In Action, drop shadows are cutouts based on a surface's matte. A drop shadow can be fully opaque or slightly transparent to simulate a real shadow.
Shadows cast by lit objects are also supported in Action (see Casting Shadows).
To add a drop shadow:
- Select the surface that you want to use.
- Do one of the following:
- Drag the shadow node from the node bin and place it in the schematic. An axis and a shadow are created and linked together.
- Drag the shadow node from the node bin to the Result view, so you can see its effect on the scene before placing it exactly where you want.
- Double-click the shadow node. An axis and a shadow are created and linked together. You do not need to be in Schematic view to add a node in this manner.
If a surface node is selected in the schematic, the axis of the shadow node is automatically connected to the surface.
Note: A shadow has its own parent axis. It can be moved, rotated, scaled, and sheared independently of its parent surface. Because a shadow is also the child of the surface, moving the surface axis also moves the shadow.