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Shadows group
On Determines whether the sunlight casts shadows or not.
Shadow Method drop-down list Determines whether the renderer uses
shadow maps on page 8125, ray-traced shadows on page 8103, advanced ray-traced
shadows
on page 8103, mental ray shadow maps on page 5128, or area shadows
on page 7913 to generate shadows for this light.
Each shadow type has a rollout with its associated controls.
TIP When you use the mental ray renderer and mental ray shadow maps, you
can set up soft-edged shadows.
Use Global Settings Turn on to use global settings for shadows cast by this
light. Turn off to enable individual control of the shadows. If you choose not
to use the global settings, you must choose which method the renderer will
use to generate shadows for this particular light.
When Use Global Settings is on, the shadow parameters switch over to show
you what the current global setting is. This data is shared by every other light
of this class. When Use Global Settings is off, the shadow parameters are
specific to that particular light.
Exclude Excludes selected objects from the effects of the light. Click this
button to display the
Exclude/Include dialog on page 5096.
Excluded objects still appear lit in shaded viewports. Exclusion takes effect
only when you render the scene.
Advanced Effects Rollout
Contrast Adjusts the contrast between the diffuse and ambient areas of the
surface. Leave this set to 0 for normal contrast. Increase the value to increase
the contrast for special effects: for example, the harsh light of outer space.
Default=0.0.
Soften Diffuse Edge Increasing the value of Soften Diffuse Edge softens the
edge between the diffuse and ambient portions of a surface. This helps
5156 | Chapter 18 Lights and Cameras