This page exists within the Old ArtZone Wiki section of this site. Read the information presented on the linked page to better understand the significance of this fact.
How objects appear in a Carrara scene is influenced greatly by the light in which they are viewed. Lighting contributes to effects such as shadows and colors. Lighting also influences the shaders applied to your objects. Sometimes you can adjust the lighting instead of editing a shader to create a specific result.
This chapter covers how to create and use lights. It includes descriptions of the different types of lighting and how you set the options for each.
Carrara supports two categories of lighting–ambient and specific. There is one ambient light setting, and three types of specific lights: bulb, distant, and spot.
You may add as many lights as you like, but as the number increases, so does the rendering time. Most scenes can be lit with one, two, or at most three well-placed lights.
Tip | Carrara also lets you create visible light spheres and cones as rendering effects. The visible light cone effect is like a searchlight cutting through the fog. For more information, refer to Rendering Effects. |
Ambient light is uniform throughout the scene. It radiates in every direction, having no specific origin and casting no shadows.
Ambient light is useful for scene building, but you will want to turn it down or even off for rendering, since it tends to reduce the feeling of depth by washing out shadows and contrast. Instead, concentrated light sources (from specific lights) bring out shadows and highlights and emphasize your subject's form and surface features.
Note | A properly placed distant light is actually more effective than ambient light for simulating a daylight scene. |
Specific lights give you the greatest amount of control over your lighting, especially when you set properties such as color, brightness, and shadow strength.
Use Carrara's specific lights to light your scene for mood and composition, and to give your rendering a “sense of place.” The types of specific lights differ in how much and in what direction they radiate.
Bulb light.
Spot light.
Distant light.
You can quickly view your lighting effects using the Test Render tool to preview lighting and shading effects.
Use the Test Render tool to check lighting effects.
To view the entire image,, use the Render room. For details, refer to Rendering
This section explains basic lighting concepts. If you are already familiar with the subject, you may skip this section. If you want more detailed information, the techniques given in most standard reference books on lighting and photography can be applied in Carrara.
A good set of lighting conditions is an important step toward creating high-quality artwork. The same scene rendered under varying light can provide strikingly different results. For example, rendering with all lighting at zero brightness is like taking a photograph–without a flash–in the bottom of a coal mine. Conversely, too much lighting washes out subtle effects.
Three-point lighting is the classic way to place lights. It provides illumination while preserving shadows and the illusion of depth.
Place two lights at 45° angles to the front of your scene. Make one of these a key light. This is the main source of illumination and strong shadows. Make the other a fill light, which softens the shadows and supplies the mid-tones.
Three-point lighting.
It is also a good idea to color one of these lights warm and the other cool–which one you color warm and which cool depends on the mood and effect you want to achieve. To simulate outdoor light, choose a cool color for the key light; to simulate indoor light, choose a warm color for the key light.
Set a backlight behind your subject to separate it from the background, adding a feeling of depth. If you want to create the effect of light creeping over the subject's features, elevate the light slightly.
The results of three-point lighting.
Here are some of the effects of different light placements.
Frontlighting is placing a light source in front of your subject. This allows clear rendering of details and colors, but reduces shadows and depth.
Frontlighting.
Sidelighting creates dramatic light-and-shadow effects. If you don't want some objects to be completely obscured by shadows, you can place a softer fill light in the scene on the opposite side of the subject from the sidelight.
Sidelighting.
Backlighting is placing a light source behind your subject. This creates silhouettes. You can combine backlighting with spots set at the side or front of the subject to cast shadows from behind while brightly illuminating a small area, such as a face.
Backlighting.
Bottomlightingis placing a light source below your subject. Like backlighting, this also creates silhouettes. It can be very effective if you are lighting a transparent subject. However, if you want to show more detail, add a fill light above your subject.
Bottomlighting.
A new light appears in the scene as a colored object that points toward the center of the universe.
A new light in a scene.
