Free Spot

Create panel > Lights > Free Spot button

Create menu > Lights > Free Spotlight

Tab panels > Lights & Cameras tab > Free Spotlight

Left: Top view of a free spotlight
Right: Perspective view of the same light

Unlike a targeted spotlight, a Free Spot has no target object. You can move and rotate the free spot to aim it in any direction.

Free Spot icon

See also

Procedures

To create a free spotlight:

  1. On the Create panel, click Lights.

  2. In the Object Type rollout, click Free Spot.

  3. Click the viewport location where you want the light to be.

    The light is now part of the scene. It points away from you in the viewport you clicked.

    You can adjust the light's direction with Move and Rotate or by using a Light viewport.

  4. Set the creation parameters.

To change a viewport to a Light view:

  1. Right-click a viewport label.

    The viewport right-click menu is displayed.

  2. Choose Views.

    The name of each spotlight or directional light is displayed in the Views list.

  3. Choose the name of the light you want.

    The viewport now shows the light's point of view. You can use the Light viewport controls to adjust the light.

    The default keyboard shortcut for switching to a Light viewport is $.

Interface

You aim a free spotlight by adjusting its orientation in a scene using Move and Rotate.

The free spotlight is useful when you want a spotlight to follow a path and either don't want to bother with linking a spotlight and target to a dummy object, or you need banking along the path.

Spotlight Parameters rollout

A Free Spot has this additional parameter on the Spotlight Parameters rollout.

Target Distance: Sets a point to use as an invisible target about which the Free Spot can orbit. The target distance is animatable.