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Author Topic: Light direction  (Read 6690 times)

mfox7

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Light direction
« on: May 14, 2008, 10:17:26 pm »

OK, so I'm using Anim8or to do some 3D-looking graphics for a game I'm making, and I ran into a problem.  I designed this plane that really came out nice... but just tonight I realized that the light is actually coming from UNDER the plane.

Does anybody know if/how you can change the direction of the light source?  Up till now, the only way I can think of is combining all the solid objects (Build > Join Solids) and rotating the entire object... not always a good move.

Anyway, i'd appreciate any suggestions or ideas you have.  Since I haven't really learned scenes yet, maybe it can be done in Scene Mode?  :)

Thanks again.
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B3dman

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Re: Light direction
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2008, 10:23:11 pm »

actually in scene mode all the seperate objects are merged into one and you can move and rotate them for the scene kind of like you would join solids but when you go back to object mode they will still be just the way you left them.
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ENSONIQ5

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Re: Light direction
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2008, 10:53:15 pm »

A scene, when created, has a single default light source, set as a distant light, and the "handle", or physical object that represents the light, is situated central to the scene, a little above the grid plane.  The default direction is straight down, but you can change this by selecting the light object and, in Top view, rotating the light object in any direction you wish.  For a distant light, the actual position of the light object within the scene makes no difference, because it defines parallel light rays.  If you are having trouble finding it, make sure wireframe mode is selected and find the object light01 in the key frame editor at bottom left of the screen.  If it is not there (and hasn't been renamed) it might have been deleted, in which case just Build>Add Light and place/orient a new one.
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RudySchneider

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Re: Light direction
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2008, 11:42:12 pm »

And don't forget that, like any object in your scene, you can add more, and different kinds of, lights if you want or need to, and you can move and rotate them any way you want.
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