I want to use shadows with volumes but I'm missing a trick…

Raytraced shadows are fine but when I use Depth Map Shadows in the lights then nothing happens, the scene looks as if no shadows have been used at all.

Is there a setting in Mantra I need to be aware of? Camera?

is Mantra>Properties>Render>Auto-Generate Shadow Maps enabled?
is Light>Shadows>Auto-generate Shadow Map enabled?
is Light>Shadows>Shadow Map a valid location that you can write to?

is the .rat in Shadow Map ever created?


if your geometry and/or lights changes shape/position you will need to calculate the shadow map each frame, but you can dump them to disk.

When using shadows with volumes your really want to use Deep Shadow Maps. This means making sure that sure the check boxes for Transparent Shadows on all your lights are checked.

Dan

Hmmmm.

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

In the renderview for example I can see raytraced shadows, but not mapped shadows, whereas in the Mplayer I can see both. But then, one some more complex scenes I can't see mapped ones anywhere, and sometimes I can but badly…

stay away from point lights, use spotlight or distant light, and frequently you´ll need to use large (1024) or huge (4096) shadow maps depending on the detail amount.
pay attention to every point loopyllama mentioned
and also make sure that the .rat file isn´t being overrided by another hip file that´s rendering depth map shadows with the same name on the same folder (it happened to me more than once).
hope it helps

Thanks, I think it was a mixture of wrong type of light and maps being overwritten. Still don't understand why Renderview refused to show mapped shadows (it did spend time rendering them)

Hi guys i think im having the same issue or simliar. I have tried all the above but it always seems to stay the same. I have 2 point lights (ive tried other types and no difference). One is in the center of the sphere lighting it and all in it. And the other point light the sphere but everything else outside it. When i use raytrace shadows i get this pic, which is fine.

when i use depth maps i get this. I am wracking my brain, not sure how to fix it. Anyone have any ideas thanks in advance

Nevermind i got it. Figures its the simplest thing. My point light within the spheres intensity was way to high. Thanks anyway though!

How can I get to my shadows get the color of the volume objects?