Creating Shadows

Shadows in combustion are not limited to drop shadows—you can add lights and place matted layers to cast shadows on other layers.

You can go from the fairly simple to the very complex. In the following figure, there is one large spotlight below the scene shining upwards, and both layers are rotated on the Y-axis to skew the shadows a bit.

In the following figure the light is unchanged, but the layers are flatter to the camera and the right layer has been moved closer to the camera (along the Z-axis).

With any number and type of light sources, as well as surface types, effects possible in combustion are limited only by your imagination.

To make a basic shadow:

1. Select a flat, matted-out layer with distinct edges to cast the shadow.
2. Bring the layer out a little bit from the back in Z Position.
3. On the Settings controls, enable Shadows and Shading. On the Layer controls, Cast Shadow and Receive Shadow should be on by default.
4. Select the light in the composite. For more information, see Adding Lighting Effects.
5. In the Light controls, select Spot as light type and open the Cone Angle to about 80 or 90 degrees.
6. Ensure that the spotlight is pointing at the element you want to cast shadows. Try experimenting with combinations of different light colors and spotlight angles.

To soften a shadow:

1. Select the layer that is the source of the shadow.
2. Duplicate the layer.
3. Select the first layer and click Layer in the Composite Controls.
4. In the Options group, enable Invisible to Rays.

The layer is no longer able to cast shadows.

5. Select the duplicated layer, and in the Options group, enable Invisible to Camera.

The shadow is visible because the duplicated layer's ability to cast shadows is still enabled. The layer is not visible to the camera, so the layer itself no longer appears.

6. Apply a Blur operator to the duplicated layer. For more on applying operators, see Applying Operators.

The shadow edges are softened.

7. If necessary, enable Resize Image in the blur controls.

Note: If the duplicated layer is moved beneath the original layer in the Workspace panel, the shadow remains behind the image. This is because the shadow is cast on the background layer, which is further back in Z space. Z space takes priority over the layer stacking order in the Workspace panel.