> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://atiysus-organization.gitbook.io/aty-scripts/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://atiysus-organization.gitbook.io/aty-scripts/map-editor/guide/lights.md).

# Lights

## Lights

Any placed prop can also be a light source. This is not an emissive texture — it is a real draw call that lights the world around it, casts shadows and reaches as far as you tell it to.

Open **M** → **Light source** and turn it on.

### Types

| Type               | Shape                                          | Shadows |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | ------- |
| **Point**          | Casts in every direction                       | No      |
| **Point + shadow** | Every direction                                | Yes     |
| **Spot**           | A cone, pointing along the prop's forward axis | No      |
| **Spot + shadow**  | Cone                                           | Yes     |

Point for lamps, bulbs, fires and signs. Spot for anything aimed: a floodlight, a spotlight, a wall washer, a car headlight.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Shadow-casting lights are considerably more expensive than the plain versions. Use them where the shadow is part of the effect — a spotlight throwing a shape across a floor — and use the plain type for ambient fill. A street of twenty shadow-casting lamps will be felt on lower-end clients.
{% endhint %}

### Settings

| Setting       | What it controls                     |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| **Colour**    | Full RGB picker                      |
| **Range**     | How far the light reaches, in metres |
| **Intensity** | Brightness                           |
| **Radius**    | Softness of the light's edge         |
| **Shadow**    | Shadow strength (shadow types only)  |

Every one of them previews live as you drag, so you set them by eye rather than by number.

### Aiming a spot

A spot light points along the prop's forward axis. To aim it, rotate the prop. It is usually easiest to attach the light to a model that already points somewhere — a floodlight housing, a wall lamp — so the model and the light agree.

### Working with lights

**Set the time first.** Open the environment panel and set night. A light tuned at noon will be wrong after dark, and there is no way to judge intensity against a bright sky.

**Range costs more than intensity.** A large range means the light is evaluated against more of the scene. When a light is too weak, raise intensity before you raise range.

**Fewer, better lights.** Three well-placed lights read better than ten overlapping ones, and cost a fraction as much.

### Storage and export

Light settings are stored with the prop and re-applied whenever it spawns, for every player.

{% hint style="danger" %}
Lights do not exist in a `.ymap` — that format describes static geometry. A YMAP export gives you the prop, not its light. **Lua Resource** and **JSON** exports carry the full light settings. See Export.
{% endhint %}