Shape of a Light

Assigning a shape to a light modifies the illumination of a scene.

Just as a light can have a color, it can also be assigned a shape. For example, a rectangular shape acts like panel lighting in a ceiling. A linear shaped light acts like a narrow fluorescent tube.

Note: The shape of a light is supported for backwards compatibility with AutoCAD 2015-based products and earlier releases.

The shape of a light can be set as it is being added to a scene or after it has been placed. The follow provides an overview of setting the shape of a:

• New light. Use the Shape option after enabling Soft (sampled) shadows from the Shadow option of the LIGHT command, or one of the commands used to add a specific type of light.
• Existing light. Use the Shape property after setting the Type property (under the Render Shadow Details panel) to Soft (sampled).

Shapes available for selection depend on the type of the light:

• Spotlight: Rectangular and Disk
• Point light and Weblight: Linear, Rectangular, Disk, Cylinder, and Sphere