Introducing Maya® 2008

Summary

This chapter explored lighting in Maya, beginning with basic concepts that included the

three-point lighting technique. You then learned about the different lights in Maya, how

they work, and how you can use light linking to better control your scene. Shadows are an

important part of lighting and were covered next in this chapter, followed by a quick

exploration of Global Illumination with mental ray and then lighting effects such as lens

flare and light glows. Finally, you learned how to begin animating lights for use in your

scenes.

Lighting is truly the linchpin of CG. It can make or break a scene with the flick of a

switch. Lighting goes hand in hand with rendering and shading, and the more you under-

stand about all three functions, the better your scenes will look.

As mentioned, the trick to lighting is understanding how light works in the real world

and how to approximate its effects in Maya. That comes with practice, so don’t be afraid

to experiment with lighting and shading schemes on all your projects.

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