Maya Lights
Figure 10-8: A typical light’s Attribute Editor
Six types of light are available in Maya: Ambient, Directional, Point, Spot, Area, and Volume. These lights are also used when rendering in mental ray. How you use each dictates whether they become key, fill, or rim lights. Each light can fill any of those roles, although some are better for certain jobs than others. The most commonly used light types for most scenes are Spot, Directional, and Ambient. All of these Maya lights render in Maya software as well as mental ray.
To create each light, choose Create ⇒ Lights, and click the light type.
Common Light Attributes
Lights in Maya ...
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