Set up a direct light source

Generally, a typical workflow to set up direct light sources is as follows:

1. Plan first to determine the look and feel of your scene and how it’s reflected in the light sources chosen.

   See Plan light sources.

2. Create light sources.

   You can create various types of light sources for your scene and set attributes (options) that further define their characteristics.

3. Adjust light source attributes.

   You can adjust the qualities of the lights you’ve added by changing the settings in the Attribute Editor and the Channel Box.

4. Move light sources in the scene and otherwise control them with precision (optional).

   See also Show, hide, or resize a light manipulator.

   Note: As you light your scene and objects (and otherwise build your scene), you visualize (preview render) the scene to check the look and feel and accuracy of the way the light renders. To preview render a scene, see Visualize interactively with IPR.
5. Control which objects cast shadows.

   By default, lights do not cast shadows in Maya. You can specify which lights cast shadows and choose which method Maya uses to generate them: raytracing or depth maps.

6. (Optional) Create a light optical effect, such as glows, halos, or lens flares.