How do you get the perspective camera to not make shadows?
 

I am experimenting a little with shadows. I have a complex plane that has holes in it. I am using this for shadows, which will appear on a poly plane underneath it. I have one regular spot light directly above the plane will all the holes in it that is using depth shadows. When I render the scene, the shadows appear as expected on the bottom poly plane, but I get a secondary shadow that looks EXACTLY like first one. This secondary shadow appears in the direct los of the perspective camera.

So, I have concluded that the perspective camera is providing light in the render, which in turn creates this secondary shadow.

To fix this, I figured I could select "Use All Lights" under Lighting, but that doesn't work. I have also tried selecting the spotlight and selecting "Use Selected Lights" but once again, that does not work. I opened a new file and created the same setup, and the shadows appeared fine. I figured I could import my special, super-duper, polygonal plane that has all the holes in it to this new file and have it work, but for some reason, the perspective camera still provides un-needed light.

By the way, actual "light" from the perspective camera does not appear. Only the shadows as if the perspective camera WAS a light. I have tested the effects of the camera's shadow problem and can also conlude that it is acting like a directional light since no matter where I put it in the scene, the shadows still appear if it is facing toward the plane. *phew* Lastly, I have checked the outliner and there are no other lights in the scene besides the single spotlight that is supposed to provide light and shadows. There are no lights parented to the perspective camera, either.

:confused: I am confused. :confused:

Oh my gosh I'm a fool! *slams his head against the wall repeatedly* Ahh! All this times wasted thinking that stupid thing was a shadow! The secondary shadow isn't a SHADOW! It's the damn poly plane itself! I coloured the thing black to distinguish it from the default grey lambert colour of the flat polyplane below, which is why it always looked like a shadow! Man I feel dumb.

haha
bad day, we all get em :)