Introduction

Understanding and using ambient and zone lighting.

Ambient Lighting

In addition to direct lighting the Torque Lighting System lights can also contribute attenuated ambient lighting to the scene. This is particularly helpful in simulating radiosity without the enormous calculation times normally associated with it. Attenuated ambient lighting is different from classic ambient lighting in that it decreases over distance so it doesn't create flat lighting.

The ambient contribution of a light is set using the Ambient fader in the Light Editor, which fades between direct and ambient lighting. The ambient contribution can also be two sided (illuminates surfaces facing away from the light) using the Double Sided property. Double sided ambient lighting is helpful in simulating the indirect lighting that occurs when light reflects off of an object and onto the reverse side of another.

Ambient lighting does not cast shadows.

Zone Lighting

Zone lighting solves the issue of light bleeding into adjacent interior rooms when using dynamic lights and attenuated ambient lighting.

Because dynamic and ambient lighting does not cast shadows, the lighting passes through objects and walls. Zone lighting restricts illumination to the zone or zones (up to two) that contain the source light object, which can give the illusion that shadows are cast.

Zone lighting is controlled from the Light Editor using the properties Restrict Diffuse to Zone and Restrict Ambient to Zone, which restrict the direct (diffuse) and ambient lighting to the light's zones.

Restricting static lights to their zones also boosts relighting performance by limiting potential illuminated surfaces.