Light and shading settings

You can illuminate selected areas of the composite relief shown in the 3D view using up to four types of light in different combinations.

To change the light or shading settings:

1. Select Model > Light and Material Setup or click . The Lights and Material panel is displayed.
2. To load a shading setting file (.shd) that you have previously saved, click Load to display the Load Lights and Material Settings dialog:
   • Navigate to the folder on your computer in which the setting file that you want to load is stored and select it. Its name is displayed in the File name box.
   • Click Open to import the settings to the Lights and Material panel.
3. To use any of the preset shading settings in ArtCAM, click the list in the Shading Setup area, followed by the shading setting that you want to use. The Modelling Default shading set is selected by default.
4. Use either of the following methods to adjust the amount of background lighting:
   • Click and drag the Ambient slider; or
   • In the Ambient box, enter a value between 0 and 100.
5. In the Lights area, there are four options you can use to expose light to the composite relief. To expose light to the composite relief, select Enabled beside each light option you want to use.
6. Click to edit the settings associated with any lights you have enabled:
   • To change the type of light, choose an option in the Type list. Select:

     Distant Light to add the effect of a light at a distance from the composite relief. The icon is displayed.

     Point Light to add the effect of a light bulb held over the composite relief. The icon is displayed.

     Spot Light to add the effect of a spot light held over the composite relief. The icon is displayed.

   • To select the colour of the light, click . The Set Light Colour dialog is displayed.
   • To adjust the contrast of the light, click and drag the Intensity slider.
   • If you selected Spot Light, enter a value in the:

     Edge box to adjust its focus.

     Width box to adjust its scope.

   • If you selected Point Light or Spot Light, enter the Position of the light in the three boxes or click Select to use the mouse and then click the 3D view.
   • If you selected Distant Light or Spot Light, you can set the direction of the light:

     To align the direction of the light to one of seventeen points on the sphere, select Use snap points on sphere, then click and drag the sphere and release the mouse button when the cursor snaps to the point you want to use as the light direction.

     To align the direction of the light with your viewing angle, select Fix light along viewing direction.

     Note: This option is only available if you have enabled a Distant Light.
7. Click Apply to apply the settings.
8. To save the settings to a file, click Save.
9. To use your selections as the default settings when viewing the composite relief, click Set As Modelling Default.
10. To use your selections as the default settings when viewing simulated toolpaths, click Set As Simulation Default.
11. Close the panel.