Create panel > Lights
Create menu > Lights
Nighttime scene with artificial lighting
Lights are objects that simulate real lights such as household or office lamps, the light instruments used in stage and film work, and the sun itself. Different kinds of light objects cast light in different ways, simulating different kinds of real-world light sources.
When there are no lights in a scene, the scene is shaded with default lighting. You add lights to give the scene a more realistic appearance. Lighting enhances the clarity and three-dimensionality of a scene. In addition to general lighting effects, lights can be used to project images.
Light objects replace the default lighting. As soon as you create a light, the default lighting is turned off. If you delete all the lights in the scene, default lighting is turned back on. The default lighting consists of two invisible lights: one is above and to the left of the scene, and the other is below and to the right.
Tip: One way to begin your work on lighting a scene is to convert the default lighting into light objects by using the command Add Default Lights to Scene.
You can turn the display of light objects on and off with an option in the Display panel.
There are five types of light objects:
Most of the light parameters are common to all types of lights, and are described in the following topics:
Spotlights and Directional lights have rollouts specific to them:
For parameters specific to a particular kind of light, see that light's description.
You can use the Place Highlight command to change a light's position. See the Procedures in Working with Lights.
A Light viewport can be a useful way to adjust lights other than omni lights.
See also