9.5.2

330 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 331
The Shadow Map settings are available only when soft shadow is selected. When using soft shadows,
CINEMA 4D initially sees the scene from the point of view of the light source and calculates the
complete scene from this view. All objects seen in this view are interpreted as shadows for the scene.
This results in Shadow Maps.
Shadow Map assigns memory for each shadow map. The smaller the memory assignment, the more
pixelated the shadow will appear. This can result in a shadow with a jagged, staircase-like appearance
at its edges. The more memory used for the shadow map, the smoother the shadow and its edges,
but the higher the memory usage. By default, a standard size of 250x250 is used. Shadow map size
can be increased substantially if needed.
In order to keep your shadow sharp and smoothly dened, your shadow map will need to increase in
size. If you simply need to keep your shadow edge soft, you can increase the Sample Radius. Again,
this will increase render time.
Rather than use a map with a doubled Shadow Map size, you can achieve an
equivalent soft edge by doubling the Sample Radius.
Sometimes when you have a small shadow map created by a very distant light source, spherical objects
may cast rectangular shadows! You can remedy this by viewing the scene through your light source. A light
source, like any other scene object, can be dened as a camera view. To do this, ensure the light source is
selected and from the viewport, choose Cameras > Link Active Object.
Resolution X
If the preset value of the map size does not give the desired result, adjust the Resolution X manually.
In general, set Resolution X (width) to the same value as Resolution Y (height).
Resolution Y
With a spotlight, you can provide a non-square shadow map by entering a value for Resolution Y.
Memory Usage
CINEMA 4D automatically calculates the maximum memory use for the shadow map, which is shown
here. This helps you to estimate how much memory will be needed for the shadow maps.
Sample Radius
Determines the shadow map accuracy. The higher the value, the more accurate the shadow is, at the
expense of a longer render time. If you must use a small shadow map, selecting a higher value will
improve the shadow quality. So you can trade off render time against memory usage.