Lights are objects with projections, just like cameras and modeled objects. You can move the light as you would any other object. You'll learn about special features for moving and orienting cameras later in Positioning and Aiming Lights.
In the Hierarchy, lights are listed as numbered light objects. You can rename a light just as you can any object. If you set up several lights, you can name them according to their position and type to make it easier to select the light you want. For information on naming objects, refer to Using the SequencerTray.
You create specific lights in the Assemble or Storyboard room. All the light tools appear off a single pop-up menu.
To create a new light source:
Click and hold the Light tool to view the light options.
You can also choose Insert menu> (Type of) Lightto add a light at the center of the universe and then drag it to any position you like.
If you want to create a light with the same settings as an existing light, select the existing light, then choose Edit menu> Copy and Paste, or Edit menu> Duplicate.
After creating a light, you can change its properties.
Tip | To make a light easier to see (or see around), you can change its scale using the Scale control in Properties tray: Motion tab: Transform panel as you would any other object. This does not affect the brightness of a light or any other light characteristics. |
Once you have created a new light, you can specify its type–distant, bulb, or spot–and then set its options in the Properties tray. You can use the light controls at any time to adjust the settings of a selected light.
Note | You can also use these controls to adjust the default distant light. |
To set a light's properties:
The characteristics of color, brightness, and shadow control are common to distant, bulb, and spot lights.
To set common light characteristics:
Common light characteristics.
For more control over shadows, refer to Shadow Options.
No matter where you position a distant light in your scene, it behaves as if the source is a distant object, sending parallel rays into your scene. To change the direction of a distant light, change the orientation of the light.
To set the direction of a distant light:
The Distant Light is represented as an arrow in the scene window.
The Rotate tool.
Tip | As with ambient light, you can use a distant light to soften the shadows cast by other light sources. Position a distant light above your scene, then experiment with light settings to diffuse the shadows from the other lights. |
You can move bulb lights anywhere in the workspace with any of the positioning features, including the Selection tool, Rotate tool, and The positioning controls in the Properties tray: Motion tab: Transform panel. Because bulb lights shine equally in all directions, you do not need to aim them.
Bulb light controls appear in the Properties tray: General tab: Light panel.
To set bulb light characteristics:
The bulb light range is the distance from the light to the point where the light disappears.
All these parameters interact with each other. For example, using a soft-colored light with a low brightness setting may generate a result similar to a darker-colored light with a higher brightness setting. However, animating the individual parameters produces different results.
Note | You may also use the Direct Manipulation controls to set these features. Refer to Controlling a Bulb Light Directly. |
Spot lights appear in the scene window. You can move them anywhere in the 3D workspace and change their direction with any of the positioning and orientation features, including the Selection tool, the Rotate tool, and the Properties tray: Motion tab: Transform panel controls.
To set spot light characteristics:
The spot light half-angle changes the diameter of the light cone.
As you increase the Angular Falloff, you decrease the area that is 100% bright.
The range of the spot light is distance between the light's point of origin and the point where the light has no effect.
Note | You may also use the Direct Manipulation controls to set these features. Refer to Controlling Lights Directly. |
Ambient light characteristics are scene settings. Choose color and brightness to achieve the effect you want. Remember, a strong ambient light level washes out the effects of your specific lights.
Tip | Use a warm color to simulate indoor light and a cool color to simulate outdoor light. |
To set ambient light:
Use the Effects tab to set the ambient light controls.
To set tube lights:
Anything Glows is a light that allows you to use any object as a source of light. Anything Glows helps you create glowing objects that really cast light, realistic lighting effects, and it allows you to control many lights at the same time using Master Lights.
To make any object glow:
To activate Environment Lighting, select an object in the 3DView and click Edit menu> Environment Lighting.
Environment Lighting works by breaking up the mesh into little chunks and assigning an Anything Glows light to each chunk. The plane primitive, which only has two facets regardless of the Fidelity, makes a poor emitter. To create a flat emitter, build a grid in the Vertex Modeler.
