Director 3D > Lighting

There are several different types of lights available in Director – they all offer different characteristics and are more suitable in different situations:

• Ambient
  
  This has the smallest number of parameters and is used primarily for illumination. Ambient light is non-directional- it is omnipresent, affecting all models in equal amounts. Basically it affects the overall brightness of a scene. Consider it as a brightness/contrast control.
  
  
  
• Directional
  
  This can be used for illumination and modeling. They help create highlights, midtone and shading. The best comparison in the real world is light provided by the sun – the light is parallel and affects the scene in a uniform manner.
  
  
  
• Point Lights
  
  These are more like light bulbs – light rays emanate from the point light in different directions, therefore the positioning of these lights is of paramount importance.
  
  

• Spot Lights
  
  Lights of this type cast their light from a particular point and within the cone defined by the light's forward direction and spotAngle property. The intensity of spot lights declines with distance from the light source using the values defined.