Lights

Toolbar Menu Panel Gear Menu

Render Tools

Window

Floating Panels >
Show Lights Panel

Lights

The Lights command opens the Lights panel.

Lights Panel

Panel options

Name

The lighting object names. Double-click a lighting item in the panel to access more settings in the Properties or Sun panels.

See: Naming conventions in Rhino

Skylight

Provides an overall lighting effect.

Sun

Provides a strong, directional lighting effect depending on the settings in the Sun panel.

  • Double-click the Sun to open the Sun panel.
  • Double-click a light to open the light properties.
Isolate

Turn on the lights with the checkbox checked, all other lights will be turned off. Clearing all checkboxes turns on all lights.

Type

Displays the light type.

Intensity

The brightness of the light.

Color

The light's illuminating color.

Layer

The light's layer.

Options

Add a new light

Click to select a light type and pick points in the viewport to place the light.

Delete a light

Click to delete the selected light.

Sun and Skylight cannot be deleted.

Show lights on layers that are off

Displays the lights in the list when their layers are turned off.

Light selection to viewport

Selecting a light in the list also selects the light in viewports.

Show groups

Displays light groups in the list.

Right-click context menu

Turn On/Off

Turns the selected lights on or off.

Delete

Deletes the selected lights. Sun and Skylight cannot be deleted.

Properties

Edits the selected light in the Properties panel.

UnIsolate All

Unchecks all Isolate checkboxes to turn on all lights.

Group

Groups the selected lights.

UnGroup

Ungroups the lights in the selected group.

Edit

Edits the light's name.

Light properties

Color

Sets the color of the light. Setting the color to shades of gray dims the light.

On

Turns the light on or off.

Intensity

Controls the brightness of the light.

Shadow intensity

Controls the darkness of the shadow cast by the light.

Spotlight hardness (Spotlights only)

Controls the blurriness of the light spot edge.

See also

Snapshots

The Snapshots command saves and restores Named Views, Named Positions, Layer States, as well as rendering settings, object settings including locked/hidden state, display mode, material, position, light settings, curve piping, displacement, edge softening, shutlining, and thickness.

DirectionalLight

Toolbar Menu

Lights
Render Tools

Render

Create Directional Light

The DirectionalLight command inserts a light that simulates the sun defined with parallel rays and a direction.


Location point (1), dolly point (2), target point (3).

Steps

  1. Pick a location at which to aim the directional light.
  2. Pick a location for the directional light.

Note

LinearLight

Toolbar Menu

Lights
Render Tools

Render

Create Linear Light

The LinearLight command inserts a light that imitates a fluorescent tube.

Steps

  1. Pick the start of the light.
  2. Pick the end of the light.

PointLight

Toolbar Menu

Lights
Render Tools

Render

Create Point Light

The PointLight command inserts a light object that emits light from a single location in all directions (omni light).

Steps

RectangularLight

Toolbar Menu

Lights
Render Tools

Render

Create Rectangular Light

The RectangularLight command inserts a rectangular light object that emits light from an array of light points in one direction.


Location point (1), length control (2), width control (3), dolly point (4), target point (5).

Note

Steps

  1. Pick the light's start point.
  2. Pick a the light's length.
  3. Pick the light's width.
Command-line option

Target

Aims the light at the specified location.

Spotlight

Toolbar Menu

Lights
Render Tools
Standard

Render

Create Spotlight

The Spotlight command inserts a light object into the model that directs a narrow beam of light with falloff.

The spotlight object appears as a cone shape. Its light appears only in full renderings of the targeted objects.

Use the Properties command to set the light's color and on or off state. Darker colors, like gray, light the scene less.


Location point (1), dolly point (2), radius control (3), target point (4), hotspot control (5).

Steps

  1. Pick the center and radius of the base circle.
    See the Circle command for option descriptions.
  2. Pick the end of the light.
Command-line options

Direction
constraint 
options

Direction constraints restrict the direction of the circle.

None

The center can be anywhere in 3-D space.

The second point can be placed anywhere using elevator mode, object snaps or other modeling aids.

Vertical

Draws an object perpendicular to the construction plane.

Pick the center and a radius or diameter.

AroundCurve

Draws a circle perpendicular to a curve.

Select a curve and pick the center of the circle on the curve and a radius or diameter.

Note

See also

Snapshots

The Snapshots command saves and restores Named Views, Named Positions, Layer States, as well as rendering settings, object settings including locked/hidden state, display mode, material, position, light settings, curve piping, displacement, edge softening, shutlining, and thickness.

Render

Render the objects using the current renderer.

Add lights

 

 

 

Rhino 6 for Mac © 2010-2020 Robert McNeel & Associates. 11-Nov-2020