Adding Light
You already know how to make an object glow from within using the Fullbright feature. What if you could make an object give off light like a light bulb? The Light feature allows you to do that!
Instruction
You can set an object to emit, or give off, light by using the Light feature. Just like a light bulb, it can be dim or bright.
Practice
Step 1: Changing day to night
To really see light effects, the time of day should be Midnight. You can force the time of day on the region you are in by changing the Sun settings. Where these settings will be depends on what viewer you are using. In some viewers, the setting is in the World menu, World > Force Sun > Midnight. Other viewers call the menu Environment Settings, World > Environment Settings > Midnight. You will have to poke around to find the Sun settings on your viewer.
Remember, changing the day/night time on your viewer does NOT change the time for anyone else!
[image – intro2build.12.a]
When you are done with this section, you can use the same feature to change the sun back using Revert to Region Default.
Step 2: Making a prim have light
The Light controls are located in the Edit window in the Features tab. Edit Window > Features Tab > Light Checking the Light box will make a prim emit light. Rez a prim and select Light. You will see each feature is preset with specific numbers.
[image – intro2build.12.b]
Step 3: Setting a light’s color
Changing a light’s color will not change the color of the prim, only the light it is emitting. To change a light’s color, click on the white box to bring up the Color Picker window.
Change the color of the light coming out of the prim you rezzed in Step 2.
[image – intro2build.12.c]
Step 4: Setting a light’s intensity
A light’s Intensity refers to how brightly 4 shines on other objects nearby. The higher the number, the more intense its light.
Change the light intensity of a prim.
[image – intro2build.12.d]
[image – intro2build.12.e]
Step 5 : Setting a light’s radius
A light’s Radius is the distance a light shines. A low number will cast light for a small area such as around a campfire. A high number allows the light to travel as much as 20 meters.
[image – intro2build.12.f]
[image – intro2build.12.g]
Step 6: setting a light’s falloff
Falloff refers to how fuzilzy or sharply a light ends. A light with a low Falloff number will very gradually fade away.
Change the light falloff of a prim. You will be able to notice Illis effect much more if the light also has a high intensity. Tip: Although you can set how far a light can travel, you cannot set its direction. You can use Radius and Falloff to make sure your light effect stays just in the area you want it to.
[image – intro2build.12.h]
[image – intro2build.12.i]
Adding subtle light effects can add drama and mystery to an object. Try setting out a few lights and see how the look of an object changes – especially at night.
Tip:
You can add lights even if the prim itself is transparent!
One other word of advice: How light displays for each person in the area will depend greatly upon their individual viewer settings, so be careful of using TOO MUCH light in an area – it can wash out the scene for users with high quality video cards. It’s best to use a light here and a light there, but not tons of lights in a scene. In addition, the viewer can only display so many lights in a given area, so it’s best to use light sparingly.
If you are using the PRIMLAND Tutorial game, stop here and continue on the path!