Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Architectural Design with SketchUp
Use whichever approach is more applicable for your project. One thing to keep in mind,
though, is rendering time. In the previous example, the spotlight produced the fastest rendering
times by a factor of more than 2 (1 minute, 35 seconds) over the IES light (3 minutes,
15 seconds) and the light-emitting face (3 minute, 45 seconds).
Neon and Other Self-Emitting Light Sources
In addition to point lights and spotlights, there are many other light sources that we might
need to render. One example that cannot be accomplished with the tools mentioned thus
far is a simple neon tube, which is basically a linear light source. Another example is a 2f × 4f
neon ceiling fixture, as installed in suspended ceilings; this is an area light source. Neither of
these consists of just a point that emits light—it is the entire surface that (with varying intensity)
emits light. As it turns out, these light sources are actually quite easy to set up—the only
drawback is that rendering time can quickly increase if you are not careful with the settings.
(See Figure 5.58.)
Figure 5.58: Neon light rendering
Rendering software usually enables this kind of setup by allowing you to apply a lightemitting
material to a surface. Typically, you can just select one or more surfaces and apply
the material to those surfaces as you would apply any other material. The software then
assumes that every location on this surface emits light at a given intensity and without any
single direction—light particles emit in all directions and produce a very soft, scattered light
(similar to a light box).
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