Element

Lights Reference

Illuminate your 3D scenes

Overview

Lighting is a crucial element of 3D visualization that can dramatically enhance the appearance and realism of your scene. confBuild supports all standard Three.js light types.

Available Light Types

  • point - Light emitting from a single point in all directions
  • spot - Cone-shaped light in a specific direction
  • directional - Parallel light rays like the sun
  • ambient - Uniform light affecting all objects equally
  • hemisphere - Sky-to-ground gradient light
  • rectarea - Light from a rectangular surface

Common Parameters

Parameters shared across light types.

Parameter Description Applies To
lighttype Type of light source All
color Light color (hex) All
intensity Brightness (0-1) All
distance Maximum range (0=infinite) Point, Spot
decay Intensity falloff rate Point, Spot
angle Cone angle (radians) Spot
penumbra Edge softness (0-1) Spot
groundColor Ground color Hemisphere
width, height Light source size RectArea
x, y, z Position All
rx, ry, rz Rotation (degrees) Directional, Spot, RectArea

Point Light

A light that emits from a single point in all directions, similar to a light bulb.

Example

Type Light Type Color Intensity Distance X Y Z
light point #FFFFFF 0.7 500 0 100 0

Best Used For

  • Light bulbs and lamps
  • Candles and small light sources
  • Omnidirectional illumination

Spot Light

A light that shines in a specific direction, creating a cone effect.

Key Parameters

  • angle: Cone width in radians (0.3 is about 17 degrees)
  • penumbra: Edge softness from 0 (hard) to 1 (soft)
  • rx, ry, rz: Rotation to aim the spotlight

Example

Type Light Type Color Intensity Angle Penumbra RX
light spot #FFD700 0.8 0.3 0.2 -45

Best Used For

  • Spotlights and flashlights
  • Focused lighting effects
  • Highlighting specific objects

Directional Light

A light with parallel rays, like sunlight.

Example

Type Light Type Color Intensity RX RY RZ
light directional #FFFFFF 0.8 -45 30 0

Note: Position affects shadow calculation but not light intensity. Place far from your scene for proper shadows.

Best Used For

  • Sunlight and moonlight
  • Overall scene lighting
  • Consistent shadow casting

Ambient Light

A light that illuminates all objects equally with no direction and no shadows.

Example

Type Light Type Color Intensity
light ambient #404040 0.3

Note: Position has no effect on ambient lights.

Best Used For

  • Base illumination
  • Filling in shadows
  • Indoor scene ambience

Hemisphere Light

A light that fades from one color to another from sky to ground.

Example

Type Light Type Color (Sky) Ground Color Intensity
light hemisphere #B1E1FF #444444 0.6

Best Used For

  • Outdoor scenes
  • Natural lighting
  • Soft global illumination

Rectangular Area Light

A light that emits from a rectangular surface uniformly.

Example

Type Light Type Color Width Height Intensity
light rectarea #FFFFFF 200 100 1

Note: RectArea lights are more performance-intensive than other types.

Best Used For

  • Windows and skylights
  • Light panels and softboxes
  • TV/monitor glow
  • Architectural lighting

Light Combinations

Combine multiple lights for realistic effects.

Basic Indoor Setup

  • Ambient light (#404040, intensity 0.3) - Base illumination
  • Directional light (#FFFFFF, intensity 0.7) - Main light
  • Point light (#FFA500, intensity 0.5) - Accent light

Outdoor Daylight

  • Hemisphere light (#B1E1FF, #444444, intensity 0.6) - Sky/ground
  • Directional light (#FFFFFF, intensity 0.8) - Sunlight

Best Practices

Tips for effective lighting.

Recommendations

  • Start with low-intensity ambient or hemisphere light as base
  • Add directional or spot lights for highlights and shadows
  • Use warm colors for indoor, cooler for outdoor daylight
  • Limit the number of lights for better performance
  • Use RectArea lights sparingly due to performance impact

Performance Considerations

  • Point and spot lights with shadows are most intensive
  • RectArea lights significantly impact performance
  • Ambient and directional have lowest impact
  • Use appropriate distance values to limit effect range
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