Render depth map shadows

To create a depth map shadow

1. Select the light for which you want to produce a shadow.
2. In the Shadows section of the light’s Attribute Editor, turn on Use Depth Map Shadows.
3. Select the surface on which you want to cast a shadow.
4. In the Render Stats section of the surface’s Attribute Editor, turn on Casts Shadows.
   Tip:

   • Set the light’s Resolution in Depth Map Shadow Attributes to the lowest value that produces shadows of acceptable quality. As a starting point, set Dmap Resolution to the same value as the rendering resolution. If Dmap Resolution is too low, shadow edges appear jagged. If Dmap Resolution is too high, rendering times increase.
   • When batch rendering from the command line, generate shadow depth maps before rendering the scene by using the Render -sp <sceneName> command and option. This can help reduce rendering times and you can reuse the depth maps for subsequent renders.

Related topics

• Shadow in Maya
• Depth map and raytraced shadows