Simply Maya User Community - View Single Post - Lights and Material Question

Originally posted by BennyK
useful tip, but...
You're missing the point. I could just put the light outside the lamp. I want the light to illuminate the glass and the environment from inside the lamp. In other words, I want it to be realistic.
I'm not looking for shortcuts... I want to learn how to do it right!
Benny

Originally Posted by

To get the feel you are looking for you are not going to get it with one light...

Use The glow effect from the bulb then use light linking on the main light to ensure it lights up only what is required...

Then use a secondary light (i would use and ambient light) and play with the intensity to get a nice highlight around the object...

In real life light is infinite... In Maya is does not simulate the same way as it inpracticle for a computer to continue to compute light to infinity and it would probably crash...

So for your scene (in a nice simple way) use a glow on the bulb, set light to point out in the direction of the bulb (parent it to the bulb so if its moved it moves with the bulb). Once done create an ambient light and use light linking to light up only what is required (the surface of the light) and keep the intensity really low. Work with that and play with the settings until u get the right feel...

Translucency in easy terms is like skin... A Translucent Object is an object that appears to be solid, but allows light to pass through it. All skin is Translucent and this is the basis of the Sub Surface Scatter materials used to simulate skins behavoiur to light. Shine a Torch into your hand and it emmits a red glow on the other side. Translucency at work user added image

Some lightbulbs are either transparent or translucent:

Transparency = Invisibilty
Translucency = Solid, but allows a certain amount of light through.

Anyway hope this helps and keep at it, lighting is one of the more difficult subjects to master. Big Studios have entire departments dedicated to lighting scenes, so dont feel bad and good luck.