"88Keys" <doz### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I'm trying to work with Area Lights, but I can't seem to orient them correctly.
> I've been trying a <-50 , 0 , 50 > , <50 , 0 , 50 > and that doesn't seem to
> illuminate my scene, so I tried a <-50 , 0 , 0 > , < 0 , 50 , 0 > in an attempt
> to make the angles at 90 degrees to each other, but that doesn't seem to have
> worked either.
>
> Any tips on how to generate a proper Area Light?  The documentation is a little
> slim.  What I have developed seems pretty dull, too.
>
> Thanks very much.

I've just been banging my head over 2 different sorting algorithm scenes, so
I'll keep this short, and then see if you need any more help than this by
tomorrow.

A plane {} is defined by the vector normal to its surface, and the distance away
from those vector coordinates.
So you could start by placing a point light at -normal, and then putting a plane
{normal, distance} into your scene with the shadowless keyword
Also a cylinder {0, normal translate -normal*distance pigment {rgbt 0.9}
shadowless} would help show the direction of the light.

Then you could try to model your area light like the diagram in the
documentation to see if it lines up with what you think you're describing in the
code.

Placing visible objects in the scene like this, and trying to model the
invisible thing that you're trying to create is by far the best way to
troubleshoot and debug these kinds of issues, and it's a valuable learning
experience that will help you in every scene thereafter.

Hopefully this at least points you in the right direction.

- Bill

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