ABSTRACT
Lighting is an extremely important aspect of 3D and rendering is at this time a necessary evil. Perhaps, someday there won't be a need to have to render a scene, as everything will just be processed in real time. Until that glorious day arrives, we'll have to continue to discover techniques to reduce render times while finding amusing ways to entertain ourselves as we patiently wait for our renders to complete. However, lighting will never be a one-click solution. Sure, we have global illumination and image-based lighting that can produce fantastic results with little effort, but good lighting is an art. In this chapter, we'll be discussing different aspects of lighting and rendering to dispel some of the technical hurtles and allow you to focus on the art of your project.
