Hide Table of Contents

Directional Light Properties

Directional light comes from a source that is infinitely far away from the model. It is a columned light source consisting of parallel rays from a single direction. You can modify the intensity, color, and position of the light source.

To modify properties of a Directional light:

  1. In the FeatureManager design tree, click to expand Lights, Cameras and Scene  .

  2. Right-click Directional and select Properties.

    The Directional PropertyManager appears, and a manipulator appears in the graphics area.

The appearance of the manipulator varies, depending on the zoom scale of the graphics area and the position of the light.

  1. In the PropertyManager, set the following options, then click .

Basic

  • On/Off . Switches the light off or on in the model.

  • Edit Color. Displays the Color palette, so you can select colored light rather than the default white light.

  • Ambient . Controls the intensity of the light source. Move the slider or type a value between 0 and 1. A higher value results in more light. The level changes equally on all sides of the model.

  • Brightness . Controls the brightness of the light source. Move the slider or type a value between 0 and 1. A higher value results in more light on the side of the model closest to the source.

  • Specularity . Controls the extent to which shiny surfaces exhibit bright highlights where the light strikes them. Move the slider or type a value between 0 and 1. A higher value results in more dramatic highlights and a shinier appearance.

Light Position

  • Lock to model. When selected, the position of the light relative to the model is maintained. When cleared, the light remains fixed in the model space.

Specify the position of the light source. Drag the manipulator in the graphics area, or type values or move the sliders in the PropertyManager for the following:

  • Longitude

  • Latitude

TIPS:

    • Move the pointer over the manipulator. When the pointer changes to , you can drag the manipulator.

    • Press Tab to flip the light source 180° about the model origin.

 

art\lg_dir0_shg.gif

art\lg_dir1_shg.gif

art\lg_dir2_shg.gif

Directional light with default placement

Directional light with change in Longitude

Directional light with change in Latitude and Longitude

Configurations

Applies the lighting adjustments to specific configurations. Select This configuration, All configurations, or Specify configurations.

Related Topics

Basic Lighting Controls

Lighting Overview

 



Provide feedback on this topic

SOLIDWORKS welcomes your feedback concerning the presentation, accuracy, and thoroughness of the documentation. Use the form below to send your comments and suggestions about this topic directly to our documentation team. The documentation team cannot answer technical support questions. Click here for information about technical support.

* Required

 
*Email:  
Subject:   Feedback on Help Topics
Page:   Directional Light Properties
*Comment:  
*   I acknowledge I have read and I hereby accept the privacy policy under which my Personal Data will be used by Dassault Systèmes

Print Topic

Select the scope of content to print:

x

We have detected you are using a browser version older than Internet Explorer 7. For optimized display, we suggest upgrading your browser to Internet Explorer 7 or newer.

 Never show this message again
x

Web Help Content Version: SOLIDWORKS 2010 SP05

To disable Web help from within SOLIDWORKS and use local help instead, click Help > Use SOLIDWORKS Web Help.

To report problems encountered with the Web help interface and search, contact your local support representative. To provide feedback on individual help topics, use the “Feedback on this topic” link on the individual topic page.

0.20.46