Author: Vicky Guignard; Javelin Technologies
What if I told you you could simply pick a point on your components, select a type of light and BOOM you have an ultra realistic reflection on your part ready to be rendered. It’s never been easier! New in 2018, is the SOLIDWORKS Visualize Area Light tool which lets you do just that.
SOLIDWORKS Visualize 2018 Area Light
Here’s how the new SOLIDWORKS Visualize Area Light works:
You can create light sources simulated as rectangles, discs, spheres, and cylinders. These new, area light sources are extremely efficient and available in Fast mode and can replace the more manual “emissive plane” technique for creating simulated light cards in a scene used to provide more reflections in your geometry.
Other light creation and placement improvements allow you to create lights “on the fly” that are either matched to the current camera’s position and direction, or placed with a single click on the model to indicate where you want the light to shine.
Pick a target for the Area Light
You can create new lights by selecting Pick Target or Match Current Camera from the New Light menu. For example, on the Scenes tab, click Add and choose New Light, Pick Target, or Match Current Camera.
Area Tube Example