Notch Notch Manual 0.9.23
 Light | Dark
Area Light

Area Light

Add a light that emits from a rectangle.

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Method #

This node emits light from a rectangular area, giving a soft light across a scene. An image texture can be input to emit light from the image based on a texture - useful for adding light from a screen, for example.

This light is great for producing a long flat light source.
To render soft shadows, Raytracing must be enabled in the root and in the node attributes.

All nodes connected to this node are treated as if flowing to the parent node, and inherits any transformation changes along the chain.

Parameters

These properties control the 3D transforms of the node. Transforms will generally be inherited by child nodes, although they can be ignored through the Inherit Transform Channels attributes.

ParameterDetails
Position XMove along the local x-axis.
Position YMove along the local y-axis.
Position ZMove along the local z-axis.
Rotation HeadingRotate around the local y-axis.
Rotation PitchRotate around the local x-axis.
Rotation BankRotate around the local z-axis.
Scale XScale along the local x-axis.
Scale YScale along the local y-axis.
Scale ZScale along the local z-axis.

Toggle which transform channels should be inherited from the parent node. By default, all transforms will be inherited.

ParameterDetails
Position XToggle inheritance of the X Position from the parent.
Position YToggle inheritance of the Y Position from the parent.
Position ZToggle inheritance of the Z Position from the parent.
Rotation HeadingToggle inheritance of the Rotation Heading from the parent.
Rotation PitchToggle inheritance of the Rotation Pitch from the parent.
Rotation BankToggle inheritance of the Rotation Bank from the parent.
Scale XToggle inheritance of the X Scale from the parent.
Scale YToggle inheritance of the Y Scale from the parent.
Scale ZToggle inheritance of the Z Scale from the parent.
World Position OnlyInherit the world position from the parent only, rotation and scale will be ignored. Overrides above properties.
Inherit TimeToggle inheritance of time from the parent.

These properties control the core behaviours of the node.

ParameterDetails
ColourThe colour of the light.
BrightnessHow bright the light is.
Scattering IntensityHow much the light is scattered by the light, creating a simple fog around it.
Double SidedToggle whether light is emitted from both sides of the area light.
Visible SurfaceToggle whether the Area Light Surface is visible to the light.
Visible Surface Casts ShadowsToggle whether the Area Light Surface can cast shadows from other light sources.
RaytracedThis will enable raytracing for the area light, allowing soft shadows to be cast. Only works with Raytracing enabled in the Root node
Falloff ModeChange how the light falloff is calculated.
  • Inner / Outer Radius (Legacy) : light falloff is calculated between the inner and outer radii.
  • Inv-Squared Distance (Physical) : the light falloff is calculated based on a physically accurate system.
Inner Attenuation DistanceInner distance within which the light remains at full strength
Attenuation DistanceMaximum distance the light reaches.
Falloff PowerChange how strong the falloff for the light is between the Inner Attenuation Distance and the Attenuation Distance.
Apply SpecularControl whether this light applies specular light onto objects.
Apply DiffuseControl whether this light applies diffuse light onto objects.
Show Light ConeShow a cone in the scene to represent the lights current position and rotation.

These properties control shadow properties from the light.

ParameterDetails
Raytraced Shadow SamplesHow many samples will be taken per frame for raytracing. Best used with continuous refinement enabled and the RT Refinement
Invert ShadowsInvert the shadows made by this light.
Z BiasIncreasing Z bias can improve the accuracy of grounding objects to their shadows.
Post FilterApply a filter to the light map which blurs the output result, smoothing it out.
TranslucencyAllows translucent shadows to be generated by Glass Materials.

Inputs

NameDescriptionTypical Input
Projection ImageAdd in an image to be projected by the light. Only functions with deferred rendering enabled. Useful for adding gobos to lights, or making a simple projector light.Video Loader
Affected NodesChoose which nodes are affected by the light node. by default, all are affected.3D Object
Texture Projection NodeControls the direction the image is projected from, independant of the light. Only functions if an image is being projected from the light.Null
Multi-Source ControllerDepreciated feature.
Transform ModifiersApply the transforms of another node to this node.Null
Target NodeModifiy the rotations of the node to always direct the z axis towards the input.Null
Local Transform OverrideApply the transforms of another node to this node, relative to its parent.Null