Try adding a tightness value.  The default is 50... higher is tighter, lower is
softer.  You might also try lowering the intensity of your lights to a little
more than half of their respective values.
    I'm currently experimenting with the lighting on one of my object concept
scenes, but it's a little slow going.

                    A.D.B.

"Ian J. Burgmyer" wrote:

> "Anthony D. Baye" <ban### [at] Rapidnetcom> wrote in message
> news:3E530623.5C4A6A4C@Rapidnet.com...
> > Try making the hotspot of your spotlights smaller.  (tightness > 50,
> falloff
> > 36...)?
>
> I was actually considering that, but figured it would lower the contrast of
> the image (something that I don't want to happen).
>
> > That's just off the top of my head, I'll have to try a simple scene myself
> to
> > test it.
>
> Here's the code I used for the spotlights:
>
> -----
> #declare SpotLite = light_source {
>   <0.0,5.0,0.0> rgb 1
>   spotlight
>   point_at<0.0,0.0,0.0>
>   radius 2.0
>   falloff 30.0
>   media_attenuation on
> }
>
> #declare ManySpots = union {
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
> }
> -----
>
> I tried putting all of that into one light with an "rgb 6", but I think the
> current setup gives better results.
>
> -Ian

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> #declare ManySpots = union {
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
>  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
> }

I frankly can't se the big difference between your setup and area 
lights :) Try using a 2x2 area light (4 lights) perhaps?
You can soften the outer shadow like A.D.B. mentioned, but the shadows 
under the chairs you must use several lights, either like you do it 
now, or with area lights. Or, come to think of it, you can use focal 
blur too :)

The image looks great btw! May i suggest making the light cone a little 
larger at the top? Right now it looks like the light comes from a very 
small source.

-- 
Peter
-
http://hertel.no/peter

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maybe with an area light and something invisible that confines the area
light to the same area as in your current scene.

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"Ian J. Burgmyer" <the### [at] maccom> wrote in message
news:3e52ddcf@news.povray.org...

Cool pic, but I don't think that abstract chairs in an unnaturally empty
room work with those photo-style lights. The picture looks just empty
rather than simple. For this idea to reach its potential, I believe that
you will have to either go full photoreal or full abstract. Full
abstract would work better, IMO, because photoreal would require that
you define exactly what type of chairs are in the picture, and the ideas
which each viewer had about that type of chair would distract him from
your theme.

 -Shay

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"Anthony D. Baye" <ban### [at] Rapidnetcom> wrote in message
news:3E532AA3.F95C4588@Rapidnet.com...
> Try adding a tightness value.  The default is 50...

Not sure why you thought so but the new default is actually 0 now in version
3.5 and prior to that it was 10. The following are defaults:

spotlight radius 30 falloff 45 tightness 0
cylinder radius 0.75 falloff 1 tightness 0

I have a feeling this is not very well known yet.

> higher is tighter, lower is softer.

No, again.  ;-)  The tightness is softer at higher values and sharper at
lower values. What the higher tightness does is to narrow the cone of light
toward the center, thus fading it from center (not radius) to falloff.
Lower tightness makes the cone of light adhere closer to the radius (from
center), and so falloff must then be closer to radius if it is to actually
be *tightened* into a sharp boundary.

Bob Hughes

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"Peter Hertel" <peter@*REMOVE*hertel.no> wrote in message
news:3e533019@news.povray.org...
> > #declare ManySpots = union {
> >  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
> >  object { SpotLite translate<0.0,0.0,0.0> }
> >  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
> >  object { SpotLite translate<-0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
> >  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,-0.25> }
> >  object { SpotLite translate<0.25,-0.1,0.25> }
> > }
>
> I frankly can't se the big difference between your setup and area
> lights :)

Yeah, that's true.

> Try using a 2x2 area light (4 lights) perhaps?

Heh...that would mean I'd have to *re-render* it. ;)

I didn't really think area lights would give the effect that I wanted, but
while I was coding my latest image, Abstractified, I noticed that area
lights allow you to use them as spotlights.  Very handy!  I'll probably redo
the lighting with this image -- that was the only thing I wasn't too pleased
with.

I might also add some focal blur.  I did a basic post-process blur on the
distant chair and it really improved the look IMO.

> You can soften the outer shadow like A.D.B. mentioned, but the shadows
> under the chairs you must use several lights, either like you do it
> now, or with area lights.

I'll see what I can do with spotlights, but I might end up switching to area
lights.  I've found that they're the easiest to get nice results with.

> Or, come to think of it, you can use focal blur too :)

That's always an option. :)

> The image looks great btw!

Thanks!

> May i suggest making the light cone a little
> larger at the top? Right now it looks like the light comes from a very
> small source.

The image was highly conceptual to me (it was inspired by the
povray.off-topic wars that are currently going on) and the only real purpose
for the light is to allow the viewer to see the chairs.

-Ian

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"Apache" <apa### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:3e5360af@news.povray.org...
> maybe with an area light and something invisible that confines the area
> light to the same area as in your current scene.

Area lights are good -- I'll probably end up using spotlight properties in
the area light to give it the same effect, though.  I'm not good enough at
SDL for any big lighting tricks. :)

-Ian

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"Shay" <sah### [at] simcopartscom> wrote in message
news:3e53b2fc$1@news.povray.org...
> Cool pic, but I don't think that abstract chairs in an unnaturally empty
> room work with those photo-style lights. The picture looks just empty
> rather than simple. For this idea to reach its potential, I believe that
> you will have to either go full photoreal or full abstract.

This image was not intended to look real or even to look abstract.  This
image is completely conceptual to me (the fallen chair means a lot).

It's mainly inspired by the wars going on in povray.off-topic about the war
on Iraq.  The way I feel on the issue is that both sides think that they are
correct and will argue it to death -- the standing chair represents this
side.  The other side, however, doesn't want to hear it -- hence the fallen
chair.

-Ian

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Same here. I do everything by trial and error if it concerns lighting
issues. Same with photons and media (especially if combined with fog).

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"Apache" <apa### [at] yahoocom> wrote in message
news:3e5ea813$1@news.povray.org...
> Same here. I do everything by trial and error if it concerns lighting
> issues. Same with photons and media (especially if combined with fog).

Heh, my next topic is going to be radiosity, which will probably require
quite a box to render it.  I'll probably get MacMegaPOV and benchmark my Mac
(which should be faster than my P3-733, but we'll see).  I really want to
upgrade my x86 box to at least a 2.0GHz processor but don't have the money
ATM.

Maybe I'll just use the P4-2.0 systems at school.  It'll be a bit of
incentive for me to get there early. ;)

-Ian

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