Solaris allows you to create lights and export them to USD.  These lighting setups can be shared and imported into other scenes.

Creating Lights

In the stage view, add a light node and select the light type from the Type parameter list. The dome light has it’s own node called “dome light”. Parameters that are part of the USDLux schema are available on the node’s XXXX, XXXX, and XXXX tabs. Parameters that are specific to RenderMan lights are available in the RenderMan tab of the node.

Light linking

Light linking can be done with the Light Linker node. Simply drag lights or collections of lights to the center section, and drag geometry (or collections of geometry) to the on/off sections. Same for shadow linking.

Mesh light

The geometry light type of the light node isn’t support at the moment. But you can create a mesh light by assigning a PxrMeshLight shader to a piece of geometry. (TEST and test whether or not light linking UI can be accessed this way?)

Easy control of lights
Light mixer node

Different from RfH

• Camera visibile by default
• No texture manager - textures must be .tex

Anything else?
Instancing (does this work?)
Known limitations
Light filters
Geometry light type
Portal lights
PxrEnvDayLight
PxrAovLight

point light = sphere light
Distant light intensity

The lighting parameters that are part of the USDLux schema are available on the light node and dome light node.  RenderMan parameters that aren't part of the schema are available in the RenderMan tab of the light and dome light nodes.

Light linking can be done via the light linker node.

See the Solaris documentation for more information.

Quirks:

RenderMan doesn't have a point light type, so the point light type on the node is translated as a sphere light.

A number of lighting features aren't supported yet within Solaris:

• The Geometry light type in the light node
• Light plugins that aren't part of the USDLux schema - PxrEnvDayLight, PxrAovLight, custom light plugins 
• PxrPortalLight
• light filters