Light Duplicate

# 1 23-11-2006 , 10:53 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2006

Location: Washington, DC

Posts: 195

If I make a light an instance of another light it does not work, can someone please help?!:headbang:

Quote

# 2 23-11-2006 , 03:28 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

use the particle tool and draw a few particles around where you want them, turn them into spheres so you can see them properly, make sure they are not too close together or they will over lap when you convert, select the original light, go to ' instancer replacement' on the particles menu (you do not select the particles.., just what you want copied, in your case the light) bring up the options, the defaults are fine and press 'apply', now all your spheres will be lights. do not delete the original light, hide it after you have finished with its parameters) and now you have ll your lights and a whole new world of Maya to play with.

i think this is correct... it works on geometry.

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 3 24-11-2006 , 06:01 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2006

Location: Washington, DC

Posts: 195

they turned into lights but they still dont work....

Last edited by Eldwick; 24-11-2006 at 06:07 AM.

Quote

# 4 24-11-2006 , 12:53 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

does the original light work? if it does you should just be able to 'control D' (duplicate); why not simply duplicate, i have never heard of anyone instancing a light unless in was for SFX?? I'm no expert though but as i say, i have never head of it, the usual way is to simply duplicate. reset the settings first.

i haven't used it much, the instancer replacement, just a few experiments with particles, mainly bombs falling out of planes.

if it is SFX, let me know, maybe i can help?? give me a day or two.

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 5 25-11-2006 , 10:47 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Mar 2006

Location: Washington, DC

Posts: 195

I am trying to fake GI by making a whole bunch of point lights, so I was trying to make them all part of an instance of an orginal lights so i could changed the settings of all of them by just changing the settings of one. (also selecting them all and trying to change the settings does not work...)

Quote

# 6 25-11-2006 , 12:12 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

duplicate a dozen, put them next to each other and then group them. you can then move them around as a group and use their parameters individually also; does this help?? you can simulate excellent shadows this way also.

I'm not very good, just do little experiments. i even forgot what GI stands for??

let me know if it doesn't help and i'll look deeper into it and we both win. (if I can work it out!) user added image

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 7 25-11-2006 , 12:15 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

i think what you are trying to do would need an expression or Mel (way over the top of me) ?? dont think you can change them as one by grouping but give it a go and see what happens

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 8 26-11-2006 , 07:35 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

i remembered what GI stands for and i guess you don't want to group lights then, if u ever do, use spot lights or your render times will put you to sleep.

replace instancer, look for a folder of that name in the particles options in the AE. see what you come up with, or you might need to add some thing from the general tab at the bottom of the AE options and write a PP expression?? just a thought, don't quote me on this, i will probably go through a few book to see how a number of lights are controlled as one, instancer seems the obvious choice..??

someone should know??

take it easy and life will be easy

Quote

# 9 26-11-2006 , 09:39 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2004

Location: Cleveland, Ohio (USA)

Posts: 1,541

well if you select multiple lights (of the same type) you should be able to change values for all of them using the channel box to the right... doing it in the attribute editor won't change them all, just one.

Accept no substitutions.

Quote

# 10 27-11-2006 , 06:45 AM

Subscriber
Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: Australia

Posts: 2,752

thats interesting?? is that still the case if he wants differant intensities?? say 1 on a couple and .3 on a couple ect.

maybe area lights would be best for sort of imitating global illumination??

i meant writtting a PP expression for the particles (lights) via the pp render type,

not the AE simply for lights, but expressions for the instanced objects, in this case lights, but this was just a guess, i am having too much trouble with the computer (and my head) to delve too deeply into i just now. feel like im going crazy at the moment.

take it easy and life will be easy

Last edited by mirek03; 27-11-2006 at 06:49 AM.

Quote

# 11 04-12-2006 , 12:10 PM

Registered User
Join Date: May 2005

Location: United States

Posts: 513

Originally posted by Eldwick
I am trying to fake GI by making a whole bunch of point lights, so I was trying to make them all part of an instance of an orginal lights so i could changed the settings of all of them by just changing the settings of one. (also selecting them all and trying to change the settings does not work...)

Originally Posted by