Optional module - Maxon Computer

CINEMA 4D R11 Quickstart – Animation
The position of an infinite light is irrelevant since it always lights your scene in the direction of the Z axis. This is
why we will leave it at the point at which it was created. It gives our Amphibian an interesting color edge and
sets him off of the background a little.
Your scene’s mood can be changed by simply changing the color of some of the lights used.
That completes our classic 3-point lighting arrangement. Now the real work starts. If the scene has a background,
which is often the case, it will have to be lit as well. With the proper use of point lights details in the scene can
be “brought to light“ very nicely. But don’t overdo it. With good lighting, less is often more. Only add lights
when necessary and if the scene can actually benefit from them. Two more tips before we end: If you have
several lights in a scene and are not sure which light is lighting what, simply make all other lights invisible in
the Object Manager. The light which remains will be the only one visible in the editor.
There is a trick how you can determine how to best light which objects in your scene. Select the desired light
in the Object Manager and activate Link Active Object in the editor view’s Cameras menu. Selecting this option
lets you view the scene from the point of view of an active object, in our case the light. Moving the editor view
will automatically change the position of the light when in this mode. This way you can see how the change of
position of the light affects the lighting of the object in realtime (Gouraud Shading must be active in the editor
view). Once you have reached the desired angle and position you can return to the editor view by selecting
Editor Camera from the Cameras menu.
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