Home
Username:
Password:
Maya Fundamentals Tutorials

Lights / Light Manipulators




Visitors to VTC.com will be able to view all introductory videos for each training course.
Free Trial Members will gain access to first three chapters for each training course.
Full Access Members have full access to VTC.com’s entire library of video tutorials.


Learn More

Subtitles of the Movie

I am going to select a spotlight in a scene that I've already created and lit - you can see a sample render from this scene here. I am going to select one of the spotlights in this scene to discuss the manipulator tools. I am going to press 't' to show manipulators - immediately you see, move pivots to control the placement of the light, and the aim of the light. So I’ll move a little bit closer - you can see a little button by the light right here. See the little tag on the button, as I click button the tag moves. I am going to move the button around to the top position and just start discussing what the placement of the button represents. When the button has the tags sticking straight up, there are no manipulators selected. Click the button once, it moves to the right, and now I’ve got control of the center of interest, or origin of the light. This is the default position - when I press 't' to show manipulators, which allows me to move the light and to move the aim of the light. Then I click the button once, zoom out a little bit - you can see I've got this icon here available to me. This icon allows me to move the pivot point of the light – moving this icon I can change pivot around which the light moves. I’ll select the light again - now I've moved the tag so that now it's pointing downward. And now I can control the cone angle of the light by selecting the manipulator it is revealed. I can by moving this change the cone radius of the light. I am going to click button one more time - I've got another control. The control, controls the penumbra radius. The penumbra is the soft edge of the light, or how soft that edge will be. I'll click the button one more time. Now I can control the decay region of the light. The decay region creates a hotspot at the centre and let's the light decay to the outside edge. Click the button one more time, and now I've got control of the origin and decay radius. Check manipulate the origin and decay radius, with the tools revealed when I place the light manipulator button in this position. Those are the various manipulators available to you when working with the spotlight.

Tutorial Information

Course: Maya Fundamentals
Author: Chuck Grieb
SKU: 33402
ISBN: 1932072136
Release Date: 2002-12-05
Duration: 7 hrs / 106 lessons
Captions: For Online University members only
Compatibility: Vista/XP/2000, OS X, Linux
QuickTime 7, Flash 8

VTC Sign up & Benefits

  • Unlimited Access
  • 98,729 Video Tutorials (23,265 free)
  • Video Available as Flash or QuickTime
  • Over 1026 Courses
  • $30 for One Month Access
  • Multi-User Discounts Available