[Jay325]

Hi guys, I don't suppose we newbies could get some useful souls to explain what the hell a "gradient mxi" is???

Thanks

[Bubbaloo]

I'm assuming it's a gradient image converted to an MXI in Maxwell.exe.

[brodie_geers]

that would be my assumption as well. is this coming from the manual or something? Some context would help

-brodie

[Jay325]

The word just as I have it is how I have seen it written in these forums, and that is why I'm looking for an explanation because I have no clue either.

I think you are correct Bubbaloo a gradient image converted to MXI. Can I get an explanation of this and what it might be used for??

Thank you for your patients

[Fernando Tella]

It could be used to be applied to an object to make it partially glowing with light. You can make emitters with this kind of images.

[brodie_geers]

Yes, I have one of these. Basically it's just a radial gradient that I made in photoshop, white in the middle and gray at the edges. It creates a nice soft light for studio setups. I've also used something similar to simulate light coming from ceiling fluorescents with a plastic diffuser where you have 2 linear parts that are particularly bright (white) which correspond to where the actual tube lights are, and then some other parts like the corners where less light is being emitted (gray). If you just used a flat light plane (which I also do sometimes depending on the look I need) it could look unnaturally even.

-Brodie

[Fernando Tella]

It would also work gradient-masking the emitter layer without using mxi files.

[caryjames]

Hey Jay325- I am in a big rush at the moment so do not have the time to search for the thread. Early on I asked the same question (I think JD Hill helped me), I then answered in detail this exact same question for someone and gave a step by step process how to make one. Just search and go through all of my old threads and you should find it. Gotta run