Directional/spot lights

Mohawk20 · April 26, 2009, 07:25:03 AM

As we're experimenting with indoor scenes a bit more, I just thought about the use of directional lights or spotlights again.
Is there any info about the implementation of such features?

Are you planning to add those? If so, any idea when they would appear? Like next release or in a year or 2? Just curious...

cyphyr · April 26, 2009, 08:31:44 AM

I "think" you can make a spotlight by modeling a hollow cone and placing a point light inside it. With soft shadows enabled this can give a soft spotlight effect, I think you may have to turn on "unseen by camera" for the cone object.
richard

Seth · April 26, 2009, 08:57:34 AM

http://forums.planetside.co.uk/index.php?topic=3552.msg37037#quickreply

Mohawk20 · April 26, 2009, 09:14:20 AM

Thanks guys, but I actually made a cone like object for that purpose, but aligning the light with the object is not the easiest thing to do, and if you put the camera high up and view down, you'll see all these cones hanging in the air, while you'd just want some stuff illuminated discretely...

Seth · April 26, 2009, 09:18:05 AM

errr.... if you uncheck visible by the camera in the object tab, you should not see them anymore i guess...
but i must admit it is pretty difficult to put the light inside the cone ^^
spotlights should be implemented in TG2, i totally agree with that

Mohawk20 · April 26, 2009, 10:35:36 AM

Quote from: Seth on April 26, 2009, 09:18:05 AM
spotlights should be implemented in TG2, i totally agree with that

Which was my actual point...

Mandrake · April 26, 2009, 11:52:34 AM

Putting the light in the cone is easy, when you make your cone in blender you make a second export of a sphere inside the cone where you want your light source and just export the sphere.

the sphere gets deleted when you transfer the coordinates to your light source

directing the cone is the hard part.

bobbystahr · April 26, 2009, 02:13:45 PM

In most 3D app there's a switch to 'track to object'...TG2 needs that as well...works fine in Imagine3D, an ancient and obsolete 3D app so it's neither new nor rocket science as Imagine has had it since the early '90's last millenium.. ...

Oshyan · April 26, 2009, 07:55:41 PM

I'm not sure if there are immediate plans to add more light types. Generally speaking spotlights are not commonly used in landscape rendering, but we do realize TG2 is used for more than just normal landscapes, so it's something to consider.

Functions like "track object" are mostly animation-related, and as such would be implemented with animation functionality that is coming in future updates. It's not a matter of being "rocket science", it's just that we haven't focused on animation functions yet.

- Oshyan

bobbystahr · April 26, 2009, 08:10:36 PM

Cool...didn't mean to disparage all the brilliant work that's already gone into TG already, I just have always found it a handy tool aside from animation, as in the aforementioned light pointing dilema.. ...

domdib · April 27, 2009, 05:23:40 AM

Sounds to me like an ideal case for a plug-in developed by someone outside PS, allowing them to get on with improving the core product.

FrankB · April 27, 2009, 07:33:32 AM

Quote from: Oshyan on April 26, 2009, 07:55:41 PM
I'm not sure if there are immediate plans to add more light types. Generally speaking spotlights are not commonly used in landscape rendering, ...

While that's true, I think a comon use case would be having spot lights when integrating man-made objects, such as buildings that are illuminated from below, street lamps, car head lights, and so on. All these are usually integrated in a landscape scene, at least with the sky, clouds etc.... Would be great to be able to conveniently do these things in TG2.

Cheers,
Frank

RedSquare · April 30, 2009, 08:59:12 PM

Hello folks, that remember me that is.

I'm back.

QuoteAs we're experimenting with indoor scenes a bit more,

Are you indeed.

Well in that case at this early stage the use of IES light sources should be considered. IES? REAL light source data and accurate models of the enclosures obtained for free, downloaded from the manufacturers, that can be imported into your scene to accurately reflect the real world light fitting.

Cyber-Angel · April 30, 2009, 10:36:21 PM

Well if your going to have IES then can we also have

CIBSE TM-14
EULUMDAT
BSR/IESNA LM-63-2002
CIE 102-1993

There are other photometric lighting formats but I cannot recall those at this time if you where going down that route in future!

Regards to you.

Cyber-Angel

Mr_Lamppost · May 02, 2009, 10:19:20 AM

Quote from: domdib on April 27, 2009, 05:23:40 AM
Sounds to me like an ideal case for a plug-in developed by someone outside PS, allowing them to get on with improving the core product.

Way back at the beginning there was mention of an SDK which may be the answer.