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1292 Chapter 15: Lights and Cameras

Target Direct Light

Create panel > Lights > Standard > Target D irect button

Create menu > S tand ard Lights > Target Directional Light

Top: Top view of a target directional light

Bottom: Perspective view of the same light

Directional lights cast parallel light rays in a

single direction, as the sun does (for all practical

purposes) at the surface of the ear t h. Directional

lights are primarily used to simulate sunlight. You

can adjust the color of the light and position and

rotate the light in 3D space.

Atargetdirectionallightusesatargetobjectto

aim the light.

Because directional rays are parallel, directional

lights have a beam in the shape of a circular or

rectangular pr ism instead of a "cone."

Note: When you add a t arget directional light, the

software automatically assigns a Look At controller

(page 2–344) to it, with the light’s target object

assigned as the Look At target. You can use the

controller settings on the Motion panel to assig n

any other object in the scene as the Look At target.

Note: Direct lig hts are supported in a radiosity

solution (page 3–51) only if they are pointed

downwards, outside the boundary box of the scene

geometry.

Note: The mental ray renderer assumes t hat all

directional lights come from infinity, so objects

thatarebehindthedirectlightobjectinthe

3dsMaxscenewillalsobeilluminated. In

addition, with the mental ra y renderer, directional

lights cannot generate area shadows, and do not

workwiththeBeamshader(inthelumelibrary).