Creating Mesh Lights
Mesh Lights in RenderMan are created with a PxrMeshLight. Any piece of geometry can be used as a mesh light (also referred to as a "geometric area light"). The two main workflows for creating mesh lights in RfK are described below.
Method 1: PxrMeshLight GafferThree Package
Creating mesh lights is simple with this method. First, select the geometry that you wish to turn into a mesh light in the Scenegraph. Then in GafferThree, add a PxrMeshLight.
The Mesh Light Geometry parameter can also reference a node with a Scene Graph location. Node Graph references will automatically update the parameter if the geometry's name or location changes.
Method 2: The geometry.areaLightGeometrySource Attribute
Mesh light geometry needs to be attached to the light using a specific attribute that RfK looks for when processing the lights. That attribute is named "geometry.areaLightGeometrySource". The attribute is a string attribute on the light and it's value should be the geometry location. For convenience, the PrmanMeshLightCreate macro, a part of the RfK distribution, demonstrates this set up.
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