Introduction to the Scenery Description Langage of the POV-Ray Raytracer        
by Friedrich A. Lohmüller
           Cameras, Light Sources and Details in POV-Ray
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Camera + Light
  
in POV-Ray
  Content  -  INDEX
 
 Types of Light Sources:
   point light
   spotlight
   cylindrical spotlight,
   parallel light,
   area light, soft shadows
 
 Light Source Specials:
   Visible light sources
   Shadowless light sources
   projected_through
   Fade out
 
 Types of Cameras:
   Perspective camera
   Ultra_wide_angle
   Orthographic camera
   Cylindrical camera
   Spherical camera
   Fisheye camera
   Panoramic camera
   Omnimax camera
 
 Camera Specials:
   Aspect ratio
   Focal blur
   Perturbated camera

 Architectural Perspective
 
 Show and Hide:
   no_shadow
   no_reflection
   no_image
   no_body
 
                                             
Light Source Specials:

The invisibility of light sources and " looks_like "
Point lights by themselves are invisible: (the reason: because of calculating precisions it's nearly impossible to hit the position of a light by raytracing. And if this ever will happen we will see only one little white pixel !)
Here is how to make a light_source visible:

light_source{<1.3,1,0> color White*0.7
        looks_like{
           sphere{ <0,0,0>,0.5
                   texture{
                    pigment{color White}
                    finish {ambient 0.9
                            diffuse 0.1
                            phong 1}
                   } // end texture
                } // end of sphere
         } //end of looks_like
 } //end of light_source

A light_source by looks_like

Shadowless Light_source:   (Light up shadows!)

light_source{ <2000,2000, 0> color White
              shadowless } 
Using: For fill lights instead of higher ambient values.
Note: With this light there are no highlights like phong. Perfect for an light-up flash right at the position of the camera.

A shadowless light_source

Light "projected_through"
The inverse to casting shadows.
Needs to have a declared projecting object:

#declare Projector =
sphere{ <1,0.5,0>, 0.2
        texture{ pigment{ color Red }
                 finish { phong 1}
               } // end of texture
      } // end of sphere ------------- 

light_source{ <1.3,1,0>
              color White *0.7
    projected_through { Projector }
 } //end of light_source
Light projected_through a sphere

Light fading
The diminish light from a light source.
light_source{ <1,1,0>
              color White 0.7
              fade_distance 0.75
              fade_power 2 // 1,2,3, ...
 } //end of light_source
fade_distance = distance of full light intensity
fade_power 1 (linear)
fade_power 2 (quadratic)


Light with fade_distance and fade_power

Index | Lights | Light Specials | Cameras | Camera Specials | Architectural Perspective | Show+Hide

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© Friedrich A. Lohmüller, 2010
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www.f-lohmueller.de