DirectionalLight

Inherits: Light < VisualInstance < Spatial < Node < Object

Directional light from a distance, as from the Sun.

Description

A directional light is a type of Light node that models an infinite number of parallel rays covering the entire scene. It is used for lights with strong intensity that are located far away from the scene to model sunlight or moonlight. The worldspace location of the DirectionalLight transform (origin) is ignored. Only the basis is used to determine light direction.

Tutorials

Properties

floatdirectional_shadow_bias_split_scale0.25
booldirectional_shadow_blend_splitsfalse
ShadowDepthRangedirectional_shadow_depth_range0
floatdirectional_shadow_max_distance100.0
ShadowModedirectional_shadow_mode2
floatdirectional_shadow_normal_bias0.8
floatdirectional_shadow_split_10.1
floatdirectional_shadow_split_20.2
floatdirectional_shadow_split_30.5
floatshadow_bias0.1 (parent override)

Enumerations

enum ShadowMode:

  • SHADOW_ORTHOGONAL = 0 —- Renders the entire scene’s shadow map from an orthogonal point of view. This is the fastest directional shadow mode. May result in blurrier shadows on close objects.
  • SHADOW_PARALLEL_2_SPLITS = 1 —- Splits the view frustum in 2 areas, each with its own shadow map. This shadow mode is a compromise between SHADOW_ORTHOGONAL and SHADOW_PARALLEL_4_SPLITS in terms of performance.
  • SHADOW_PARALLEL_4_SPLITS = 2 —- Splits the view frustum in 4 areas, each with its own shadow map. This is the slowest directional shadow mode.

enum ShadowDepthRange:

  • SHADOW_DEPTH_RANGE_STABLE = 0 —- Keeps the shadow stable when the camera moves, at the cost of lower effective shadow resolution.
  • SHADOW_DEPTH_RANGE_OPTIMIZED = 1 —- Tries to achieve maximum shadow resolution. May result in saw effect on shadow edges. This mode typically works best in games where the camera will often move at high speeds, such as most racing games.

Property Descriptions

  • float directional_shadow_bias_split_scale
Default0.25
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

Amount of extra bias for shadow splits that are far away. If self-shadowing occurs only on the splits far away, increasing this value can fix them.


  • bool directional_shadow_blend_splits
Defaultfalse
Setterset_blend_splits(value)
Getteris_blend_splits_enabled()

If true, shadow detail is sacrificed in exchange for smoother transitions between splits.


Default0
Setterset_shadow_depth_range(value)
Getterget_shadow_depth_range()

Optimizes shadow rendering for detail versus movement. See ShadowDepthRange.


  • float directional_shadow_max_distance
Default100.0
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

The maximum distance for shadow splits.


Default2
Setterset_shadow_mode(value)
Getterget_shadow_mode()

The light’s shadow rendering algorithm. See ShadowMode.


  • float directional_shadow_normal_bias
Default0.8
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

Can be used to fix special cases of self shadowing when objects are perpendicular to the light.


  • float directional_shadow_split_1
Default0.1
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

The distance from camera to shadow split 1. Relative to directional_shadow_max_distance. Only used when directional_shadow_mode is SHADOW_PARALLEL_2_SPLITS or SHADOW_PARALLEL_4_SPLITS.


  • float directional_shadow_split_2
Default0.2
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

The distance from shadow split 1 to split 2. Relative to directional_shadow_max_distance. Only used when directional_shadow_mode is SHADOW_PARALLEL_2_SPLITS or SHADOW_PARALLEL_4_SPLITS.


  • float directional_shadow_split_3
Default0.5
Setterset_param(value)
Getterget_param()

The distance from shadow split 2 to split 3. Relative to directional_shadow_max_distance. Only used when directional_shadow_mode is SHADOW_PARALLEL_4_SPLITS.