Qt Quick 3D - Lights Example

Demonstrates the use of different light types.

This example demonstrates using three different light types in an application.

Setting the Scene Lights

Directional Light

The directional light emits light in one direction from an unidentifiable source located infinitely far away. This is similar to the way sunlight works in real life. A directional light has infinite range and does not diminish.

We setup directional light to emit red color and animate its rotation around x-axis.

 DirectionalLight {
     id: light1
     color: Qt.rgba(1.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0)
     ambientColor: Qt.rgba(0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0)
     position: Qt.vector3d(0, 200, 0)
     rotation: Quaternion.fromEulerAngles(-135, -90, 0)
     shadowMapQuality: Light.ShadowMapQualityHigh
     visible: checkBox1.checked
     castsShadow: checkBoxShadows.checked
     brightness: slider1.sliderValue
     SequentialAnimation on rotation {
         loops: Animation.Infinite
         QuaternionAnimation {
             to: Quaternion.fromEulerAngles(-45, -90, 0)
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
         QuaternionAnimation {
             to: Quaternion.fromEulerAngles(-135, -90, 0)
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
     }
 }
Point Light

The point light can be described as a sphere, emitting light with equal strength in all directions from the center of the light. This is similar to the way a light bulb emits light.

We setup point light to emit green color and animate its position in x-coordinate.

 PointLight {
     id: light2
     color: Qt.rgba(0.1, 1.0, 0.1, 1.0)
     ambientColor: Qt.rgba(0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0)
     position: Qt.vector3d(0, 300, 0)
     shadowMapFar: 2000
     shadowMapQuality: Light.ShadowMapQualityHigh
     visible: checkBox2.checked
     castsShadow: checkBoxShadows.checked
     brightness: slider2.sliderValue
     SequentialAnimation on x {
         loops: Animation.Infinite
         NumberAnimation {
             to: 400
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
         NumberAnimation {
             to: 0
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
     }
 }
Area Light

The area light is similar to the directional light, but instead of emitting equally bright light across the whole scene, the area light emits directional light from a rectangle shaped object. Aside from the size, an area light has the same characteristics and properties as the directional light.

We setup area light to emit blue color and animate its position in z-coordinate.

 AreaLight {
     id: light3
     color: Qt.rgba(0.1, 0.1, 1.0, 1.0)
     ambientColor: Qt.rgba(0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 1.0)
     position: Qt.vector3d(-50, 250, 150)
     eulerRotation.x: -90
     width: 1000
     height: 200
     shadowMapFar: 2000
     shadowMapQuality: Light.ShadowMapQualityHigh
     visible: checkBox3.checked
     castsShadow: checkBoxShadows.checked
     brightness: slider3.sliderValue
     SequentialAnimation on z {
         loops: Animation.Infinite
         NumberAnimation {
             to: -150
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
         NumberAnimation {
             to: 150
             duration: 2000
             easing.type: Easing.InOutQuad
         }
     }
 }
Spot Light

The spot light is similar to the point light, except that it emits light in a cone shape towards one direction instead of all directions. Aside from the cone angle, a spot light has the same characteristics and properties as the point light.

We setup spot light to emit a warm color and animate its rotation in y-coordinate.

 SpotLight {
     id: light4
     color: Qt.rgba(1.0, 0.9, 0.7, 1.0)
     ambientColor: Qt.rgba(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0)
     position: Qt.vector3d(0, 250, 0)
     eulerRotation.x: -45
     shadowMapFar: 2000
     shadowMapQuality: Light.ShadowMapQualityHigh
     visible: checkBox4.checked
     castsShadow: checkBoxShadows.checked
     brightness: slider4.sliderValue
     coneAngle: 50
     innerConeAngle: 30
     PropertyAnimation on eulerRotation.y {
         loops: Animation.Infinite
         from: 0
         to: -360
         duration: 10000
     }
 }

Setting the Scene Models

First we add two rectangle models to act as the floor and the back wall for our scene. These are useful for seeing light shadows.

 Model {
     source: "#Rectangle"
     y: -200
     scale: Qt.vector3d(15, 15, 15)
     eulerRotation.x: -90
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: Qt.rgba(0.8, 0.6, 0.4, 1.0)
         }
     ]
 }
 Model {
     source: "#Rectangle"
     z: -400
     scale: Qt.vector3d(15, 15, 15)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: Qt.rgba(0.8, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0)
         }
     ]
 }

Then we add our main teapot model which is rotated around y-axis.

 Model {
     source: "teapot.mesh"
     y: -100
     scale: Qt.vector3d(75, 75, 75)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: Qt.rgba(0.9, 0.9, 0.9, 1.0)
         }
     ]

     NumberAnimation  on eulerRotation.y {
         loops: Animation.Infinite
         duration: 5000
         from: 0
         to: -360
     }
 }

We also add small cube models to demonstrate position & rotation of each light type. These cubes scale bigger when user is accessing related sliders.

 Model {
     source: "#Cube"
     position: light1.position
     rotation: light1.rotation
     property real size: slider1.highlight ? 0.2 : 0.1
     scale: Qt.vector3d(size, size, size)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: light1.color
             opacity: 0.4
         }
     ]
 }
 Model {
     source: "#Cube"
     position: light2.position
     rotation: light2.rotation
     property real size: slider2.highlight ? 0.2 : 0.1
     scale: Qt.vector3d(size, size, size)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: light2.color
             opacity: 0.4
         }
     ]
 }
 Model {
     source: "#Cube"
     position: light3.position
     rotation: light3.rotation
     property real size: slider3.highlight ? 0.2 : 0.1
     scale: Qt.vector3d(size, size, size)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: light3.color
             opacity: 0.4
         }
     ]
 }
 Model {
     source: "#Cube"
     position: light4.position
     rotation: light4.rotation
     property real size: slider4.highlight ? 0.2 : 0.1
     scale: Qt.vector3d(size, size, size)
     materials: [
         DefaultMaterial {
             diffuseColor: light4.color
             opacity: 0.4
         }
     ]
 }

From the settings panel user can then enable shadows and control visibility and brightness of each light separately.

Files: