Mastering Maya® 2009

Chapter 9. mental ray Lights

To achieve professional-quality, realistic renders in Maya, you need to master the mental ray render plug-in that comes with Maya. mental ray is a complex rendering system that is incorporated through the Maya interface. Learning how to use it properly and efficiently takes time, study, and practice. Chapters 9 through 12 discuss various aspects of working with mental ray, starting with how to set up mental ray light nodes.

In this chapter you will learn to:

• Use shadow-casting lights

• Render with Global Illumination

• Render with Final Gathering

• Use Image-Based Lighting

• Render using physical sun and sky

• Understand mental ray area lights

• Work with mental ray light shaders

• Create Participating Media

Shadow-Casting Lights

There are ...