9.5.2

324 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 325
Parallel. Parallel spot (round/square). Area
Omni
An Omni light source acts like a real life light bulb — casting rays in all directions. Placing an Omni
light in the center of your scene will illuminate your scene evenly.
Spot & Square Spot
Spotlights cast their rays in just one direction, which is along the Z-axis by default. Once created, they
can be easily moved and rotated to light individual objects and specic areas of a scene. The spotlight
source can project a round or a square cone of light. Square light cones are ideal for, amongst other
things, the simulation of that which require a square picture to be cast onto a wall. Examples of round
spotlights include car headlights and torches.
Innite
Owing to its characteristics, the distant light source itself cannot radiate visible light.
The Distant light type is so called because it mimics light that is cast from an innite distance. Using
a Distant light would, for example, evenly illuminate the whole of a oor (provided the oor is at).
Since a Distant light is innite, the light has no actual origin. Thus the exact position of a Distant light,
near or far, has no effect on your scene’s objects. Only the actual direction in which the light is facing
is important with this light source. Distant light sources are suitable for simulating sunlight.
Parallel
Like the Distant light, Parallel lights cannot be rendered as a visible light.
Parallel lights resemble a very distant light source. Unlike the Distant light source however, the Parallel
light has an origin and simulates a large, single axis wall of light. By default, all Parallel lights will radiate
light rays along the Z-axis. These lights take the appearance of an innitely large surface, radiating
parallel light in a single direction; anything behind the point of origin will not be illuminated.