Lights (lack of) when rendering in Lightworks

[Anonymous]

I am running a night time rendering using the Lightworks' engine and am having trouble getting lights to work.

I have searched through a number of threads with very good tips (dwight of course) which was helpful but nothing regarding lights not working.

They are turned on on the object itself, I have varied the intensities and on rendering, the 'lamps' are turned on but still I get but a faint glow from the lights.

the particular lights I was using was the 'runway lights' from the lampworld library, when this didn't work I thought I would put down a 'general light source' and still no light.

Can anyone shed some LIGHT on this problem, am I going mad or have I just forgotten to do something basic?

[Anonymous]

With further investigation I ought to explain what I am trying to achieve.

I am trying to light up a 'glass entrance canopy' to a very dull building (it already exist by the way) and the canopy plus lighting at night is to give the entrance a 'presence' so people actually notice it!

What I have discovered is that because there is not much to light up Mainly glass structure with only one support) very little shows. In reality if you shine a big light up into the sky you WILL see the beam of light especially when it is dark. Given the same scenario in Lightworks this does not happen using object EX-08 from Lampworld.

Is the answer to actually make the glass canopy as a light so it radiates light itself or is there another answer?

[Dwight]

- you must use lamps from the ArchiCAD library for LightWorks effects.

- try making the glass canopy less transparent - think birdpoop and dust.

- think like a photographer would - add some uplighting using the WindowLight rotated to shine upwards into the translucent canopy.

post your image and the plan.....

[Dwight]

better yet, send me the file and I'll solve it - add it as an article into the book....

[Karl Ottenstein]

Dwight wrote:
- you must use lamps from the ArchiCAD library for LightWorks effects- think like a photographer would - add some uplighting using the WindowLight rotated to shine upwards into the translucent canopy.

Dwight,

I've been meaning to try this since you posted your beautiful images of the condo in Vancouver using the technique. Tried some window lights this way last night, and couldn't get much illumination from them. Finally, I changed the color to white and intensity to 100% and with no other lights (so that I could see what contribution was being made), there was almost no light generated at all.

What's the trick to getting the window lights to add observable / meaningful illumination? I suppose I should open the objects and dig around...

(I was successful months ago using them in windows to illuminate the adjacent walls ... is it that window lights only cast light for a very very short distance?)

Thanks,
Karl

[Dwight]

windolites fill where shadows from penetrating sunlite were overwhelming.

thinking like photographer.

downlites mauve
fill lites yellow

[Karl Ottenstein]

Dwight wrote:
windolites fill where shadows from penetrating sunlite were overwhelming.

thinking like photographer.

downlites mauve
fill lites yellow

Of course. My point is that they aren't filling. (OK, I hear the zero calorie / lite beer jokes coming...) The window lights barely illuminate when there are no other lights. With the LW Sun turned "on", I can't even tell the windowlights are there.

Karl

[Dwight]

I guess I'm just good at it.

Use the SunLightLamp and Skylight and ambient lights.

Turn off the LightWorks sun.

There's a lot of finicky work to balancing the various energies.
I do put in a lot of ambient light, this lets me reduce the Sunlightlamp intensity for a more volumetric fell......

post or send for criique

[Anonymous]

"when this didn't work I thought I would put down a 'general light source' and still no light"


I had this same problem last week. general light sources just didn't give any light. at all. i'm sure im doing something dumb but i couldn't figure out what.i finally just gave up. i had time of day set to light times, intensity up to 100%. just nothing came out. frankly i don't think they work


donald mac donald

mac G-5, V9

[Dwight]

Dear Mr "The Somerset Deconstructivist" Windsock:

Here's what I did with your rendering:

-made the LightWorks background rendering active
-had the background fade from greengrey to dusky mauve, much like post-industrial coal dust laden Somerset skies.
- turned off sun
- made skylite same color as greengrey background but lighter - 80 strength - simulate moon
- ambient to 75%
- four broad yellow uplites at pavement level evenly spaced under canopy - no distance falloff 100 strength.
- diagonal spotlite up for definition and glassglare.
made reflectance of glas "glass" and set refration at 1.6 for the thick glass.
- THEN: I made sure that the transparency and reflection features were on in LightWorks....