Specular highlights with various light sources?

[fooprobe]

I suppose this is a question I should know the answer to, but I'm having trouble getting reflections and specular highlights to show up from any light source except the following:

- Area lights work fine
- V-Ray sun shows up ONLY when background (or reflection) is set to Sky

All other light sources do not appear in reflections or produce specular highlights. Also confusing, spotlights and point lights have an "affect specular" checkbox, which doesn't seem to do anything.

Is ther eany way to get direct lights (other than sun) spot lights and point lights to produce specular highlights?

Thanks!

[dalomar_cg]

Re: Specular highlights with various light sources?

Direct lights are a bit of an oddity. The technically do not have to have a specific location, merely a direction. So I'm not 100% sure how they would actually react with specular highlights. I'll try and check on this tomorrow.

Non physical light sources, such as point, spot, or direct lights, will not show up in standard reflections, only in specular highlights. If you're not getting those I'd suggest checking your materials and making sure that you're using a highlight glossiness value less than 1. I was playing with them just the other day, so I know they work. That's really all I can think of at the moment.

What you described in terms of highlights from the V-Ray sun is acting as it should.

[Micha_cg]

Re: Specular highlights with various light sources?

Could it be possible that the sun affect speculars instead reflections, maybe per switch option? It would help to avoid some (some times heavy) sampling problems.

[fooprobe]

Re: Specular highlights with various light sources?

It was the highlight glossiness. When set less than 1, I get the speculars from ALL light sources, including directs and V-Ray sun even with no Sky background. Thanks!

( Now how about making the default highlight glossiness 0.99 instead of 1 =)