Light is on, but actual lamp does not show up...

[Chris Grantham]

So I have been getting some interior renderings together, and in the early stages I have noticed that that lights I have in do not seem to be lighting up. They do throw light on the area below, but the lights appear to be off. How do I get some illumination out of the light itself? I attached a picture to illustrate what I mean. Note the can light in the left hand corner. The others are too dark to see.
Thanks for your help!

Dwight- I know... I know... BUY YOUR BOOK!
I will definitely get one for the office.

-Chris

[Anonymous]

The glowing of the bulbs is accomplished through the emission settings of the bulb material (or anything else that is to appear to glow). This is distinct from the effects of light cast by the light source.

[Chris Grantham]

Thanks for the quick response!

So if I am using the "halogen recessed 12" object, do I need to simply change the lamp material to something that has a high emission value? It looks as if I will need to create a new material for this.

-Chris

[Dwight]

That's right, but the easiest way to make a glowing material is to assign a Reflectance Class Shader "constant"