In this book, animation industry veteran and lighting expert Lee Lanier examines the importance of lighting and its ability to communicate information to the viewer. Lee examines the history of lighting as applied to the fine arts, film, photography, and 3D animation. He discusses the use of light color, light location and direction, and light shadow types to recreate specific locations and to generate moods. He includes guides for successful lighting in 3D animation. Software-agnostic examples lead you through useful 3D lighting set-ups. Chapter-long case studies step you through more complex 3D lighting projects in Autodesk Maya.

An accompanying eResource (www.routledge.com/9781138737570) features 3D model files, scene files, and texture bitmaps, allowing you to practice the discussed techniques in Autodesk Maya and many other 3D programs.

The lighting techniques covered in this book include:

History of lighting as used in the fine arts
The scientific mechanisms of light
Light types and light application in 3D programs
Light qualities including shadows variations
Basic and advanced 3D lighting approaches
1-, 2-, 3-point, naturalistic, and stylistic lighting techniques
Replication of real-world lighting scenarios and locations
Overview of advanced 3D lighting and rendering systems