Use 3DS Max’s Select and Move {} and the Scale Tool {}to place it in a steep angle and make all the necessary adjustments. Remember that the target {the small box}can be adjusted independently.

Open up the Environment and Effects window by pressing the “8“ key and scroll down to the Effects panel. Click the add button and select the Volume Light entry.

Click the “Pick Light” button and click the Target Direct Light. Scroll down and lets go over the most important Volume Light settings:

» The left-most color is the volume light’s color.
» The one to the right, if selected, will change the light’s color starting from a specified point.
» The Max Light tells the light not exceed a certain color opacity. Set it to 80%
» Keep the Min Light at 0%
» Set the Noise Amount to 0.4, the mode to Turbulence and the size to 0.1. This will simulate the dust.

Select the Target Direct light, click 3DS Max’s Modify tab {} and roll-out the Directional Parameters. Set the Hotspot/ Beam to 40 and the Falloff/ Field to 55.  This will soften-up the volume light.

Switch to the camera view {“C”} and render the scene again. You should get something like this:

Not bad, but it certainly lacks flavor. Remember that if you need a more of an in-your-face effect you just have to increase The Volume Light’s Density and Max Light values.

4/4 Tweaking the Mood

The easiest way to change the mood of an image is by changing the overall color. Select the mr Sky Portal and set it’s filter color to a really washed-out red.

While not exactly a mood tweak, we’ll also get rid of some of the noise. Open up the Render Setup window {“F10“}, go to the Indirect Illumination tab and set the Final Gather to low or medium.

Now, go to the Renderer Tab and set the Samples per pixel to 4 and 4.

The end

Finally, grab a beer and get ready for a slightly longer render time (8 minutes on a Quad).Switch to the camera view and render the scene.

This is what we got by tweaking things a bit and raising the settings some more. We’ve also applied a simple reflective texture to the floor.

Well, this is it for this 3DS Max tutorial. Tune in to our RSS feed to be the first to see the complete Interior Lighting one. If you’ve enjoyed it, tell your friends, familly, dog, and, hopefully, one-eyed parrot about it.

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