Move the direction of a light in Blend

You can transform a light to change how it illuminates your 3D object. Lights are properties of the Viewport3D object that contains your 3D object. You can modify light settings by selecting them in the objects view in the Objects and Timeline panel.

To move a light

1. In the Objects and Timeline panel, expand the Viewport3D object for the object that you want to modify. Within the Viewport3D object are containers for the cameras, materials, and lights.

   Note

   The materials and lights might be contained in an object that represents the world geometry. If so, expand the world geometry container object.

2. Either select the container object for the light that you want to modify, or expand the nodes under the container object for the light until you reach the last node, as shown in the following graphic.

   3D light object selected in the Objects and Timeline panel

   

3. Select Selection from the Tools panel, and then use your mouse to grab the x-axis, y-axis, or z-axis handles on the artboard to rotate or reposition the light in 3D space.

   X-axis handles for Rotation , and Position	Y-axis handles for Rotation , and Position	Z-axis handles for Rotation , and Position

Tip

The following tips are useful when you move a light:

• Hold the SHIFT key when rotating to snap the rotation angle every 15 degrees.

• Different handles will be available depending on the type of light you are modifying.

• To simultaneously see the handles of all the lights that act on your object, point to 3D on the View menu, and then click Toggle Lights.

• You can also rotate, reposition, and scale the light by using the properties in the Transform category of the Properties panel, just as you would with any object.