Texture Lights in Radiosity?

[MegaPixel]

I've been trying to get some textures to emit light/energy in my Radiosity scenes but am not seeing anything at render time.

 

Basically, I have a series of Can Lights on the Ceiling that I have applied an Adv. Lighting material to and adjusted the Luminance value of the texture to anywhere between 500 to 10000 with no visible results. I am using Log exp. control with exterior daylight checked if that makes a diff. for the values... Heck, I can't even get standard photometric lights to be visible in here.

 

I'd also like to use the texture light technique for Cabinet lights, molding lights, etc.

 

Thanks - Dave

[MegaPixel]

It would appear as though most of our Radiosity experts are either on vacation or have switched to Vray or Mentral Ray

 

That's ok, I figured out how to finally get my texture lights to show up. Normally, a value of 1000 or so for the luminance of an advanced lighting override material wuold do. However,... because my particular scene is using some strong light sources like the Dayight System, My exposure settings use the exterior daylight switch to compensate. Because of that, I had to crank my luminance values up to the ridiculus number of 5 million to actually appear in my rendering!

 

I can only assume that's why my photometric lights arn't displaying either? At any rate for now I seem to have found a way to make it work.

 

Mega

[Fran]

No, we get no vacations. We've switched to Maxwell because we're sick of actually making a living doing productive viz. (j/k)

 

I was going to suggest that you not use the exterior daylight switch for interior scenes. It just basically cranks down the levels. I don't usually use texture lighting because it bakes splotchy artifacts into the rad solution and kills reflections. Long story.

 

I will go ahead and annoy you by asking if your scene is to proper scale.

[MegaPixel]

You can't annoy me Fran. I'm actually flatered that you responded to my post knowing your past work with radiosity and intense knowledge of the subject. Yes the scene is to perfect scale in feet and inches.

 

I usually hear you shouldn't use the exterior daylight switch for interiors, but I'm basically relying on a Daylight System to illuminate my kitchen interior, mainly for indirect bounce (it's kind of a late morning shot with no lights on in the kitchen and plenty of windows around for ambient light). I have had difficulty getting the exposure to work well wuthout the switch and until I used the switch, could not see things like subtle indirect shadows details from furniture legs and such by the Skylight component. But if you think I'm in the wrong, I'll be glad to take your suggestions to heart. I'm self learning here at a rediculusly slow rate

 

So let's say I'm looking for an alternative to texture lights for my undercabinet lighting, what might you suggest I use for that then and pretty much, anything for that matter?

 

Thanks for chiming in Fran - BIll (Hmm... Maxwell you say? The new kid on the block eh? So that's where you've been lately eh?)

[Fran]

If the under cabinet lighting is little cans, use a photometric point with one of the wall-washer IES files from the maps folder. If they are linear, use a linear light with the cove IES file.

 

You can reduce the Midtones setting to something like 90 to get more shadow detail. The exterior daylight switch helps keep textures from going neon on exterior scenes. It does little more than decrease brightness.

 

I hate Maxwell. And I love it.

[MegaPixel]

Just wondering where this Midtones setting is? Do you mean the Exposure Control Midtone Setting which is 1.0 by default or is there anther setting in the Daylight System somewhere that I'm missing? Thanks for the Cabinet Lighting IES tips. It should take me much further.

 

Many Thanks - Bill

 

ps: Do you visit the vizdepot forums much? I've got a few doozy questions over there I need help with too