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General => Terragen Discussion => Topic started by: chipsidale on March 04, 2008, 10:47:52 AM

Title: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: chipsidale on March 04, 2008, 10:47:52 AM
Hi all,

is it possible to create light sources having various shapes, like ellipsoids, cylinders, boxes?

Thanks
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: Tangled-Universe on March 04, 2008, 10:54:55 AM
Perhaps you can import a model with the desired shapes and attach a default shader to its surface shader input.
In the default shader there's a luminosity function and maybe cranking this up (a lot) can serve as a light source.

Martin
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: rcallicotte on March 04, 2008, 10:55:06 AM
No.  But, you can put light sources inside of objects...except as explained by TU by using Luminosity.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: chipsidale on March 04, 2008, 11:49:40 AM
Thank you for your answers. I'm a beginner and I still have to discover how to create/import objects and then attach light to them, but I hope I will find out.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: rcallicotte on March 04, 2008, 12:40:08 PM
Keep playing.  The biggest thing about moving lights around is remembering to enter the XYZ coordinates to where you want the location to be.  The Luminosity setting is something you can experiment with, but I've found it to have a wide variety of possibilities.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: chipsidale on March 05, 2008, 03:59:56 AM
I succeeded in adding a cylinder as obj file.
I forgot to mention that this cylinder is 10 km long and it is up at 5km and I would like it to behave like a sun, to light the scene. The luminosity seems to little if the sun is removed. Also a light source at maximum strength does not help much. Is there a solution other than adding a lot of light sources by hand in the XML file (tgd file)?
Thanks
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: Oshyan on March 05, 2008, 04:05:33 AM
You can increase luminosity well beyond the slider's maximum. Try very high values and be sure GI is enabled...

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: chipsidale on March 05, 2008, 04:09:11 AM
Quote from: Oshyan on March 05, 2008, 04:05:33 AM
You can increase luminosity well beyond the slider's maximum. Try very high values and be sure GI is enabled...

- Oshyan

Yes, thank you, I've just seen that :).
Still remains the problem of point light source instead of cylinder light source.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: Oshyan on March 05, 2008, 04:32:17 AM
Try increasing luminosity in the default shader of your object. Luminous surfaces can provide light to the scene when GI is enabled...

- Oshyan
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: chipsidale on March 05, 2008, 04:48:22 AM
Quote from: Oshyan on March 05, 2008, 04:32:17 AM
Try increasing luminosity in the default shader of your object. Luminous surfaces can provide light to the scene when GI is enabled...

- Oshyan

Thank you. It works (still needs some tweaking but this is the way).

I also want to change the curvature of the horizon to up (cylinder world too). I intent to use displacement functions to make this. I will ask if I am not able to do it right.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: Seth on March 09, 2008, 04:12:23 PM
Quote from: calico on March 04, 2008, 10:55:06 AM
No.  But, you can put light sources inside of objects...


I tried it... it's fun... it's like spot light :)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/2321309591_e78d9a2865_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: rcallicotte on March 10, 2008, 08:47:44 AM
Seth, how did you do that?  It looks like another program.
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: Seth on March 10, 2008, 09:06:38 AM
hehehehe
i create a cone in Blender then export it as obj...
then i import it in TG2 and did what you suggest : put a light inside it... oh and i add reflectivity to the cone... ^^
Title: Re: Non-spherical light sources
Post by: rcallicotte on March 10, 2008, 10:01:36 AM
Cool.  Creative.  I'm amazed at what people have figured out with this program.