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If you want to access the default lights in your scene, you can use the Create⇒Lights⇒Standard Lights⇒Add Default Lights to Scene command to convert the default lights into actual light objects that you can control and reposition. This command opens a simple dialog box where you can select which lights to add to the scene and set the Distance Scaling value. This feature lets you start with the default lights and modify them as needed.

Caution

The Create⇒Lights⇒Standard Lights⇒Add Default Lights to Scene menu command is enabled only if the Default Lighting and 2 Lights options are selected in the Viewport Configuration dialog box. •

Ambient light

Ambient light is general lighting that uniformly illuminates the entire scene. It is caused by light that bounces off other objects. Using the Environment dialog box, you can set the ambient light color. You can also set the default ambient light color in the Rendering panel of the Preference Settings dialog box. This is the darkest color that can appear in the scene, generally in the shadows.

In addition to these global ambient settings, each material can have an ambient color selected in the Material Editor.

Caution

Don't rely on ambient light to fill in unlit sections of your scene. If you use a heavy dose of ambient light instead of placing secondary lights, your scene objects appear flat, and you won't get the needed contrast to make your objects stand out. •

Standard lights

Within the Create panel, the available lights are split into two subcategories: Standard and Photometric. Each subcategory has its own unique set of properties. The Standard light types include Omni, Spot (Target and Free) and Direct (Target and Free), Skylight, and two area lights (Spot and Omni) that work with mental ray.

Omni light

The Omni light is like a light bulb: It casts light rays in all directions. The two default lights are Omni lights.

Spotlight

Spotlights are directional: They can be pointed and sized. The two spotlights available in Max are a Target Spot and a Free Spot. A Target Spot light consists of a light object and a target marker at which the spotlight points. A Free Spot light has no target, which enables it to be rotated in any direction using the Select and Rotate transform button. Spotlights always are displayed in the viewport as a cone with the light positioned at the cone apex.

Cross-Reference

Both Target Spot and Target Direct lights are very similar in functionality to the Target Camera object, which you learn about in Chapter 19, “Configuring and Aiming Cameras.” •

Direct light

Direct lights cast parallel light rays in a single direction, like the sun. Just like spotlights, direct lights come in two types: a Target Direct light and a Free Direct light. The position of the Target Direct light always points toward the target, which you can move within the scene using the Select and Move button. A Free Direct light can be rotated to determine where it points. Direct lights are always displayed in the viewport as cylinders.

Skylight

The Skylight is like a controllable ambient light. You can move it about the scene just like the other lights, and you can select to use the Scene Environment settings or select a Sky Color.

Area Omni and Area Spot

The Area lights project light from a defined area instead of from a single point. This has the effect of casting light along a wider area with more cumulative intensity than a point light source. Area lights are supported only by the mental ray renderer. If you use the Scanline renderer, these lights behave like simple point lights.

The Area Omni light lets you set its shape as a Sphere or a Cylinder in the Area Light Parameters rollout. Area Spot lights can be set to be either Rectangular or Disc-shaped. Be aware that area lights can take significantly longer to render than point lights.

Cross-Reference

For more details on the mental ray renderer, see Chapter 47, “Rendering with mental ray and iray.” •

Photometric lights

The standard Max lights rely on parameters like Multiplier, Decay, and Attenuation,