Light Source

Calling the command:

This command creates in 3D scene a light source not attached to the active camera. By default, lighting of the 3D scene also involves light sources on the camera, oriented in relation to the viewing direction. The parameters of those light sources are set by the Set 3D View Parameters command.

A light source is an element, that serves for rendering three-dimensional objects and helps to control the lighting of the 3D scene.

A light source is displayed in 3D scene as a small "radiant" sphere. Depending on the type of source, the direction and beam angle may also be displayed:

By default, light sources emit white light. You can select any other color, if necessary, using the parameters dialog of light source.

3D window rendering uses simplified lighting calculations: the lightness (and, respectively, the color) of the surface depends only on the angle of the incident light to the surface. The effects of shadowing, reflecting, refracting and scattering of light are not present. To create more realistic scene rendering, use the Photorealistic View command.

A light source can be hidden from display while maintaining the lighting effect.

One scene allows creation of an arbitrary number of light sources. However, the maximum number of light sources affecting the resulting rendering of the 3D window is four.

Topics in this section:

•Types of Light Sources

•Create Light Source

•Parameters Dialog of Light Source

•Edit Light Source

See Also:

•Light sources of active camera