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A directional light is a light with a clear direction but without a clear source or distance, similar to sunlight. This light shows an onscreen control, but the position of the control has no meaning. The rotation of the control is used to determine from where in the scene the light appears to be coming.
Similar to a Camera 3D, you connect lights into a Merge 3D and view them in the scene by viewing the Merge 3D node. Selecting a light node and loading it into the viewer does not show anything.
Directional Light Node Inputs
The Directional Light node includes a single optional orange input for a 3D scene or 3D geometry.
- SceneInput: The orange input is an optional input that accepts a 3D scene. If a scene is provided, the Transform controls in this node apply to the entire scene provided.
Directional Light Node Setup
The Directional Light node is designed to be part of a larger 3D scene. You connect the light directly into
a Merge 3D. Separating lights into different Merge 3D nodes allows you to control which lights affect
which objects.
Directional Light Node Controls Tab
The Controls tab is used to set the color and brightness of the directional light. The direction of the light
source is controlled by the rotation controls in the Transform tab.
- Enabled
When the Enabled checkbox is turned on, the directional light affects the scene. When the checkbox is turned off, the light is turned off. This checkbox performs the same function as the red switch to the left of the node’s name in the Inspector. - Color
Use this standard Color control to set the color of the light. - Intensity
Use this slider to set the Intensity of the directional light. A value of 0.2 indicates 20% percent light.
Directional Light Node Transform and Settings Tab
The options presented in the Transform and Settings tabs are commonly found in other lighting nodes. Learn more
About the Author
Justin Robinson is a Certified DaVinci Resolve, Fusion & Fairlight instructor who is known for simplifying concepts and techniques for anyone looking to learn any aspect of the video post-production workflow. Justin is the founder of JayAreTV, a training and premade asset website offering affordable and accessible video post-production education. You can follow Justin on Twitter at @JayAreTV YouTube at JayAreTV or Facebook at MrJayAreTV
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