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Overview ¶
The Lighting Properties window lets you edit the properties for work lights. To access the window, 
click the 
Work Lights button in the display toolbar and choose Properties. This window also opens when you click Light Properties in the Lights tab of the Display Options window.
Note
All work light setups except Headlight can optionally cast shadows, but turning on shadows or ambient occlusion degrades performance.
Headlight ¶
Headlight is made up of a single distant light just over the camera. The following parameters configure the properties for the Headlight work light.
Intensity
The linear scale of the power output of the headlight.
Ambient
The amount of ambient lighting to apply on surfaces.
Softness
The amount to blur the edges of the headlight.
Azimuth
The horizontal angle in degrees of the headlight along the horizon, where 0 lies along the Z-axis.
Altitude
The vertical angle (height) in degrees of the headlight in the sky measured from the horizon.
Specular Hightlights
Shows specular highlights caused by the headlight. When off, the headlight casts only diffuse light.
Headlight Occlusion
Applies an ambient occlusion pass after lighting. This increases the contrast on local features and improves the appearance of depth for models.
Dome Light ¶
Dome Light is made up of a single environment light with a configurable map. The following parameters configure the properties for the Dome Light work light.
File
The path to the dome light you want to use in the scene. The light uses a default file if none is provided.
Intensity
The linear scale of the power output of the dome light.
Exposure
The amount of light to apply in the scene as a power of 2. A value of 1 doubles the energy emitted by the light source. A value of 0 produces an intensity of 1 at the source.
Tint
The color of the dome light.
Rotation
The axis along which to align the dome light.
Show as Background Image
Displays the dome light as a background image. This lets you see the light as you configure its parameters without having to render your scene.
Physical Sky ¶
Physical Sky is made up of a directional light (the sun) and a generated dome light (the sky). The parameters in the Sun section affect the directional light and the parameters in the Sky section affect the dome light generation. The parameters in the Physical section affect both the directional light and dome light generation.
The following parameters configure the properties for the Physical Sky work light.
Solar Altitude
The vertical angle (height) in degrees of the physical light in the sky measured from the horizon.
Solar Azimuth
The horizontal angle in degrees of the physical light along the horizon, where 0 lies along the Z-axis.
Intensity
The linear scale of the power output of the physical light.
Exposure
The amount of physical light to apply in the scene as a power of 2. A value of 1 doubles the energy emitted by the light source. A value of 0 produces an intensity of 1 at the source.
Sun Light
Adds a far-off light source that represents the sun.
Angular Size
The visual size of the sun, represented by the angular diameter in degrees. The size doesn’t affect scene brightness, but you can use it to achieve soft shadows.
Sky Light
Adds a dome light that represents a daytime sky.
Turbidity
The measurement of the air’s aerosol content, which defines the sky appearance. Higher values make the sky more hazy, while lower values make the sky more clear.
Ground Albedo
The ground reflectivity that affects the sky color.
Horizon Blur
The angle in degrees below the horizon where the sky and ground color blend together to blur the horizon.
Show as Background Image
Displays the physical sky light as a background image. This lets you see the light as you configure its parameters without having to render your scene.
Three Point Lighting ¶
Three Point Lighting is made up of three distant lights set up in a Key, Fill, and Back light configuration. Initially, the key light shines from the right side of the camera, the fill light shines from the left side of the camera, and the back light is behind the subject (facing the camera).
The following parameters configure the properties for the Three Point Lighting work light.
Color
The color of the key, fill, or back light.
Intensity
The linear scale of the power output of the key, fill, or back light.
Exposure
The amount of key, fill, or back light to apply in the scene as a power of 2. A value of 1 doubles the energy emitted by the light source. A value of 0 produces an intensity of 1 at the source.
Azimuth
The horizontal angle in degrees of the key, fill, or back light along the horizon, where 0 lies along the Z-axis.
Altitude
The vertical angle (height) in degrees of the key, fill, or back light in the sky measured from the horizon.