp” effects.
  Note

  Auto Placement of the type “In front of lit objects” is used during the creation of an accent light whenever geometry is selected. This ensures that the lighting effect will immediately be visible in the scene and that the accent light will be positioned relative to the objects it is associated to.