In this lesson, you work with a scene we created for your use. In the first steps of this lesson, you open the scene and view the various elements that have been preset for your use.
This file can be found in the GettingStartedMaya2012LessonData\Rendering directory that you set as your Maya project:
GettingStartedMaya2012LessonData\Rendering\CausticStart.ma
The scene contains a still life with a translucent bottle and apples. Other surfaces act as the floor and walls for the scene. (The bottle appears opaque when viewed in shaded and textured display mode.)
Two lights illuminate the scene: a spotlight and a point light.
Shading materials have already been assigned to the models and surfaces. You can view the shaders and textures by opening the Hypershade editor.
When you initially render this scene, the objects cast shadows onto the floor surface. Caustics are added to the lighting of the scene to create a more realistic shadow for the translucent bottle.
