Recessed lighting in ceiling tiles

[Christiaan]

If I'm modelling an office interior for visualisation purposes and have ceiling tile lights, am I best to model the actual light fitting in some way?

[CipesDesign]

Christiaan, are you talking about standard rectangular lights that get hung flush with a suspended ceiling? Or recessed cans?

For the first, you might try creating Area Lights (Modify>Object From Poly, etc). For the second try modeling the can and put a light in it. I would make symbols out of either, and use classes to control light visibility (because it can really increase rendering times and for most quick changes I don;t really need to see a full-on, lighted interior).

[Christiaan]

Thanks Peter.

[Christiaan]

If I make a symbol from them they stop emitting light.

[mjm]

My guess: you haven't punched a hole in the ceiling for the light to emit through. Try suspending the fixtures just below the ceiling plane and rendering....