Digital Lighting & Rendering, Second Edition

26 Digital Lighting and Rendering

Models Serving as Lights

In some programs, any 3D model in your scene can be designated to function

as a light source. With this feature, even nontraditional shapes of light, such

as a neon sign, can be used as a true light source, as shown in Figure 2.11.

[Figure 2.11]

Using an object as a light

allows for odd shapes such

as  uorescent rings or neon

tubes.

Any renderer that supports global illumination (the simulation of indirect

light bouncing from one object to another, discussed in Chapters 3 and 4)

will allow objects to illuminate other objects. When rendering with global

illumination, applying a high incandescence ...