i set the light shadow parameter to .75 and get inconsistent results when rotating the character. i am way over my head here being a newbie and all. please help me.

see the problem: www.bestlogic.com/collage/pics/2008-01-28-17-14-09-PST.jpg

background:

i am using poser to generate clip art for a kids' graphics program i am developing. i am doing simple things at this point and hope to progress as i learn more about poser. i make scenes with a single character or prop and render them in 14 rotations using a python script. these then become components to assemble into a scene in my program called collage.

the rotations i am using are: 0,10,25,45,90,135,160,180,200,225,270,315,335,350 with and without shadow. this allows each character or prop to be displayed according to what the user wants to show. it is showing promise as a fun thing for kids to do giving some of the realism that poser provides along with its excellent png backgroundless images.

details:

i am using an infinite light overhead, slightly to the left that has shadow enabled and two lights in the front to fill in, that do not generate shadows. this is working pretty good except i wanted a more subtle shadow. i set the shadow to .75 but it gives a lighter shade for some of the rotations. it also varies according to the subject as you can see. the lights and camera are fixed and only the character moves.

i thought perhaps that poser was resetting the parameter as poser has been known to do, so i set the light shadow parameter after each rotation before the render. i don't understand why the variance seems to be random but then my understanding of lighting and rendering is minimal. without setting the shadow parameter, all the shadows are consistent but too dark for my taste.

i might be missing something major here about lighting, shadows, etc. i would appreciate any guidance or ideas of things to try. i want to keep the complexity and rendertime down since i am rendering a large amount of images. i am not tied to the method i tried.

thanks for any help and ask me questions if i left out any details.