PointLight

PointLight has a straightforward spatial model: the source occupies one point and emits in every direction. This differs from DirectionalLight, where orientation matters, and SpotLight, where a directional cone exists. A 360-degree PointLight therefore does not need a rotation control to aim the light.

The node has one optional orange SceneInput. It accepts classic Fusion scene3d data rather than MediaIn/RGBA. When a 3D scene is connected, that scene passes through PointLight and this tool's Transform applies to the entire incoming scene. SceneInput is an inline 3D-scene path, not a special 'object to illuminate' socket.

For ordinary light placement, keeping geometry and PointLight on separate Merge3D branches is usually clearer. Translation then moves only the source instead of carrying the upstream scene with it. Use SceneInput deliberately when an inline chain and its parent-transform behavior are actually wanted.

Controls begins with Enabled, Color/RGB, and Intensity. Enabled mirrors the red tool switch, Color sets emitted color, and Intensity sets light strength. For diagnosis, begin with white Color and moderate Intensity so tint does not hide topology or decay problems.

Decay Type defines distance falloff. No Decay does not attenuate because of distance, while Linear and Quadratic introduce distance-based attenuation. Under Linear/Quadratic, translating PointLight changes both source placement and the lighting exposure seen by surfaces.

PointLight shadows in Resolve 21 require Hardware Renderer for viewing in the 3D Viewer, and Renderer3D must also have Shadows enabled for output. Geometry caster/receiver flags and material lighting response are separate requirements; Enable Shadows on the light alone does not guarantee a visible shadow.

Shadow Color and Density describe the shadow contribution, Shadow Map Size controls spatial resolution, and Shadow Map Proxy controls a reduced proxy map. These are different jobs: Density is not blur, Proxy is not softness, and increasing Map Size does not repair incorrect depth bias.

Multiplicative Bias and Additive Bias address self-shadowing/Z-fighting. Blackmagic recommends tuning Multiplicative Bias first and then Additive Bias. Too little leaves acne; too much creates a detached or peter-panning shadow.

The current Resolve 21 Inspector labels the checkbox 'Non-Transmissive Materials'; the text reference describes the same concept with the historical name Force All Materials Non-Transmissive. Enabling it uses a Z-only shadow path, saving resources at the cost of transmissive/stained-glass-like shadow information.

The current Inspector labels the quality control 'Sampling Quality' and shows Low/Medium; the manual describes the function as Shadow Map Sampling. It controls shadow-map sampling rather than map resolution, so stabilize Map Size/Bias before increasing it.

The captured current-build Inspector also exposes Linear Depth and Tight Projection. The Resolve 21 text reference does not separately define their detailed behavior, so this article records them as real current-build controls without inventing unsupported semantics. A/B their effect on the target scene before baking them into a production preset.

Softness in the current UI offers None, Constant, Variable, and Variable Fast. The reference explains None/Constant/Variable: None leaves an unfiltered edge, Constant uses a fixed-width filter and reveals Constant Softness, while Variable changes filter size with caster-receiver distance and reveals Softness Falloff/Min/Max Softness. Variable Fast is present in the captured UI but its exact implementation should be confirmed live.

A key difference between the current PointLight Inspector and the generic Common Transform chapter is that the captured Resolve 21 PointLight Transform shows only Translation (Pick plus X/Y/Z) and Import Transform. Rotation, Pivot, Scale, and Use Target are not shown here, which matches the needs of an omnidirectional point source.

Translation X/Y/Z is PointLight's main spatial control. Under No Decay it still changes shading geometry through source position; under Linear/Quadratic it also changes attenuation. If SceneInput is connected, the same Translation applies to the incoming scene, which is why a separate Merge3D branch is often better for independent placement.

Import Transform brings transformation data from a supported scene file but does not import geometry by itself. Use it when source motion should follow exported 3D animation; importing geometry/cameras/lights as objects belongs to a different workflow.

PointLight remains scene3d throughout the classic Fusion 3D branch. Its Scene output feeds Merge3D or another 3D tool. Only Renderer3D turns the final scene into a normal image/RGBA stream for Merge, ColorCorrector, or MediaOut.