exclude VRayLight from reflection but retain affect specular

[mark_aldred]

Is there any way to exclude the VRayLight object from reflections but still have it affect specular?

[hermit.crab]

One way I'm thinking of is using the Trace sets (V-Ray Object Properties) to exclude/include certain objects from reflections.

[mark_aldred]

I'm not sure how that would work. I have a sphere VRayLight that I'd like invisible to the camera but to illuminate specular with, but it's positioned so that you can see the white sphere of the light in a window reflection. As far as I can see, there is no option to set reflection visibility or trace sets in the VRayLight properties. Lights don't seem to appear in the "Reflection Exclude" dialogue list.

[hermit.crab]

I meant excluding all object reflections from that window so that only the specular remains (the light's reflection).

[mark_aldred]

Thanks. Unfortunately I lights don't appear in the "Reflection Exclude" list of the window's VRay Properties. Actually they do appear sometimes, but I think that's just when they're disabled (although disabling a light doesn't seem to make it appear in the list -still haven't figured it out).

Is it the "Reflection Exclude" list you're talking about, or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?

[mark_aldred]

Here's my test file.
VRayLightReflection.zip

It's impossible to do with PBR?

[hermit.crab]

Yes, you understood correctly. However, you should exclude the objects, not the lights. Using the provided scene as an example - excluding the Sphere from the Plane would result in the Plane having only the specular reflections (direct reflections).

[mark_aldred]

I need the sphere to be visible, but not the light. I think I'm just misunderstanding the way specular works in VRay. I'm still used to thinking in terms of max Omni lights. An Omni light wouldn't be visible in the window as a reflection with the extents as a clear edge, like in the attached sample.

VRayLightReflection2.zip

[hermit.crab]

Well, in that case, try disabling the Light's "Affect reflections" option.

[mark_aldred]

Well, in that case, try disabling the Light's "Affect reflections" option.

How on God's Earth did I miss that one??????
Thank you!