[SS_RS]

Hi,

I'm experimenting using emitters. This is for an interior scene, I'm following a lot of the good advice already posted here.

I'm testing the emitter strength with some cubes in a "room". I'm testing with no environment, just the emitters (lights) to get a feel for how it works, hiding some with the Maxwell option etc.

Something I noticed is that small cubes are working great, brightness goes up and down as I change the levels in the material editor, all very easy.

I've created a second emitter material for the window emitters. And here is where the problems begin. Even on max setting the amount of light is very low. The material is applied to grouped surface (with a little thickness) spanning floor to ceiling "windows" so they are about 2.5m high and maybe 15m wide. I'd like to create impression of a sun direction by using a stronger emitter on one side.

Summary: why does a small cube emit much higher levels of light than a large grouped surface?

Side note. I noticed that imported mxm emitters don't come in as emitters. It seem the best way to have an emitter is to duplicated the default and create from scratch.

[JDHill]

To answer the direct question, it is because an emitter material emits a fixed amount of energy; applied to a piece of geometry the size of the head of a pin, 10W will shine brightly, while spread over the area of an entire wall, it will hardly be perceptible.

[SS_RS]

I thought that was the case, basic physics...

Is there a way to create more intensity for large surfaces or is it a matter of the camera settings.

(I have a feeling I've answered my own question)

[JDHill]

You would want to create another material, set its Character to Emitter, and apply it to the desired surface, so as to control the output of that surface independently. The output power is per-material, and so will be spread across all assigned geometry.

[SS_RS]

You would want to create another material, set its Character to Emitter, and apply it to the desired surface, so as to control the output of that surface independently. The output power is per-material, and so will be spread across all assigned geometry.

Great, thanks for the help. You're doing a great job here, a one man helpdesk!

Thanks