2012

6 Press Enter twice to exit the command. A distant light is not displayed
as a light glyph.
To change the properties of a distant light. Enter lightlist at the command
prompt. In the Lights in Model window, double click on the distant light
name from the light list and use the Lighting Properties palette to change
its color and other properties.
Quick Reference
Commands
DISTANTLIGHT
Creates a distant light.
System Variables
LIGHTINGUNITS
Controls whether generic or photometric lights are used, and specifies the
lighting units for the drawing.
Assigning a Shape to a Light
Assigning a shape to a light modifies the illumination of a scene.
Area and Linear Lights
The Area parameter on the light is a property of a light. Just as a light can have
a color, it can also be assigned a shape. For example, you can shape it like a
rectangle so that it acts like panel lighting in a ceiling. Or you can shape it
like a line, so it acts like a narrow fluorescent light tube. The area light is a
way to assign a shape to the light. The shape affects the rendering and shadows
in the same way that a panel light casts different light than a tube light in the
real world.
The Shape Property
The Shape property is available in the Lighting Properties palette. Under the
Render Shadow Detail panel, there is a Type property. Whether the Shape
property is displayed depends on the Type property that is selected.
2178 | Chapter 44 Add Lighting to Your Model