Notes: Week 8 (March 7)

3D LAYERS (part 2)

Lights:

• To create a new light, go to Layer > New > Light
• To adjust light settings, select the light and go to Layer > Light Settings
• Light types:
• Spot (most popular)—has the same controls as 3D cameras
• Parallel—has the Point of Interest control, allowing you to cast it in a certain direction without creating the same light fall-off as with the Spot light
• Point—allows you to change the position of the light source but does not have a particular direction or light fall-off
• Ambient—lights the entire scene evenly, allowing you to create base lighting (so that when you use a Spot light, you never have an entirely black area); Keep this light at very low intensity and always combine with another light-source
• Combine multiple light-sources for a more realistic, dimensional environment

Casting shadows:

• To cast shadows, select the light source(s) you want to cast the shadows and turn on the "CAst Shadows" option (off by default)
• Select the object that you want to cast shadows, go to Material Options and turn "Cast Shadows" on
• Make sure the object that will receive the shadow has "Receive Shadows" turned on in teh Material Options (on by default)

Material Options:

Use Material Options to control the way the object reacts to light sources in the scene (highlights, shadows, surface texture, etc)