Reflecting Light in 3D Max... HELP!

[KentonPA]

Can objects in 3D Studio Max 7.5 reflect light? Sounds like a simple request but I think that it might be beyond the capabilities of the software. There are NO tutorials in the Documentation and NOTHING on the internet. There are a few useless tricks and cheats but there seems to be no way to model a light shining onto a mirror and the light reflects to another surface. Please prove me wrong! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[DeadlyFreeze]

Nothing to it really, you need to use mental ray though. Then apply a raytracer material to your mirror, add a light and turn on caustics rendering dialog and thats it.

(exp: spotlight is hitting mirror material, bouncing light on floor. Mirror is reflecting light from the floor.)

[KentonPA]

How did you get the caustics reflection so even? I can only seem to achieve dots. When I increase the photon radius then the light will overshoot. The Decay value (default 2) seems to have no effect. Changing the light values has little effect. Thanks.

[DeadlyFreeze]

Turn final render on, should clean it up.

[KentonPA]

Thanks!

[DeadlyFreeze]

No problem.