Lighting and cameras turn a collection of objects into a scene you can judge and present. Start with a useful view, then adjust illumination while keeping the model's materials in mind.
Separate Inspection from a Scene Camera
Orbit, Pan, Zoom, and Fit help you examine the model. They change your working view without moving the objects.
An authored camera is part of the scene. Select it to edit supported projection, lens, clipping, focus, target, and frame settings. Its safe frame helps you judge what belongs in the composition. Locking navigation to an authored camera makes navigation changes part of that camera's editable state; unlock it when you want to inspect freely.
Perspective is useful for a natural sense of depth. Orthographic projection is useful for comparing alignment and proportions without distant objects appearing smaller. Standard directional views make those comparisons repeatable.
Establish the Environment
Inspector's Scene tab keeps scene-wide appearance separate from the selected object's properties. It includes studio lighting, exposure, and the background.
Begin with enough light to read the forms. Then compare a rough surface, a reflective surface, and a neutral area so you can tell whether an adjustment improves the whole scene or only one object.
The default directional source is used when there are no visible authored lights. Adding your own lights changes that starting condition. If the result becomes unexpectedly dark, review both the authored lights and the environment instead of assuming Poly will add another light automatically.
Place Lights with a Purpose
Supported directional, point, and ambient lights serve different visual roles:
Select a light and use the properties available for its type, such as color, intensity, range, falloff, or shadows. Not every light exposes the same controls. Change one property at a time while keeping a recognizable subject in view.
For a sky background, supported skyboxes offer procedural colors and sun controls or an HDR preset. Rotation, intensity, and blur adjust the environment's appearance. When several skyboxes are visible, the last visible one supplies the sky.
Compare the Editing View with Presentation
Material helps you inspect surfaces while working. Rendered Preview reduces editing clutter and animates supported Fire, Sparks, Smoke, and Energy Glow effects. A static Material preview and an animated presentation can therefore look different without changing the saved objects.
Grid and helper visibility are viewing aids. Hiding them is different from hiding scene objects, which can also remove content from an export.
Once the composition is ready, use the flat editor's More → Save as PNG to capture the viewport without the surrounding editor. To hand off an editable scene, use More → Export, then check the report for lighting, texture, camera, and effect limitations.
Common Questions
Why did the scene change when I added a light?
Visible authored lights replace the no-authored-light directional starting condition. Review their intensity and the environment together.
Why does an effect stay still in Material view?
Supported effects use a static Material preview and animate in Rendered Preview.
Will another 3D app show exactly the same lighting?
Not necessarily. Export can simplify lighting, reflections, and effects. Inspect its report and compare the result in the destination application.
Does PNG export keep a 3D model?
No. It captures the current flat viewport as an image. Use GLB or glTF for a supported 3D handoff.
Read Importing and Exporting before preparing a deliverable.