Lighting

Introduction

Light Physics

Color Temperature

When you are using a normal light in Vectorworks you have the ability to choose its color. However, if you are using an emitter light, its color is controlled by color temperature. Without going into the physics, the hotter the temperature of the light, the more blue it becomes (some people call this cool). The lower the color temperature, the more warm the light becomes (the more yellow it is). Normal daylight (sunlight) has a color temperature of around 5,500°K, Moonlight has a color temperature of around about 4100° K. A candle has a color temperature of around about 1850° K.

Distance Falloff

As you move away from a light source the intensity of the light decreases. This is a well-known physic law and it is known as the inverse square law, because the intensity of the light is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. In plain terms, what we mean is that as you double the distance from the light, the intensity is reduced by four times. If the distance from the light is trebled, the intensity is reduced by nine times.