Focused lighting question -

BC Rice

This might be a weird request, but does anyone know if after parenting a light to specific instance (say, a hand), is it possible to make it so that that light only effects the thing it's parented to? Thanks 

DUDU

I'm shure you know that but look on my screenshot.

You can also add a "point at" modifier if it's a spot light, for exemple...

EDIT: if it's a character, I don't think you can effect a hand only because the hand is a part of a full meshe of the character ("Hand" is in the bone's hierarchy of the skelleton).

Diomede

Hmmm, for some reason when I test this it is not limiting to the skeleton.  The limit box in the light properties tray does allow you to select the hand.  However, its effectiveness will limit to the entire figure, but not to a bodypart in the skeleton like the hand.

Here is the effect of limiting the light to the figure, James Casual from Poser 7.  That worked.

Wonder why the skeleton did not work.

Headwax

one of the carrara plugin makers has a plugin which lets a shader talk to a light

search shoestring shaders

 

Lit

The Lit shader can monitor a specified light and react to it. Useful if you want a night side map for your planet. . . or for faking translucency (see the sample files). It is NOT a ray-tracer- while it will react correctly to the light setup (stuff like falloff and angle for spots) it will not react to other objects obscuring the light, or gels. If you set the intensity down, you can make a light that doesn’t actually light, but does cause the shader to react. Another useful animation tool.

Pjotter

1 - Is there no option somewhere where you can limit it to a shading domain?

2 - If not fiddle with the light untill it only lights the hand. This means closing in or not, change the angle, maybe spot light. With a cone shape light it should be possible.

3 - Or make an invisible plane with a hole in it.

DUDU

Another trick is to make two renders, with and without light, and composite in PS or AE (or equivalent).