Physical Sky Map & Sun Direction Details

[Anonymous]

Hi all

I have just started experimenting with the Physical Sky Map using the SolidAngle help documents. I noticed that in the Parameters of the Physical Sky, there is an option to connect a native distant/directional light to the physical sky, using the Sun Direction parameters but it doesn't explain how.

What do the numbers mean and how do they connect a distant light to the physical skymap?

And while we're at it, what do the XYZ numbers do exactly? In the help document it says that they determine which axis is up, but how? Why each axis has 3 different entries? What do they relate to and how?

It would be nice to have significantly more detailed help documents.

Thank you

[pproestos]

There are plenty of tutorials out there...

Here's one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKD6ANxz08Y&feature=em-uploademail

[Anonymous]

Hi Petros, thank you very much for answering.

I have already seen this tutorial and even in the tutorial, it doesn't say what these two parameters do, exactly. For the Sun Position parameter he just states that: "It controls the position and orientation of the sun in the sky using the Sun Direction". Again I have to ask, how? What do these numbers do? Are they coordinates corresponding to the world grid? Are they local coordinates of the sun? And how do they connect with a distant/directional light as stated by SolidAngle in their help documents?

On the XYZ Axis, he say even less: "You can use them to change the overall orientation of the physical sky". Again, how? What do the numbers mean? In SolidAngle's help, it says that it determines which axis is up. Following some logical thinking, I deduce that the first entry in each axis, when it is 1.0, says to Arnold that this axis is up. What are the rest of the numbers for? Wouldn't it be much easier and more understandable if, instead of having 9 numeric entries, they had 1 checkbox besides each axis which would be activated or a drop-down menu with 3 options on which axis is up?

[lee_griggs]

Here is what the correct setup would be in 3ds Max. Currently the XSY vectors are set differently (the default settings are not correct).

Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to connect a light or controller to these parameters. This may be changed in a future release (thanks to your feedback).