9.5.2

342 • CHAPTER 7
OBJECTS MENU • LIGHTING • 343
Line Hemisphere
A straight, linear light source (previously
“Tube”), good for use in simulating neon
tubes. This is the only Area light source that
can render as visible or volumetric.
“Hemisphere” is good for use in simulating
outdoor lighting since its light is emitted in
all directions, as the sky does in reality.
Area lights offer very realistic lighting and, when used in conjunction with Area shadows, very realistic
shadows (also results in longer render times).
When using three-dimensional Area lights (cubes, spheres, etc.), don’t forget that objects within the
light source’s “volume” require higher sampling rates, especially when using Area shadows. The reason
being, that light and shadow fall on the object from all directions.
You can dene sampling rates for light and shadow here:
Diffuse lighting: “Samples” in the “Details” tab
Area shadow: “Accuracy”, “Minimum Samples” and “Maximum Samples” in
the “Shadow” tab.
Two-dimensional light sources render faster than three-dimensional light sources. Area shadows in
particular can reach GI-level render times!
This is where the shape of the Area light is dened. You can select from two-dimensional or three-
dimensional shapes or create custom shapes using “Object / Spline”. Below are examples of the various
Area light shapes. All shadows are Area shadows. Hard (Raytraced) or Soft (Shadow Maps) shadows
do not work with Area lights.
The object will then automatically be made invisible when the scene is rendered.
Note:
Unexpected or false results can occur if a Soft (“Shadow Maps (Soft)”) or Hard
(“Raytraced (Hard)”) shadow is used in conjunction with an Area light.
Note 2:
Area lights cannot emit a visible or volumetric light, with one exception – the
“Line” area shape.
Note 3: