Shadows
Rendering can generate shadows from all light source cells. For this to occur, shadows must be enabled for the light source, the material, and in the Settings tab of the Render Setup Manager dialog. Shadows can be sharp, or soft, depending on the number of samples taken from each light source during rendering calculations.
Soft Shadows
You can control the sharpness of shadows from light sources. This can be global, where all light sources are given the same value, or on a per light basis, where each light source uses its own setting for shadow generation. Settings for Shadows let you choose from:
- Per Light — sharpness is controlled by the Shadow setting for each light source.
- Sharp — 1 sample
- Soft - Coarse — 16 samples
- Soft - Medium — 64 samples
- Soft - Fine — 160 samples
- Soft - Very Fine — 256 samples
For soft shadows calculations, the rendering process assumes a default size of 12 inches for all point and spot lights. This can cause unnatural lighting in situations where light sources are placed within fixtures, if the fixtures are expected to cast shadows. For these situations, use the Bulb Size option in the Place Light tool settings window to change the size for all point and spot lights in a model.