Well lets see if this goes this time. I'm sure I was hitting the wrong "new thread" button

I'm having soft shadow issues in the macabre render "night nurse". It's going up today regardless, but if you check this render I am using a spot light for moon light through the window. You can see the soft shadow of the window panes but the shadow from the character is sharp. It seems the soft shadows are lost going through the glass.  I've worked with the light and the glass shaider but haven't figured out a solution, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

I think I know the reason why. In a very peculiar way Carrara is trying to tell you that this is a sick image and that you should abstain from posting it.

I think I know the reason why. In a very peculiar way Carrara is trying to tell you that this is a sick image and that you should abstain from posting it.

If I wanted any crap from you I'd squeeze your head.

I'm only guessing, but you might try turning off the material for the glass. Maybe, for some bizarre reason, the soft shadows are cancelled after going through the glass. (I'm assuming there is glass in the window)

I can't turn off the material; shaider zone, as far as I know, but I can take the model in to the modeling room and remove the window glass. Didn't fix it

Next try lets get ridicules light settings.with the settings.

Carrara softens a shadow based on the distance an object is from the other object receiving the shadow just like in real life.  Try usng a distance light with ray traced soft shadows and a radius of 100.  I doubt it will help but you can give it a shot.

Yes, after working with it a bit I realized that the window is 3X further from the figure then the figure is from the door. So the shadows may be realistically right, but they just don't look right. I've had it rendering since last night, this may be an 18 hour render. I'll post it once done.

Swamping the spot with a distance light wont work in this set up, I removed the roof for a better HDRI effect. But I will agree, if you are having a perplexing lighting problem change your light type. I wasn't getting the effect I wanted from the over head shaped lights I had in the florescent fixture models, so I changed it to a spot and used the barn doors to give the light the right shape; long/thin. Worked like a charm. 

Seems I learn a little bit from almost every render I do.

It's up. Turned in to a 26 hour render, so raytracing was out of the question.

I'd love a render farm of i7's with 16gig