Gobos (also known as cookies or flags) create drama and interest in a rendering. Below are some basic settings to get started working with gobo lights in your Cinema 4D projects. Use them as a jumping off point and customize them as needed.
First we will be setting up the light fixture in the hierarchy, then create a material with an alpha channel texture, and lastly, assign & adjust the material on the light object.
General Settings
Start by adding a Spot light object to your scene. Select Shadow Maps (Soft) with no visible light. Adjust intensity as desired.
Details
Details
In the Details tab, adjust Outer Angle, Radius/Decay, and set the Falloff to Inverse Square (Physically Accurate).
Visibility
Next, enable Falloff in the Visibility tab. Adjust the distances and percentages to match those below:
Alpha Material
Lastly, create a new material and enable only the Alpha channel. Upload either a .psd or .png with the area you wish to be transparent shown as black. In other words, the background of your image should be clear, while the stencil cutout area is solid black.
Drag this material onto the Gobo spot light object. While the material is selected in the hierarchy, click into the material’s Tag tab and confirm a few final settings.
Depending on your gobo pattern, you might need to play with the Offset, Length & Tiles to get the texture lined up nicely.
I hope these settings give you the foundation you need to create some super impressive gobo action in your renderings.
Want to learn more lighting settings? Check out Event Light Settings for Cinema 4D to learn tips for back & front lighting, LED strip uplighting, and beautiful Sharpy beams.
