How many Suns are there? (lightworks renderer)

[Anonymous]

I'm a bit confused as to what all the different suns are and what each of the settings control.

PhotoRendering Settings:
LightWorks Effects - Light Sources - Sun
LightWorks Environment - Class: Sun - All parameters

Then there's
LightWorks SunObject....

I'm trying to achieve soft "natural" lighting and having some trouble... always seem to overexpose but when i change any Sun settings everything goes dim and grey.

Do the LightWorks Environment - Sun Shader settings affect the SunObject or is it completely seperate? If you have a SunObject do you need the Sun Shader or do they conflict?

Please disregard the modelling... i really just want to try and get the lighting right before adding too much detail...

Current Settings:

Effects -
Sun: 50%
Ambient: 50%
Lamps: Checked

Environment -
Sun:
Shadows: Yes
Shadow Resolution: 256
Shadow Quality: 6
Shadow Softness: 2.20
Colour Temperature: 0
Shadow Type: Soft
Shadow Transparency: 11
Shadow Acceleration: 0
Scattering: Yes (i've tried turning this off - no change)
Shadow Tolerance: 0.00

Foreground: NONE

SunObject:
Intensity: 60
Number of Light Sources: 17
Diversion Angle: 1
Cast Shadows: On

SunObject: ("uplighting")
Intensity: 20
Number of Light Sources: 10
Diversion Angle: 1
Cast Shadows: Off
Set Sun Position Manual On....

SkyObject:
Intensity: 50
Lattitude Resolution: 3
Longitude Resolution: 6
Number of Light Sources: 11 (greyed out)
Cast Shadows: Off
Shadow is Soft: On
Shadow Quality: 2

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

[Anonymous]

Internal Render

[Dwight]

what is your Archicad version number?

[Anonymous]

ArchiCAD 9

[Dwight]

Answering your question takes thirty pages of my 208 page "LightWorks in Archicad" book. If you order from me today, it will ship from Sydney tomorrow.

Here's a summary:

I agree that the lighting controls in Archicad 9 are confusing. That's why I saw an opportunity to write a book and tour the world giving seminars.

To make a soft, well-exposed scene, you need four light sources: Sun Object, Sky Object, Undersun Object and Ambient light to perk up the inevitable, murky shadows.

The undersun, made from a Sun Object set to -90 degree altitude, comes at the building from below the ground shining upward because you turn shadows OFF.

You can soften the light from a Sun Object by wildly increasing divergence.

Camera light OFF. Always, except if you want highlites in chrome furniture.

To enable THESE lights only, turn off the SUN in Photorendering Settings. Enable LAMPS only. Ignore internal shader SUN.

Internal renderings require a different approach.
Another twenty pages. For interiors, I also share a technique using the built-in SUN and three general lights to plausibly fake radiosity in just seconds.

Good luck.