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1274 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras
Usi ng Li ghts
In general, these are the reasons to use light objects
(page 2–1272):
•Toimprovetheilluminationofascene.
The default illumination in viewports might
notbebrightenough,oritmightnotilluminate
all faces of a complicated object.
• To enhance a scene’s realism through realistic
lighting effects.
Guidelines for Lighting (page 2–1280) has
suggestions about making lighting appear
realistic.
• To enhance a scene’s realism by having lights
cast shadows.
All kinds of lights can cast shadows. Als o, you
can selectively control whether an object casts
or receives shadows. See Shadow Parameters
(page 2–1337).
• To cast projections in a scene.
All kinds of lights can project st ill or animated
maps. See the Projec tor Map group in the
Advanced Effects rollout (page 2–1341).
• Tohelpmodelasourceofilluminationinthe
scene, such as a flashlight.
Lig ht objects don’t render, so to model a
source of illumination, you also need to create
geometry that corresponds to the light source.
Use a self-illuminating (page 3–1009) material
to make the geometry appear as if it’s emitting
light.
• To create lighting scenes using manufacturers’
IES (page 2–1328), CIBSE (page 3–921),orLT L I
(page 3–964) files.
You can visualize commercially available
lighting in your model by creating photometric
lights (page 2–1301) based on manufacturer’s
photometric data files. By experimenting
w ith different fixtures, and varying the lig ht
intensity and color temperature, you can design
a lighting system that produces the results you
want. See Photometric Lights: Web Distribution
(page 2–1325).
See also
Working w ith Lights (page 2–1274)
Properties of Light (page 2–1276)
Lighting in 3ds Max (page 2–1279)
Guidelines for Lighting (page 2–1280)
Positioning Light O b jects (page 2–1282)
Animating Lights (page 2–1282)
Light Include/Exclude Tool (page 2–1283)
Light Lister (page 2–1285)
Wor k ing with Lights
The procedures in this topic apply to both standard
and photometric lights.
Here are some general tips about working with
lights:
• One simple way to light a scene is to convert the
default lig hting into lig ht objects by u sing the
command Add Default Lights To Scene (page
1–49).
Note: Add Default Lights To Scene works only
if you have used the Viewport Configuration
dialog (page 3–853) tohavethesceneusetwo
default lights.
• Youcanturnthedisplayoflightobjectsonand
offwithanoptionintheDisplay panel (page
3–775). See the “Procedures” section, below.
•YoucanusethePlace Highlight (page 1–467)
button to change a light’s position. See the
“Procedures” section, below.