Here's one I've been meaning to ask for ages. With certain floor props, I'm finding that the figures and props don't get shadows under them (ie. on the floor) even with overhead lights. This seems to happen with commercial props like Modulaz Platez, RDNA Roman Villa... but not if I make my own floor with a simple textured square. It's very annoying because everything looks like it's floating. Any hints?

Are you using infinite lights? If so, try adjusting the shadow map cams. Poser is by defauld adjusting the shadow cams of infinite lights to see the whole scene - when you're using very large floor props, it might happen that the shadow cams get zoomed out too far.

I saw something in another post from the last few days about this- it said something about making sure you had 'shadows' turned on in the properties window you get when you double click an object - apparently the floor won't even Receive cast shadows if 'shadows' for it aren't turned on. Hope I remembered that correctly ! It's something I've wondered about too for a while. haven't tried it yet though.

Thanks, I know about the shadows on button - I don't think it's that. Even when I have low spotlights from above, I'm not getting shadows. Sometimes the shadow that should be there bends up against a nearby wall and it's right there on the wall, but just stops on the floor.

But Dr Geep, I'm not using Poser's ground...

If you zoom your Camera way up close to an object or Figure, you can see a tiny space between an object that has been "Dropped to Floor" and Poser's GROUND. Poser's "Floor" is located at yTran = 0.000 (as in ----> "Drop to Floor") Poser's GROUND is located at yTran = -0.001 (Note the minus sign) cheers, dr geep ;=]

Ok, then check your Shadow Cameras.

BTW - Are you using P4 or P5? ;=?

I'm using P4. I don't really understand your explanation - sorry - do you mean that when I use a textured square for a floor, I should have all my props at Y=0.000 instead of "dropping to floor"? Will this help with shadows?

Attached Link: http://forum.daz3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=1206

Gini, It was me who posted about 'cast shadows' being switched on. If it's not, the ground won't receive shadows either. OK, but if that's not the problem, then for sure, it's the shadow cams. Here's what I posted at DAZ recently in response to a similar problem. The full thread is linked above. --------------------------------------------- 'The second way to improve lighting is to use the shadow cameras. Everyone seems to be terrified of these, but they're really quite tame once you know them. Go to the menu under the doc window again and look at the cameras. You'll see (at the bottom of the camera list) a shadow camera for each light in your scene. Select one and the view will change. Don't panic! You're now seeing a bizarre, extremely wide-angle view of your scene. This is the view from that light, and poser uses this view to calculate how much of the scene to include in the shadow map. Unfortunately, poser always includes about a mile extra on every side, just in case it misses something, and this is what causes the problem. If you only have one figure in the scene, poser is making a map for everything from here to the moon and back, instead of concentrating on your figure. So the resulting shadow is, (not to put too fine a point on it) ... crap. What you want to do is use the camera controls in the parameter dials to zoom in on your figure with the shadow cam, (or the part of the scene you're rendering), so that it almost fills the frame. This will improve the shadows immensely because poser is now making the map for a small part of the scene, not the entire universe.' mac

Thank you mac, that all sounds lovely but... what the heck is the "cameras" under the "doc window"?? I've looked at all my menus and I don't know what it could be. (Poser 4)

Mac, thanks for a great explanation. THis is something that has vexed me for quite a while, but it took somebody else posting the question for me to see the answer! I can't wait to try your solution--I've noticed many gallery images that suffer from the lack of shadow under the feet, including my own images. Geep, I'm still curious to check out your tutorial.

Hey pookah, Glad to help. I'm just passing on what I learned, mainly from les bentley and nance. What's goes around, comes around. mac

"cameras" under the "doc window" I thinks mac means this. Sometimes there are no shadow cams. They disappear when you delete your lights. Any new lights you add after that don't have shadow cams.

Hi pookah69,

re: "Geep, I'm still curious to check out your tutorial."

HERE is a list of links to most of 'em.

There are a couple of 'em on Lights.

Happy browsing. ;=]

cheers,
dr geep
;=]

Maclean and Geep- thanks tons for all that ! Maybe I'll be able to stop faking shadows in Photoshop now . I'v seen the shadow cams but was totally in the dark( sorry) with them. And the double floor- never knew that either. Have bookmarked all this for when I crack open Pose next.

mountainmaster, your comment concerns me...is this a glitch with the software? Shouldn't every light have a shadow cam? I've noticed that the numbers on my shadow cams don't correspond to the numbers on my lights, and I have deleted and added. Can you elaborate on the relationship between shadow cams and lights?

This is interesting............bookmarked. 8)

nontroppo, Mountainmaster was correct - 'cameras under the doc window' means the menu just below the document window which lists all body parts, lights and cameras in a scene. pookah, I've never seen a light that didn't have a shadow cam. The names may get mixed up if you add/delete/change lights, but nevertheless, every light should have a shandow cam or it wouldn't be able to cast a shadow. This is the important thing to realise with lights. The shadow doesn't actually come from the light, but from the shadow camera. Or at least, the calculation of what the shadow will look like comes from the shadow cam. mac

Here are some pics which illustrate the whole discussion. Top left is rendered with the main light behind the wall, and the pic below it is the view through the shadow cam. As you can see it takes in the entire scene. The shadows in the pic aren't sharp or well-defined. Center top is rendered with nothing changed EXCEPT the view from the shadow cam. In the shadow cam view below it, you can see how I've gone closer to frame the door. Now the door shadows are sharp and clear. The top right pic is the same scene again, but with 'cast shadows' switched OFF for the floor. You can see how the crossbar shadow is barely visible, especially close to the floor. mac

.

"Can you elaborate on the relationship between shadow cams and lights?" pookah69, All I know is that the "disappearing shadow cam glitch" happened to me more than a few times in Poser 5. In fact so often that I was confusing it with standard behavior. But it may well be one of those glitches that were fixed in SR3, because now that I am trying to repeat this everything seems to be fine. I can add lights manually and they do have shadow cams. Sorry to have worried you for nothing.

Ah, poser 5.... that explains it. Poser 5 is another world where the laws of physics don't hold true. mac

Amen.

;=] <----- (forgot to 'sign' it) ;=] <---------- but not this time ;=]

Unfortunately, when I try to "close in " using the shadow cam lites in Poser Pro-Pack, it only allows me to go "side to side" and not close in!?! Any reason for this??

Try using "Scale." ;=]

Very interesting post, thank you all for those tips and tricks :o) Bookmark Elaine

pookah, I can never remember if the dial is called zoom or scale, but whatever it is, that's the one. There's another trick if your light is a spotlight. Try selecting the shadow cam first, then select the light. You will still see the shadow cam view in the doc window, but the parameter dials will be for the light. Now when you use the dials for the light, the shadow cam view will change (because it's controlled by the light). Messing around with the cam and light controls together is the best way to find out how spotlights work. As you change parameters like AngleStart and AngleEnd, you'll see how they affect the view, and therefore, the final shadow. mac