Moving and Rotating Light Objects

You can use the following methods to move and rotate light objects.

• Move an omni light when it’s a "practical" light within a scene (a light that appears in the scene itself). Combine the light with a self-illuminating geometric object. If you want to move a target type of light, select both the light and its target to animate them together.
• Move a Photometric Preset light, or a Free or target light when it’s a "practical" light within a scene (a light that appears in the scene itself). Combine the light with a self-illuminating geometric object. If you want to move a target type of light, select both the light and its target to animate them together.
• Use a free spotlight when a spotlight is to move within the scene. Free spotlights are especially intended to be animated along a path, using a Path constraint. Unlike target spotlights, free spotlights can bank as they travel. Use target spotlights when the light position is fixed.
• If you do need to move a target spotlight, link both the light and its target to a dummy object, then assign the path constraint to the dummy object.
• Use a LookAt Constraint to have a spotlight track a moving object.

  If the spotlight is a target spotlight, its previous target is ignored.

  If the spotlight is a free spotlight, it effectively becomes a target spotlight, with the looked-at object the target.

• Change the parameters of a daylight system or sunlight system to simulate different times of day or year.

Animating Light Creation Parameters

The following techniques can be used to animate Modify panel parameters for lights.

• To dim or brighten a light over time, animate its Multiplier parameter.
• To dim or brighten a standard light over time, animate its Multiplier value or Filter Color parameter.
• To change the color of a light over time, animate its color parameters. Use a smooth tangent for color change keys unless you want the color to change abruptly.
• To make a standard light flash on and off, set its Multiplier to 0 in repeated keyframes, and assign a step tangent to this parameter.