Rendering LED displays in SW

I have been battling with this for some time.

How for example would I render an LED display, such as found on a
typical clock radio etc.

I have made a block, and made it grey plastic, and extrude cut the
shapes of the segments thru it. From the same sketch I have extruded a
1mm deep front and turned off merge result, this body I am trying
different transparent, translucent and even dilectric materials on,
with either them looking like glass where you can see into the display,
or else it not being illuminated from the point lights I have placed
within the recessed in the main body I have made.

I also would like to know how to have for example an LED illuminating a
small translucent window in the body of something, for example the
activity LEDs on a switch or router where the LED isnt visable, just
its glow on a sticker over a hole in the casing.

Im getting the feeling that this is somethign that photoworks does not
excel at, but I am sure there must be a way to do this.

 

Rich,

Send me an e-mail at my website www.robrodriguez.com and I'll send you
a slide of what you could try. You're right, PhotoWorks doesn't excell
at this but there are work arounds.

 

Rich,

The best effect that I have gotten is to actually add a spot light to
the final assy and make it a small cone and turn it up all the way the
same color you want the LED to be with the LED being the same color
glass as the light. Rob's suggestions will probably be better than
mine but I just wanted to throw another option out there.

Ken

 

My first quess would be to use a material with a 'constant' material
type (illumination tab) and use indirect illumination to get the glow
on the rest of the model.

Kind regards,

JJ
www.studiozwaard.nl


schreef:

 

Here's an example image.

http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=ledjg3.png

Kind regards,

JJ

www.studiozwaard.nl