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Hidden Lights?

DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
edited December 1969 in New Users

My renders are taking a long time, in part when Daz is "creating shadow map for Distantlight 2" or 3, or 4. The problem is there is no Distantlight 2, 3, or 4 in this scene (a pre-rigged scene I loaded). The one distanlight there is is turned off. I've tried searching the scene window with a filter "distant light" but only the one light comes up. Any ideas where these other lights might be hiding?

Comments

  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited December 1969

    Answered my own question. I think the rigger of this pre-rigged set loaded distant lights and then called them "Ambient" lights. So the shadow maps are being created for them.

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Ambient lights really don't need shadows on anyway. :)

  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited December 1969

    Is an ambient light something special? Or did the creator of this set just name them that? The symbols for them is the same as a distant point light. Some are called ambient and another is called sunlight.

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,997
    edited December 1969

    They will just have been renamed ro indicate their use. DS, internally, seems to use the name they were loaded with which adds to the confusion! :)

  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited December 1969

    Why did Szark imply this type of light didn't need shadows on?

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    Ambient light (non direct light) only produces Ambient Occlusion and not directional shadows so when using Distant lights as Fake Ambient light shadows are generally turned off. To get better Ambient light with AO (Ambient Occlusion) in DS use Uber Environment 2 that comes with DS at default.

  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited December 1969

    Thanks, I'll investigate that. Getting accurate shadows has been a problem with this particular scene.

  • SimonJMSimonJM Posts: 5,997
    edited December 1969

    Also with non shadow casting I believe they can, effectively, "pass through" walls to continue to provide ambient illumination within a room, for example.

  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited December 1969

    That would explain why the hood on a character is not casting a light on his face. So what is an ambient light? Is there a button that turns a distant light into an ambient light? How can I have these ambient lights cast shadows? Or is that a matter of using Uberenvironment (something I've never experimented with or learned about).

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    SimonJM said:
    Also with non shadow casting I believe they can, effectively, "pass through" walls to continue to provide ambient illumination within a room, for example.
    exactly the same as UE2.

    dkutzera here is a good starting point with UE2 http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/53373/ and then follow up with http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/5320/

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    dkutzera said:
    That would explain why the hood on a character is not casting a light on his face. So what is an ambient light? Is there a button that turns a distant light into an ambient light? How can I have these ambient lights cast shadows? Or is that a matter of using Uberenvironment (something I've never experimented with or learned about).
    Ambient light is non direct light. The easiest way to explain is take your house during the day when the sun is not shining on the house directly but inside the house light is still coming through the windows. Same as a cloudy day with no sun directly casting light, it is still light but no hard directional shadows. But with Ambient light there as still shadowing, like under your sofa or coffee table, the closer two objects are the more AO there is.
  • DekeDeke Posts: 1,632
    edited March 2015

    Thanks for the links. I know what ambient light is in the world. What I don't know is if Daz Studio has some sort of "ambient light button' that turns a light into some sort of special light that doesn't behave in the same way that any other light I load into a scene. This was a pre-lit scene with it's own lights and their own settings, so it's creator might have activated this special "ambient button" and that's what' giving my shadows fits. I'd like to turn off that button it such a button exists.

    And…even if ambient lights are basically lights placed to light a scene very indirectly…they still shouldn't pass through solid objects. THe sun outside filters through window…but not walls.

    Post edited by Deke on
  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    No there isn't a Ambient switch button. It is how a light is used that makes it an ambient light. UE2 is a pure Ambient light that also CAN give AO and Indirect Light (bounce light) which IMHO it gives you all round ambient light with either spots, point or distant lights providing directional shadows.

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