Message edited on: 06/29/2004 14:12

Let's see your raytraced light settings while we're at it. There should be an option on the light's properties panel called "Shadow Min Bias". This normally defaults to 0.8. Try a lower value.

Hmm.. Actually, your "Use displacement maps" setting is wrong. If you are not using displacement at all, turn it off. (Shouldn't make any difference to the image, but might speed up the render slightly). If you ARE using displacement, then the "Minimum displacement bounds" should be set a little higher than the MAXIMUM displacement setting (in the Materials room) that you are using. (Counter-intuitive, I know, but that's Poser/Firefly...) Hmmm.. 2; Unless I'm mistaken (and if I am, someone here will pounce and correct me), "raytracing on" only comes into effect when using reflections and/or refractions. Again, shouldn't make any real difference, but the less the renderer has to check for the faster it goes.. It might help if you could post your materials room settings for the the figure and the clothing. Are you using tranparencey, bump or displacement? Cheers, Diolma

I would like to know this too, I get those "dirty" shadows often. My setup is pretty similar to the one showed, only I use the Box as post filter (never bothered to change it) I use 3 lights in my standard setup, one with raytraced shadows (so I have raytracing set to ON) and 2 with shadows disabled.

Drat! I KNEW there was something I'd forgotten about raytracing: shadows, of course. However, Promajo, it might be worthwhile trying a render with ray-tracing off, just to see if that cures the problem (since both you and ernyoka1 get it with raytracing on...) If it does, then wiser/more experienced minds than mine will probably have to help you if you really need raytracing. (For the vast majority of the stuff that I do I'm content with mapped shadows, and I've not noticed the problem you both have.) Cheers, Diolma

PS I had the sam problem with the my first post I recently made, where I use kozs evolution hair

PPS indeed it's different (credit awful soul)

I think I have this one...Your RayTrace light is causing this. When you change to Ray Trace, The "Shadow minimum Bias" should be reduced to .100 or less. Opposite direction from a normal spot. I would also kill everything in settings except; Use disp maps. RayTrace on. Cast shadows. Reset Pixel samples to 3 Reset post filter to 1 Min and Max texture, I'm not sure matters at this point. If you check focal distance, be aware that this one is one the time pigs from hell, so render to a tiny window until you have it just right. These settings did "Muted Portrait Comp2" at my gallery, if you want to see if you can deal with these choices.

It is absolutely Shadow minimum bias. Utterly unrelated, but I feel the urge to say it (lol): raytrace down, map up. That is, for lights coming down, use ray tracing, for lights pointing up, use depth mapping. Or the reverse. Creates softer fill shadows.