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Poser - OFFICIAL F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2025 Jan 03 1:41 pm)

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Subject: Can Anybody Provide A Succinct Definition of Angle and Dist ?

pookah69 opened this issue on May 29, 2003 ยท 10 posts
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pookah69 ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 8:23 AM ยท edited Mon, 16 September 2024 at 11:51 PM

I have been working with Poser for over a year now. I still have to fiddle extensively with the spotlights before I get the lighting effect I want. None of the manuals, nor any of the tutorials I've seen have simply and clearly explained the definition of Angle and Dist start/end. Having these concepts clearly defined in my brain would be tremendously useful. Can any of you smart poser users provide this?

Kelderek ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 9:05 AM

The spotlights has a fall off distance from where the light intensity is 100% to where it fades out to zero intensity. This fall off in intensity is controlled with these dials. Look at the light from the spotlight as a cone. The cone has a top angle. If you set the Angle Start to 50, you have a light cone with 100% intensity with a 50 degree top angle. If you then set the Angle End dial to 80, the light becomes less and less intense outside the angle 50 degrees and it has totally faded out at an angle of 80 degrees. The Dist Start/End sliders work basicly the same, but here you control how the light fades at a distance. Set Dist Start to 3 and Dist End to 6, and the light cone has 100% intensity until a distance of 3 "Poser units" from the spotlight. Afer that it fades to zero intensity at a distance of 6 "Poser units" form the source. Hope that made it somewhat clearer :-)

Little_Dragon ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 9:09 AM

file_60574.jpg

Perhaps this illustration will help.


Kelderek ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 9:16 AM

file_60575.jpg

Another illustration: Here is a spotlight with Angle Start at 20 and Angle End at 25. The fall off area is quite small, only 5 degrees of the light cone of 25 degrees.

Kelderek ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 9:18 AM

file_60576.jpg

Here is the same spotlight, but with Angle End set at 40 degrees. The 100% intensity part is still 20 degrees, but the fall off area now covers the part of the cone from 20 degrees to 40 degrees.

Niles ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 10:05 AM

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/messages.ez?&Form.ShowMessage=951206

You might try this

Patricia ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 10:49 AM

Thank you--this is the clearest I've seen angle and distance described yet :) I drag out Dr. Geep's tutorial on lights every time I have to fiddle with lights, but it contains SO MUCH dense information that it gives me a headache to find, figure out and apply the info. I think I need to find just the tutorial by itself, with no forum participation, redownload it and print it on better quality paper, too. (Please note that this is not true of his other tutorials, just this one! And just for me, probably)

ockham ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 10:54 AM

Thanks, Kelderek and LD! I never understood this point before. Too bad the manual can't be as clear as this.........

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pookah69 ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 11:21 AM

Thanks to all of you...this is very helpful.

shogakusha ( ) posted Thu, 29 May 2003 at 12:03 PM

Ah ha! Amazing what a few well chosen words and some basic images can confer. Thanks to Kalderek and LD!

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