Raytraced Shadows In 6.5 not softening

#1

Hello,

I’m on a project for school that rushed thourgh the XSI package.

I finishing the scene using FG, and 2 infinite lights.

Using raytraced shadows on 1 infinite light, but the shadows are behaving like raytraced shadows.

I want the focused at the point of contact and become washy/soft with distance.

Can someone please suggest the attribute that controls the “RAYTRACED” shadows softness?

I tried the Spread>Angle, but it does not effect.

Thank You
Fess

#2

Area light.

#3

So you’re response means…

Area lights cast naturally soft shadows but increase render times.

Area lights in XSI are only capable of casting raytraced shadows?

Can ya been a little more descriptive?

Tnks

#4

Raytraced shadows without areas can’t be soft due to their nature, it’s as simple as that.
Only shadow maps can be softened, or area lights running a helluvalot of samples can do that with raytracing.
It’s got nothing to do with XSI and all to do with raytracing as it’s commonly used.
Final Gathering has no effect on shadow rays, so that will -not- affect shadowmapped or raytraced shadows.

I suggest some manual and papers reading in the regards to understand at least the basics of how raytracing works :slight_smile:

#5

I second the manual reading part. XSI has a good one. Make it your new best friend :slight_smile:

#6

It really is that simple. Just check the area light box in the light properties. Need more info, click the “?” on the top of the ppg. There is one on every ppg and it’ll open the help page for that property. The XSI community is fantastic and very helpful, but you also have to be willing to help yourself. As others have mentioned, the XSI manual is very good. Best of luck.

#7

Final Gathering will creat soft like shadows. Many people use FG or Ambient Occlusion material shaders to get the soft shadowing effect around details. Besides Area lights-Shadow Maps work pretty good and are fast for casting soft looking shadows.

Before choosing a method, there are some nice turorials on-line for FG, Ambient Occulsion and Shadow Maps are pretty self explanitory if you hit the shadow map tab on your light source property page.

Here are some free tutorials that might be useful. They have several on FG. It is not difficult to do, but there is more to it than simply turning on FG while rendering.
http://www.vast.ws/resources/xsi/tutorials/tutorials.html

Hope this helps,
Ohmanoggin

#8

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