Provides access to tools for creating lights.
Lights are 3D Studio MAX objects that simulate household or office lamps, the light instruments used in stage and film work, the sun itself, and so on. 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, 3DStudio MAX shades it or renders it with default lighting. You add lights to give the scene a more realistic appearance. Well-done lighting enhances the clarity and three-dimensionality of a scene.
To give you flexibility in showing the same scene under different lighting conditions--daytime and nighttime, for example--3DSMAX allows you to vary or animate light object parameters, and to turn lights on and off without removing them from the scene.
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.
3DS MAX provides default invisible lights so that your scene is always lit. As soon as you create the first light in a scene, the default lights are turned off. If you delete all lights from your scene, the default lights are turned back on again.
You can turn the display of light objects on and off with an option in the Display panel.
There are five kinds of light objects:
Note: A scene’s lighting is also affected by the Ambient Light setting in the Environment dialog.
Most of the light parameters are common to all kinds of lights, and are described in the following topics:
Hotspot and falloff controls apply to all kinds of lights except Omni lights:
Hotspot and Falloff Parameters
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 How To's for lights (this topic).
Like all objects, lights have a name and color.
All lights have a General Parameters rollout.
This step varies slightly depending on the kind of light.
Light objects replace the default lighting. As soon as you create a light, the default lighting is turned off. If you delete all lights in the scene, the default lighting is restored.
Unless you turn on shadow casting, light illuminates each object equally, as if other objects were not there. In other words, shadows are a result of geometry blocking light, and if shadows are turned off, light passes through objects (even though they might be rendered as solid).
Light icons appear in viewports if Lights is cleared in this rollout; otherwise they don't appear.
Light objects can cast light whether or not they are hidden. The Zoom Extents commands are affected by whether light icons are displayed or not.
The result of Place Highlight depends on what is visible in the viewport.
If the button is not visible on the toolbar, choose it from the Align flyout.
When you place an omni, free spot, or free direct light, 3DS MAX displays a face normal for the face the mouse indicates.
When you place a target spotlight or direct light, 3DS MAX displays the light's target and the base of its cone.
The light now has a new position and orientation. You can see the highlight illumination in shaded viewports that show the face you chose, and when you render those views.
Tip: Place Highlight works with any kind of selected object. You can also use Place Highlight with a selection set that contains more than one object. All objects maintain their initial distance from the face.
An alternate way to invoke Place Highlight is to choose Edit/Place Highlight in step 2, above.
Note: For materials in 3DS MAX, highlight rendering depends on the material's specular properties and the type of rendering you use.