Poser5's Firefly render engine produces beautiful 'depth shadow" work. That's my opinion.

I played with raytrace, but for my taste, and for my purpose as a story teller, I like the soft shadows.

Anyway, since I want to use the thing, I have been learning about it but still consider myself a newbie at it. I've been conducting some time trials on renders.

Below is a comparison of shadow map size. As you increase the size of the shadow map (you set it on the light, it's one of the parameter dials), you get better and better resolution of shadows, and there is a commesurate price in render time. I left everything else absolutely the same from render to render so the only variable is shadow map size.

You can see the results best on the grill shadow cast against the back wall. It is a smugged blur on the low map setting, and crisply detailed on the highest. I think it also bears saying that the highest is not always best...there is a certain mood cast by each approach here, a different emotion, a different noir.

Hope this helps others think about depth shadows.

::::: Opera :::::

Set: Modern Apartment by ratracer (what a great product!)
Lights: One 100% white at 100% intensity
Rig: Pentium4 2.4Mhz 1GigRam WinXPHome Poser5 latest patch
Settings:

Time results
Shadow map 30 178 seconds
Shadow map 84 180 seconds
Shadow map 256 193 seconds
Shadow map 512 223 seconds
Shadow map 1000 302 seconds

Below: Shadow map 30 178 seconds

Below: Shadow map 84 180 seconds

Shadow map 256 193 seconds

Shadow map 512 223 seconds

Shadow map 1000 302 seconds

Try a higher bias value for the lower res shadow maps to get rid of the dark stripes. :)

thanks stewer, I am still learning about the bias and blur settings. Will try. ::::: Opera :::::

Distant start/end can mix up the equation some too (hard shadows on floor/blank wall). Use full preview and watch the light flickers as you dial "end" down...

sorry richarson, that went over my head. can you say that again, but in 'newbie?' ::::: Opera :::::

I shpeak nubile fluently. >preview styles (round balls if they are still there or, window>check preview styles and click on far right ball. This takes a few moments to load textures...). opera, you've got enough power to do this. BEWARE this takes some pc power...at least with a big scene. On your main light...set angle start to 0. set angle end to 160. Still see everything? If yes, decrease angle end to where it just covers your target. If no, increase angle start until you see your target. This can make some dramatic cone effects, too. Now set angle start to .1(ex for closeups) and slowly raise angle end ...scene should go black and then slowly illumunate as you go up on "end"...The more you go up, the futher and wider the lit arc, hence you can light the chair and not the wall, if you want. Or, play with the blur on the shadows on the wall with very high light power, or even crisp (low) bias settings by using distant end...the great "fade to black tool". Distant end is always higher than distant start. reversing or bringing them together will produce a harsh black edge (which has its uses...) Otheres have better tuts...

Forgot...Full preview lets you watch the shimmering effects of lights on your targets and helps you find the boundaries as you tweak away...beats draft renders infinitum

Forgot more (old) You can put a shader on your main light...(rdna free, here too prob). just a diffused image map (a tree, say) which will force its shadow into your room. Beats a ton of mesh outside the building...still casts shadows as before but with that chaotic twist...

You might want to disable polygon-smoothing on certain room elements; it looks like it's doing strange things to the baseboard on the right-hand side of the image. Bucket size has an impact on the time required for shadow-map calculations, incidentally.