To set Master Lighting options:
You can position lights as you would any object in your scene–by dragging a light or its projection, or numerically by using the controls in Properties tray: Motion tab: Transform panel.
Note | You can also use the Direct Manipulation controls to move and aim lights. Refer to Controlling Lights Directly. |
For information on positioning and orienting lights numerically, refer to Arranging Objects.
You can drag lights as you would any other object in your scene.
To move a light:
The light moves parallel to the active plane.
To move the light perpendicular to the active plane, hold the Option/Alt key while you drag.
You can also drag one of the light's projections to position the light on that plane.
Drag a light's projection to position it on the plane where the projection lies.
Carrara provides other methods of aiming lights, including the Point At command, the Point At modifier, and the Direct Manipulation controls.
Tip | To direct a light to a particular area in your scene, create a temporary object for the light to point at, then delete the object. Remember that the light points at the hot point of the selected object. |
The Point At command lets you point a light directly at an object.
To point a light at an object:
You may select multiple lights, but only one object.
Carrara reorients the light to point at the hot point of the selected object.
The Point At command does not link the light to the object. That is, if you move either element, the light no longer points at the object. If you want to maintain the distance between a light and the object it points at, group them. For more information, refer to Grouping Objects. If you want the light to follow the object, apply the Point At modifier, described in the next section.
The Point At modifier aims a light at an object. If the object moves, the light automatically reorients itself to point at the object in its new position.
To have a light follow an object:
The Point At controls appear.
Use the Point At controls to set the Point At modifier.
When you move the target object, the light reorients to point at it.
The Direct Manipulation controls provide an on-screen description of a light's aim and properties. You can drag a light's control handles to change light properties.
To display the Direct Manipulation controls on a light:
Use the Direct Manipulation button to display the selected light's Direct Manipulation controls.
The controls appear as a set of wires with handles at certain points. Each handle represents a control you can drag to set properties.
The Direct Manipulation controls for a spot light are shown below. The appearance and number of these controls depend on the type of light you have selected.
The control handles for a spot light. You can drag these handles to move and aim a spot light and to set its properties.
You can use the Direct Manipulation controls to change all the characteristics of a spot light except color.
To aim the spot light:
Drag the spot light's Aim control to set the point the light aims at.
To move the position of the spot light:
Drag the spot light's Position control to move the light along a given plane.
You can also drag the handle on one of the light's projections to position the light on that plane.
The light moves to the new position and orients itself to point at the target.
To check the light cone diameter at a given point:
Drag the handle on the direction wire, centered in the ring.
Drag the Light Cone Cross-Section control to help you visualize the diameter of the light cone in the scene window.
The ring around the direction wire describes the cone diameter at that point. Notice that as you drag the handle closer to the target, the ring expands.
Note | The Cross-Section control is intended to help you visualize the diameter of the light cone at different ranges. It does not change any of the light's properties. |
To change the spot light's half angle:
Drag the handle on the ring perimeter.
Drag the Half Angle control to adjust the spot light's half angle.
Tip | If you have the Properties tray: General tab: Light panel displayed, you can see the effect of your changes in the preview and settings. |
To change the Angular falloff:
Hold down the Cmd/Ctrl key while dragging in toward the center of the ring.
Drag the Angular Falloff control to set the spot light's angular falloff.
Tip | If you have the Properties tray: General tab: Light panel displayed, you can see the effect of your changes in the preview and settings. |
To change the brightness:
Drag the handle on the wire that extends from the light perpendicular to the direction wire.
Drag the Brightness control to set the spot light's brightness.
Drag away from the light to increase the brightness, or towards the light to decrease brightness.
On a bulb light, brightness is the only control available with Direct Manipulation.
The bulb light's brightness control.
To change a bulb light's brightness:
Drag the handle on the wire that extends sideways from the bulb light.
