Configuring Lighting in 3D View

In GraphWorX, you can customize lighting in 3D View to affect the appearance of the model in runtime. There are various lighting tools available. This topic describes how to edit and change the lighting in a model, and addresses common available options.

To customize lighting in 3D View:

  1. Open GraphWorX in the configuration mode (default). On the Home ribbon, select 3D View, and then drag the mouse diagonally across the canvas to make a rectangle for inserting the 3D View.
  2. Import the 3D file of the desired model. Learn more

  3. On the Home ribbon of the 3D View in the Lights section, select the desired type of lighting.

    • Ambient light: allows you to change the color of the global light source, effectively altering the color of the entire view.
    • Point light: allows you to change the color of a circular area within the 3D View, indicated by a sphere.
    • Directional light: allows you to direct the lighting from off the 3D View terrain to reflect off the objects on it.
    • Spot light: allows you to imitate the lighting behavior of an actual spotlight on the terrain and shed light on a specific area. The Spot Light can be manipulated using 3D manipulators (Excluding scaling).
    By default, the 3D View includes one ambient light and one directional light aligned with the camera direction. To turn off the default lighting, go to the 3D View properties, navigate to the Lighting section, and set up your preference in Use Default Lighting.

  4. Double-click the lighting object to display its properties in the right panel, and then edit the properties as desired, using either the property grid options or the buttons on the Home ribbon. Edit examples:

    • Set up the light's color:

      1. In the Light Properties section of the property grid, select Color, and then click to display the color options.
      2. Select the desired color and opacity, and then click OK.
    • Move the Point Light or Spot Light to the desired position and direction:
      1. On the Home ribbon in the Manipulator section, select the Move, Rotate, or Scale button. A 3D helper object is displayed in the 3D View.
      2. Manipulate the helper object with your mouse to set up the desired position, direction, or size of the light.
  5. Verify the lighting settings in runtime. Use the options on the upper right of the GraphWorX screen to switch to the runtime mode or to open the display in a web browser .