Ricebug on 5/1/2014 at 15:52
Does Center Weight deal with shadows or lighting? (Knowing that one cannot exist without the other.)
Under Low (4-pt avg), it also gives us a qualifier: [4x compute time]. I have no idea with these point values mean--floating point, compass, render averages, etc.
And then you have Center Weight below it. Default is .20. I'm assuming this is the vector variable where the rendering engine plots the shadow params. I've never changed that number. Again, I'm only guessing.
Perhaps Jermi or NV can step up to the teaching podium and enlighten the masses?
R Soul on 5/1/2014 at 17:07
It deals with a softness of the edge of the shadows.
Put a plain texture on the floor (e.g. civicbui/obaswal2), make a square pillar and place a bright light near one of the corners. Using OldDark, the shadow would be very jagged; you could see 'steps' in it.
If your shadow softness uses any of the 5 or 9 pt options, a lower centre weight gives makes light/dark transition smoother and straighter. 0.2 is a good value, and for my FM I use the 'High 9pt' option.
ZylonBane on 5/1/2014 at 17:37
Quote Posted by Ricebug
I'm assuming this is the vector variable where the rendering engine plots the shadow params.
Dude, that is pure word salad. Don't do that.
As for what "Center Weight" does, it seems fairly self-explanatory. In the drop-down list of soft shadow options several of them say "weighted average" (well, "wghtd avg"). The center weight box must therefore be where you specify the (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weighted_average) weight that the center lightmap texel receives. So at a weight of 1, only the center texel will be used and shadows will be as hard as possible. The default value seems fine so I just leave it alone.
Ricebug on 5/1/2014 at 19:08
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
Dude, that is pure word salad. Don't do that.
Old habits. English Lit major, etc.