Non-spherical light sources

[chipsidale]

Hi all,

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

Thanks

[Tangled-Universe]

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

[rcallicotte]

No.  But, you can put light sources inside of objects...except as explained by TU by using Luminosity.

[chipsidale]

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.

[rcallicotte]

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.

[chipsidale]

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

[Oshyan]

You can increase luminosity well beyond the slider's maximum. Try very high values and be sure GI is enabled...

- Oshyan

[chipsidale]

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.

[Oshyan]

Try increasing luminosity in the default shader of your object. Luminous surfaces can provide light to the scene when GI is enabled...

- Oshyan

[chipsidale]

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.

[Seth]

No.  But, you can put light sources inside of objects...

I tried it... it's fun... it's like spot light

[rcallicotte]

Seth, how did you do that?  It looks like another program.

[Seth]

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... ^^

[rcallicotte]

Cool.  Creative.  I'm amazed at what people have figured out with this program.