Setting light source and shadows

You can set how light sources and shadows appear on 3D layers.

Applying a light source to a 3D material

You can apply a light source to a 3D layer with the Object sub tool by turning on Apply Light Source in the Tool Property palette or in the Sub Tool Detail palette > Shadows category.

You can set the following kinds of light for a 3D layer.

Ambient light

Ambient light is light that evenly covers a 3D material from all directions.You can adjust its color and intensity.

Directional light 1 and 2

Directional light is light that illuminates the 3D material from a specific direction.You can adjust the direction of the light source, light color, and intensity.

There are two types of directional light, Directional Light 1 and Directional Light 2, which can illuminate a 3D material from multiple directions.Normally, Directional Light 2 is hidden.

Changing the direction of a light source

After turning on Apply Light Source, you can set a directional light source for the entire 3D layer.You can set Directional Light with the following settings.

·Tool Property palette > Light Source ball

·Tool Property palette > Object List > select Directional Light 1 and drag the ball that appears below the Object List

·Sub Tool Detail palette > Light Source category > Light source ball

·Sub Tool Detail palette > Allocate category > Object List > select Directional Light 1 and drag the ball that appears below the Object List

You can only set Directional Light 1 in the Tool Property or Sub Tool Detail > Light Source category.When the direction of Directional Light 1 is changed, the shadow of the 3D material will change accordingly.

You can set Directional light 2 by selecting it in the Object List and dragging the ball that appears below.Note that the shadows of a 3D material will not move when changing the direction of Directional light 2.

Adjusting the color and intensity of a light source

You can set the color and intensity of the light source for both directional and ambient light.Under the Light Source ball in the Tool Property palette, you can adjust the Directional Light 1 and Ambient Light settings.The same settings can be adjusted in the Sub Tool Detail palette > Light Source category.

Directional light 1

(1)Directional light color

Tap the color icon to open the Color settings dialog and set the light color.

(2)Directional light intensity   

You can set the intensity of the directional light.The larger the value, the stronger the light.

Ambient light

(1)Ambient light

Tap the color icon to open the Color settings dialog and set the ambient light color.

(2)Ambient light intensity   

This sets the intensity of the ambient light.The larger the value, the stronger the light.

Directional light 2

Select Directional light 2 from the Object List. You can now set the Directional light color and Directional light intensity under Directional light 2. The same settings can be changed in the Allocate category of the Sub Tool Detail palette.

The figure below shows Directional light 1 set to red and then Directional light 2 set to blue.Directional light 2 can be used to change the appearance of the light.

Setting shadows on 3D materials

Showing and hiding shadows on 3D materials

To show shadows underneath a 3D material, turn on Cast shadows on ground in the Tool Property palette.Turn the setting off to hide the shadows.The same settings can be changed in the Sub Tool Detail palette > Shadows category.

Shadow settings for new 3D layers

You can set how shadows are projected from Preferences > 3D > New 3D layer > Shadow appearance. The settings are Don't cast shadows, Cast directly down, and Project on the ground according to light source.

·Don't cast shadows does not display any shadows on the floor of the 3D space.

·Cast directly down displays shadows perpendicular to the floor.

·Project on the ground according to light source displays shadows according to the direction of the light source.

Shadow settings for selected 3D layers

You can change shadow settings for a selected 3D layer from the Sub Tool Detail palette > Preferences category > Rendering settings dialog.Change the shadow appearance by tapping Apply light source under 3D Layer Settings > Lighting.

You can also select how shadows are cast from Shadows. The options are Don't cast shadows, Cast directly down, and Project on the ground according to light source, the same as shadow settings for new 3D layers.