# I'm Having Some Problems With Lights

**URL:** https://forum.highend3d.com/t/im-having-some-problems-with-lights/42452
**Category:** Maya
**Tags:** new-user
**Created:** [December 18, 2007, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.highend3d.com/t/im-having-some-problems-with-lights/42452 "2007-12-18T11:27:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![d-rez](https://forum.highend3d.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@d-rez](https://forum.highend3d.com/u/d-rez)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2007, 11:27am UTC](https://forum.highend3d.com/t/im-having-some-problems-with-lights/42452/1 "2007-12-18T11:27:41Z")

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Hi guys,

I still haven't got my head around lighting my scenes in Maya - i'm trying to light the inside of a closed room, and it seems that the only light that makes a difference is an Ambient light. Trouble is, it's not that good for shadows and seems a bit flat, and it's over-illuminating everything even when the intensity is turned down to about 0.5.

I tried Area and Directional lights, but when I render the scene it's as if they don't exist - the scene is dark and renders the same way as a test I produced a while back without any lights in the room.

Any advice or opinions on the best type of light to use? Or ideas on where i'm going wrong?

Thanks!  
Rez

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### Author: ![joojaa](https://forum.highend3d.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@joojaa](https://forum.highend3d.com/u/joojaa)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://forum.highend3d.com/t/im-having-some-problems-with-lights/42452/2 "2007-12-18T13:04:40Z")

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Directional light is out fo the question for closed objects, unles you actually have openings, or dont cast shadows (or hhave a inverted box type object only).

Area light should work fine as long as its inside your object anfdd pointing to something interesting. Spotlights are a second choise and for windows portal lights.

Its just not a simple one sentence thing to explain, good lighting is actually HARDER than good modeling, and affects visual appeal more than modeling too.

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### Author: ![gmask](https://forum.highend3d.com/user_avatar/forum.highend3d.com/gmask/32/192_2.png) [@gmask](https://forum.highend3d.com/u/gmask)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://forum.highend3d.com/t/im-having-some-problems-with-lights/42452/3 "2007-12-18T19:03:45Z")

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did you try putting the area light inside the room?