Tip | If you have the Properties tray: General tab: Light panel displayed, you can see the effect of your changes in the preview and settings. |
Objects block light and, therefore, cast shadows on other surfaces. For each light, you can choose between two methods to calculate shadows: Raytraced shadows and Shadow buffer shadows. Each of those methods allows you to create two types of shadows:
Hard shadows have sharp edges. The transition from complete shadow to full light is immediate.
Hard shadows.
Soft shadows create an obscurity at the shadow edge. The shadow has a soft transition between complete shadow and full light.
Soft shadows.
To set shadow options for a light:
The Raytraced shadow is the default. It is the most accurate method for calculating shadows. It will create very nice soft shadows but tends to be slow with this type of shadow.
You can adjust the following settings:
Shadow buffers should be mostly used to create soft shadows. They are usually much faster than raytraced soft shadows, especially for complex scenes. However they are not as accurate as Raytraced Soft Shadows and do not let light go through objects (even when the Light through transparency option of the renderer is checked).
To set the Shadow buffers options:
You can place an image as a mask or transparency in front of a light to project complex patterns and images on your scene. The image you place in front of the light is called a gel. Gels are typically used on spot lights.
If the gel is a 1-bit image, it becomes a mask. White regions of the mask transmit the light, and black regions block it. Bitmap gels can create intricate effects, such as the shadow of a chain-link fence, or the dappled shade under a tree.
A 1-bit gel used with a spot light.
Grayscale or color images create transparencies when used as gels. Their image is projected into your scene, just as a slide projector sends an image across the room. With a color image, you can achieve many effects, such as sunlight filtering through a stained glass window.
A grayscale gel.
Blinds, Gradient, and Formula are built-in gels. You may also load a texture map or movie to use as a gel. An 8-bit gel will probably provide all the color you need.
As you adjust the settings for these gels, a preview displays at the right. Specific blend controls are described later in this chapter.
Note | Gels have no effect on distant lights. |
To place a gel on a light:
The other options are discussed in the following sections.
The Blinds option creates horizontal or vertical stripes such as venetian blinds or prison bars.
Select Blinds to create a gel that projects stripes onto an object.
To set blinds options:
The Blinds controls.
The Formula option uses a mathematical formula to create colors and patterns in the gel. You can devise your own formula to create a new pattern.
Select Formula to create a gel that projects a pattern onto an object.
To select a formula for the gel:
The Formula controls.
Carrara uses the Formula Editor in several places. Use of the editor is common, but the type of formula you're creating determines the valid input and output variables. Refer to Using Formulas in Carrara for details on using the Formula Editor.
The Gradient option uses a blend of two colors as a gel. A gradient gel can be vertical or circular.
Select Gradient to create a gel that projects a pattern containing color transitions onto an object.
To set gradient options:
The Gradient controls.
The Map optionuses a bit-mapped image file as the gel. This is the best choice when you want specific images in the gel.
Select Map to create a gel that projects an image onto an object.
You can use any 2D graphics program to create an image for the gel. You might scan a photograph and use filters to accentuate or nominalize some aspects of the image. The gel does not need to be high-resolution. If you intend to use this gel on a bulb light, create the image at an aspect ratio of 2:1. If you are going to use this gel on a spot or distant light, use an aspect ratio of 1:1.
Save the image file in a format that Carrara supports and in a convenient folder.
For a list of the image file types that Carrara supports, refer to Importing 3D Objects.
To load a map image as a gel:
The Map controls.
A preview appears on the Gel panel with the image's dimensions given in pixels.
To set map controls:
Note | You can use Map options to place movies. To do this, load movie images as a gel, just as you would load map images. |
You can add effects to your scene that simulate the results obtained from photographic cameras and special lighting. You apply light effects on a light-by-light basis.
Note | Light effects are post-render filters. Although they simulate adjustments to your lights and cameras, they do not actually change any of your light or camera settings. |
All the light effects dialogs have a rendered preview that helps you to adjust the settings of a specific effect.
You can use the zoom and pan tools at the bottom of the preview to get a better view of the details of the image.
