Adobe AFTER EFFECTS 5.5 Help Manual page 395

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To access the Light Transmission property, expand the layer's Material Options. A light
transmission value of 0 means that no light passes through the layer and it casts a black
shadow. This setting renders faster and is recommended if you don't want to cast a
colored shadow or want previews to render quickly. A value of 100 means that the full
color value of the shadow-casting layer is projected on the layer accepting the shadow.
Note: To cast a colored shadow, make sure that you turn on the Cast Shadows option for
both the shadow-casting layer and the corresponding light layer.
Casting shadows from a layer that has been turned off
Even if a layer is invisible, sometimes it is important to have that layer cast a shadow.
Create this scenario by choosing a new Cast Shadows option called Only. Choosing Only
turns off the layer but leaves the shadow it casts. Use this in conjunction with the Light
Transmission option to project the colors from the invisible layer onto a visible one. To
choose Only, click the current underlined Cast Shadow option until Only displays.
Using the Metal Material Option
This option controls the color of the specular highlight. A setting of 100% means that the
color of the specular light is the color of the layer. For example, with a Metal setting of
100%, an image of a gold ring reflects golden light. A setting of 0% means the color of the
reflected light is the color of the light source. The default Metal value is 100%.
Using lights as adjustment layers
Now you can choose which 3D layers a light will affect by designating the light layer as an
adjustment layer. Just as with any adjustment layer, you place the light layer in the
Timeline window above only the layers you want the light to shine on. To designate a light
as an adjustment layer, select the light layer's Adjustment Layer switch
window.
Using the Advanced 3D Renderer
The Advanced 3D Renderer, previously available as a Web download only, is now installed
with After Effects 5.5. Use the Advanced 3D Renderer to render compositions whose
animations have intersecting 3D layers. The Advanced 3D Renderer not only accurately
calculates the look of intersecting layers but also accurately calculates anti-aliasing,
motion blur, and layer modes for the intersecting layers.
The Advanced 3D Renderer also allows you to set the shadow map resolution. Advanced
3D renders its shadows using "shadow maps," which are images rendered from the point
of view of each light source. Normally, the resolution of these images is computed
automatically based on factors such as the composition resolution and quality switches.
However, in some cases you will want to set the resolution manually. For example, if
shadows appear blurry even when the Shadow Diffusion material option is set to 0,
increase the shadow map resolution. If shadows are rendering slowly, decrease the
shadow map resolution.
Note: If your animation does not include intersections and you do not want to set the
shadow map resolution, use the Standard 3D Renderer. It is identical to the Advanced 3D
Renderer, except for the above features, and results in a quicker render.
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