Lighting an Exterior Daylight Scene - Photographic Rendering with V-Ray for SketchUp - page 123

our understanding of how light is working in specific location types will be another
step towards giving our finished renders a photographic feel.
Shadow properties
Another aspect of daylight that can oftentimes go somewhat unnoticed is the effect
that shadows can have on the look of the world around us, which is unfortunate as
the quality of shadows in a rendered image can often be the thing that will either
make or break it in respect to its photographic quality. This is due to the fact that
the human brain makes use of shadow information in ways that we may not even be
consciously aware of.
We use shadows to judge the directionality of major light sources in an environment.
We use them for depth cues to help us figure out just how close to one another two
objects really are. And let's not forget that a good photographer will always be look-
ing to make good use of shadows as compositional elements in an image, some-
times turning them into major ones. All of this ultimately means of course that when
things are not looking quite right, we instinctively know it.
If then we are wanting to create a believable outdoor lighting solution, we need to
understand just how our shadows ought to be working. We also need to ask where
are they being generated from? How are they defining the shape or look of objects
in the environment? What color or colors do they need to be? And also, what type
of penumbra or edges should they have: soft and blurry or hard and crisp? All of
these shadow aspects will need to be given at least some attention as they will all, to
a greater or lesser degree, play a role in the photographic makeup of our rendered
shot.
Now if you are perhaps new to creating CG lighting and everything we are mention-
ing here regarding shadows sounds a little overwhelming, we can simplify things to
help us get started by initially focusing our minds on just three specific aspects: col-
or, depth (or darkness), and penumbra (or edge). If we get those three aspects right,
then we will have taken quite a big step towards producing realistic-looking direction-
al shadows in our renders.