Linear Point Light experiments - the new Dream Home
I'm experimenting with using Linear Point Lights in the newly updated Dream Home rooms. Seems to be (mostly) working OK so far, but I've just come across a head-scratcher. The render below is the updated Foyer/Living Room with an array of lights placed just below the lights in the model. You can see the halo on the ceiling around each light, which is just the effect I wanted, but there is an odd reflection in the big glass doors at the back; it looks like a circular dimming of the room light. I've tried increasing the falloff (see the screenshot below, lights in the other rooms I've tried this on, even the large Great Room, all worked OK with a falloff of 1000) and I've tried increasing the Ray Trace Depth from 4 to 6 — it doesn't change anything.
Ideas, anyone? Using D|S4.6 with plain ordinary Linear Point Lights.
Comments
Could be wrong but I think those "dots" are more about the specularity settings on the glass than the lights that are causing those reflections.
No, not the bright dots — look more closely at the glass doors, there's a huge slightly dimmer circle just left of centre on them.
I see what you mean, but still think that you need to look at the surfaces on the glass rather than the lighting.
For some reason that I don't understand yet, Jen has started setting an Index of Refraction on window and door glass in these DH conversions. I thought it was no harm done, because Refraction Strength was still 0. However, I think you have just shown that it is a problem. Try setting the index of refraction to 0 for all the glass surfaces in the model and I think that circle will go away.
I'm mot using linear point lights, but the effect is the same as what you are seeing.
Gotcha! Thanks, that's fixed it. Although, even weirder, the Refraction Strength dial is down at 0%...
Yah, I know, that shocked me, too. Obviously we don't understand everything about the effects of index of refraction. I hope Jen will be convinced to zero that out in her Dream Home conversions. I sent her a PM with a link to this thread.
Thank you for pointing out this issue. I really thought the the strength 0 would mitigate the problem. It was your thread here that opened my eyes.