On/Off

Shows or hides the light produced by the light source

Color

Specifies a color associated with the light source; click the color box to select the color. This parameter is not available if Use Emitter is selected and a Color Temperature is specified (Renderworks required).

Cast Shadows
(Renderworks required)

Select to create shadows

Soft Shadows (Renderworks required)

Creates more realistic shadows by decreasing hard edges; shadows appear softer the farther they travel, as in reality. Rendering is slower when this option is enabled.

Brightness

Specifies the light source brightness; enter a percentage or drag the slider bar. A value over 100% can be entered. This parameter is not available if Use Emitter is selected (Renderworks required).

Use Emitter
(Renderworks required)

For accuracy, specifies the light’s actual brightness and color temperature; leave deselected to use the light as a simple light source

Get Brightness From
(Renderworks required)

Specifies the luminous quantity of a light

User Input
(Renderworks required)

Specifies the brightness as an accurate number in Lux, Lumens, Footcandles, or Candelas; the units vary depending on the light source

Distribution File
(Renderworks required)

Does not apply to directional, point, or spot lights (see Advanced Renderworks Lighting)

Color Temperature
(Renderworks required)

Specifies the light color temperature in Kelvin. This refers to an ideal black body emitter, glowing “red hot” or “white hot.” A lower temperature generates an orange color; the hotter the temperature, the closer to white the color of the light is.

Specifying this parameter is optional. If not specified, the default temperature is 0, meaning that the final emission color for the light is entirely controlled by the selection in Color.

When the temperature is specified, Color cannot be changed. The final emission color is set by the Color Temperature.

Color temperature settings can be white-balanced on a per-layer basis; see Setting Lighting Options.

Directional, Spot, or Point Light Specs

Click to set additional specifications for the light source

Directional Light

Direction

Specifies the light’s direction by either specifying the light angle or vector

Angle

Sets the light’s angle by azimuth and elevation. The azimuth angle is set based on an angle of 0 degrees at the negative Y axis, and is positive in a counter-clockwise direction; the elevation angle is the angle above (positive) or below (negative) the horizon.

Vector

Indicates the direction of the light by specifying the coordinates of its X, Y, and Z vectors

Point Light

Dist Falloff

Select the distance falloff function (rate of intensity change while moving along the beam away from the light source):

●     None: Brightness does not change

●     Smooth: Brightness decreases according to a linear falloff

●     Realistic: Light is brightest near the light source, and falls away according to the square of the distance, as in reality. This falloff selection is the most natural in appearance.

Spot Lights

Spread/Beam diagram

Drag the handles on the diagram to set the spot light Spread and Beam angles, or enter the values in the fields below the diagram

Spread

Specifies the spread angle of the spot light (light cone’s maximum angle)

Beam

Specifies the beam angle of the spot light (cone of light that does not change intensity up to the spread angle)

Dist Falloff

Select the distance falloff function (rate of intensity change while moving along the beam away from the light source):

●     None: Brightness does not change

●     Smooth: Brightness decreases according to a linear falloff

●     Realistic: Light is brightest near the light source, and falls away according to the square of the distance, as in reality. This falloff selection is the most natural in appearance.