Lighting a dance floor

[Shelton]

I started on a learning project. I want to light a dance floor in a scene. Just starting to play with lights and the effects they have. I can see in my head the dance scene in Saturady Night Fever how the floor lit up. In a couple of test of placing a light under the flooring in the scene the light was not bright in the middle of the bulb. I can not the effect I want. Anyone have a suggestion?

 

I have included a test shot. The trim rings are set for the colors of the lights and used as a guide. But as you can see the light is dark in the center of the light where it should be the brightest. What am I doing wrong?

 

 

Steve

[robcat2075]

Anyone have a suggestion?

 

You may not need lights at all for that.

 

Here's bit I did about 10 years ago.

 

idl_150kbps.wmv

 

About 19 seconds in a space shippy thing will appear. On the "floor" are numerous flashing and non-flashing lights, rather like your disco floor. But none of them are real lights, they are decals painted to look like the floor has lights under it. Even the glows are painted on. Among the advantages... it renders fast.

 

If you need the lights to "illuminate" your character combine this technique with a few non-volumetric lights below him to create the actual shading on him, and use a "lightlist" so that they only affect the character.