Clicking on the Render button after zooming in will increase the quality of that part of the image you are viewing. To display the full image again, click on the Reset View button.
When you check the Auto Update box, the preview is re-rendered each time you adjust a control, otherwise you will need to click the Render button after changing one or more controls.
The CrossScreen effect adds a glow and star-like rays to every visible light source.
Use the CrossScreen effect to make a star-like effect.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce an effect. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
To set CrossScreen options:
The CrossScreen controls.
Glow simulates a photographic filter by adding a glow around every visible light source. The effect of the glow depends on the light's position, color, and intensity.
Glow created a visible glow around light sources.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce a glow. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
To set Glow options:
The Glow controls.
The Nebula effect adds multicolored streaks around every visible light source.
Use the Nebula effect to simulate the light streaks produced by a bright light pointed at the camera.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce a nebula effect. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
Note | Render on a dark background to see the Nebula effect. |
To set Nebula options:
The Nebula controls.
Pulsator adds dotted streaks around every visible light source.
Use the Pulsator effect to simulate the dotted streaks of light produced by a flashing light.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce a pulsator effect. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
To set Pulsator options:
The Pulsator controls.
Stars adds a star around every visible light source.
Use the star effect to add starry streaks around objects.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce a star effect. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
To set Stars options:
The Stars controls.
The VarioCross effect adds two streaks around every visible light source.
Use the VarioCross effect to simulate the light streaks produced by distant bright lights.
The light source must be visible from the camera to produce a VarioCross effect. It must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside an object.
Note | Render on a dark background to see the VarioCross effect. |
To set VarioCross options:
The VarioCross controls.
In the real world, light rays are visible when the atmosphere contains small particles of dust or vapor that diffuse light. The Light Cone effect simulates the interaction between light from a spot light and smoke, fog, and dust.
Use the Light Cone effect to produce visible cones of light in your scene.
The Light Cone effect post-processes the rendered picture by adding visible light beams from spot lights. The visible light beams accurately describe the half angle of each spot light in the scene.
To set Light Cone options:
The Light Cone controls.
Note | To render textured light rays, the filter pre-processes and stores buffers for each spot light in your scene. High buffer values produce better results, but are costly in rendering time and memory requirements. Don't use values higher than 200 unless you have a powerful computer and are working on high-resolution pictures. Always start with a small value. |
Note | 3D Shadows is a powerful but costly effect. The filter must pre-process and store buffers for each spot light in your scene. High values are costly in rendering time and memory requirements. Do not use values higher than 200 unless you have a powerful computer and you are working on high-resolution pictures. Always start with a small value. |
The color of the visible light cone results from the interaction of the light's color and the fog color. Yellow light in a white fog produces a yellowish light cone. In a blue fog, yellow light produces a green cone.
The Light Sphere simulates the interaction between light from a bulb light and smoke, fog, and dust.
Use the Light Sphere effect to add a ball of light in your scene.
The Light Sphere effect post-processes the rendered picture by adding a light sphere around each bulb light.
To set Light Sphere options:
The Light Sphere controls.
Lens flares are reflections of a strong light source on the various components of the lens. Flare color and size depend on the kind of glass and shape of each lens component.
Lens Flare simulates the reflections produced by a very strong light source.
The Lens Flare effect adds lens flares to one or more light sources in your final rendered image, according to their positions, colors, and intensities.
To get a lens flare effect, a light source must be visible to the rendering camera. The light source must be within the production frame and not hidden behind or inside another object–even if it is a transparent object. A spot light must be aiming toward the rendering camera to produce a lens flare. The camera must be within the light cone.
The Lens Flare effect uses three parameters to render the effect: Light source color, Light source intensity, and Lens Flare intensity.
To get brighter lens flares, use brighter light sources. It also helps to lower the ambient light and use darker backdrops.
Note | If you are rendering with a white background, you won't see the result of the lens flare effect. Select a dark color for the background. |
To set Lens Flare options:
The Lens Flare controls.