2009
Area Shadows Rollout
Create panel > Lights > Create or select a light. > General Parameters rollout
> Shadows group > Shadow type > Area Shadows rollout
The Area Shadow generator can be applied to any light type to achieve the
effect of an area shadow effect. In order to create an area shadow, the user
needs to specify the dimensions of a virtual light created to "fake" an area
shadow.
NOTE When using area lights, the user should try to make the properties of the
light match the properties in the Area Light Dimensions group of the Area Shadows
rollout.
TIP Area shadows can take a fair amount of time to render. If you want to create
a quick test (or draft) rendering, you can use the Area/Linear Lights as Point Lights
toggle in the Common Parameters rollout on page 6121 of the Render Setup dialog
to speed up your rendering. When this toggle is on, the shadows are processed
as if the light object is a point source.
Area shadows create a soft edge that becomes more noticeable as the distance between
the object and the shadow increases.
5122 | Chapter 18 Lights and Cameras