Light symbols completely dark when rendering

[symo 4]

Hi there

 

Is there an easy way to make the lens of a light symbol glow when emitting light? My renders are looking a little odd - when the lights are lighting objects and people correctly - but you cant see light coming out of them. Ive tried muliple render modes - but to no avail.

 

Cheers

[Kevin Allen 214]

Not necessarily easy, but it can be done.

 

The SLD must have a lens object grouped with the body. The Light Info Record must be attached to the group, Sometimes that means un-attaching, editing and reattaching.

 

You'll need a glow texture set to object attributes, and a class for the lens object with the texture assigned in the class. In File>Document Spotlight>Spotlight Preferences look at

 

Lighting Instrument Color set by

check Color Field

and color field for Pen and Fill

 

Then Modify the geometry in you lens class.

 

Once you set upon a template file and modify your symbols it whoppers by default. The SLD symbol in the libraries pretty much all have lens object grouped wit the body. Other symbols may require the lenses to be modeled.

 

 

 

 

[JustinVH 63]

Here is a great video on YouTube on how to create a lens glow texture and have it change color with the color chosen.  It is exactly what Kevin stated above but still helpful.

Change Lens Color of Lighting Device

[Dave Donley 174]

Hello symo:

 

One way is to use a texture that is set to Backlit for Reflectivity, and that is also set to not Cast Shadows.  It should also have the Indirect Lighting turned off in the texture so that it doesn't add extra light to the scene.  This allows the lens to glow when the light behind it is turned on.

 

Another way is to use Glow Rfelectivity, but that has to be controlled by class and it not affected by the light object On/Off, so that can be less convenient than using Backlit which will automatically glow when the light object is on.

 

HTH

[symo 4]

Hi guys

 

Many thanks for this. Sheesh - sounds pretty complicated - but I really appreciate the helpful responses. Will spend some time with this over the next few days.

 

Symo

[Rob Books 183]

once you have the texture created, you should be able to go into most of the symbols in the VW libraries and just dig down to the lens object and attach the texture to it.  then you can go back and refresh instruments and they will all be good to render.

[symo 4]

Hi Rob

 

Cheers for this. Are you saying that all symbols should already have a lens object?

 

Cheers

 

Symo

[Rob Books 183]

we have been working towards that end, can't for certain say that we haven't missed something as we have been working through the libraries, but any newer symbol will have something there.

[symo 4]

Brilliant - many thanks.

 

Do they have their own class??

[Rob Books 183]

unfortunately, no.

[symo 4]

Ok - cheers