Hi Davey,

You might want to read the pages that inspired me:
http://www.cybercollege.com/tvp031.htm

You can browse around the page easily by substituting "tvp031" in the url
with other numbers. (They've forgotten navigation buttons, at least the back
button!). But the page is very informative and I highly recommend it. It
deals with photography and video recording. Not computer graphics, but the
principles are the same.

> I did a little scene with it but results were not
> as good as I have seen in p.b.i.

Well... The idea is, you should try to imitate how light behaves in the real
world, if you want realism. Using 3-point-lighting does not give you
realism, but it certainly helps to get a better picture of the objects in
your scene. With "better" I mean, even beautiful people don't look beautiful
on TV if the light is poor. They know this in show business!  ;o)

There is no strict rules to follow, but if you understand the principles
behind the technique, you will know why it works, and how you can try other
approches. Just remember, you also need to "break out" from using the simple
light_source's.. They're a cruel substitute for light in the real world (no
matter what raytracer you use). For starters, I suggest you switch to pure
radiosity for a while, to see how it improves realism.

> Are there any hard and fast rules?
> Or is it just trial and error with your particular scene?

Both yes and no. The fast rules are explained at the url I gave you. But
there's nothing wrong with adjusting the angles of light for your particular
scene. It's always a good idea to check for optimal lighting, and to
experiment because light and shadow is an instrument to create moods in your
scene, and to guide the viewers eyes toward the things you want.

Good luck!
Regards,
Hugo

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