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Difference between revisions of "Dynamic Lighting"

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Roll20 currently have two '''Dynamic Lighting''' systems, which are not interchangeable.
  
[[File:Dynamic_Lighting.jpg|right|Dungeon Art by [https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/50/diy-dungeon-blank-pack Greg Taylor], Token Art by [https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/set/2/devin-token-pack-1-characters Devin Night]]]
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==Legacy Dynamic Lighting==
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'''[[Legacy Dynamic Lighting]]'''('''LDL''') is the original system, previous refereed to as just "Dynamic Lighting", and is what people talk about in any guides or videos made before April 2020. It will eventually be removed when [[UDL]] is good enough.
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* [[Advanced Fog of War]](AFoW) - A part of LDL
  
Dynamic Lighting is an advanced map lighting tool currently available to Mentor & Subscriber users. It calculates line of sight on the fly as tokens are moved across the tabletop.
 
  
'''You can find examples, including system specific lighting and vision in our [[Dynamic_Lighting_Examples|Dynamic Lighting Style Guide]].'''
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Roll20 have announced that [[LDL]] will be retired on '''May 18th 2021'''. More info: '''{{blogs|retiring-legacy-dynamic-lighting-what-you-need-to-know/ LDL retiring - What you need to know}}'''
  
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==Updated Dynamic Lighting==
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'''[[Updated Dynamic Lighting]]'''('''UDL''') is the new DL system Roll20 have been working on to develop as a replacement for LDL, and it was first made available in May 2020, and as of Feb 2021, still have some unresolved issues.
  
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* '''[[Updated_Dynamic_Lighting#Explorer_Mode|Explorer Mode]]''' is UDL's equivalent to [[AFoW]]
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* '''{{Darkness}}''' is a tool that can be used to manually reveal or hide visible areas while using UDL. [[Fog of War]] is the free version of this tool, which is compatible with [[LDL]]
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* '''[[Convert Lighting|Convert Lighting Tool]]''' - for one-way converting Lighting settings & tokens in a game from [[LDL]] to [[UDL]]. Recommended to be used on a copy of your campaign, as you can't change things back with a single click.
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<br>
  
== The Dynamic Lighting Layer ==
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==General Info==
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On both [[Tokens]] and the [[Page Toolbar]], the setting for LDL and UDL are on separate pages, as not to confuse people.
  
[[File:DL_Layer.jpg|thumb|left]]
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With '''Update 1.0''', they also emphasized that ''"We will still support Legacy Lighting for a while, but we feel it’s only fair to let you know that'' '''we will be deprecating our support for the Legacy system sometime in the future'''. ''"'' No timeline for phased out [[LDL]] was announced.
  
In addition to the Map &amp; Background Layer, the Object &amp; Token Layer and the GM Overlay Layer is the Dynamic Lighting Layer. This fourth layer’s purpose is for laying down lines and shapes that will serve as walls and/or obstacles that will block out light or line of sight.
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Roll20 have said that we will get '''at least''' three months' notice before [[LDL]] is removed.<sup>[https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/9713101/]</sup>
  
<div style="clear: both; height: 10px;"></div>
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===API===
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{{pro only}}
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Some [[API]], such as [[TokenMod]], support both LDL and UDL. There are still some UDL settings that API cant currently access.
  
== How to Activate Dynamic Lighting ==
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Check '''[[API:Script_Index#Dynamic_Lighting]]''' for list of some API that focuses on DL.
[[File:Pagesettingslighting.png|thumbnail|Dynamic Lighting & Fog of War checkboxes under Page Settings.]]
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Open up your [[Page Settings]] and check the checkbox to activate Dynamic Lighting for that page. The first option Enables the dynamic lighting and the other options add functionality to the dynamic lighting system. ''You can use [[Fog of War]] in combination with Dynamic Lighting, but one is not dependent on the other to function.''
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If you or your players suffer from sluggish dynamic lighting render results you might want to consider checking the option '''Only Update on Drop'''. What this option does when checked is that the tabletop only redraws the dynamic lighting ''after'' a token has been picked up and placed elsewhere on the map. This can lessen the render burden for users running on old computers or when a GM is working with a very large or complex map.
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A number of API automatically detect which DL is used, and acts accordingly.
 
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<br>
== How to Add Light Obstructions ==
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[[Category:Dynamic Lighting]]
 
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[[File:DL_Walls.jpg|thumb|left|Using bright colors can help in setting up your light boundaries, the boundry lines are only visible on the dynamic lighting layer.]]
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While on the Dynamic Lighting Layer, you can use all of the drawing tools available to create lines and shapes to draw walls, columns, doors, etc (except the freehand tool). You can also utilize color to help differentiate different types of light obstructions (ex. lime green for stationary dungeon walls and bright red for doors).
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Use the drawing tools to draw outlines of all the walls and other pieces of the map that you want to block light. We suggest using the [[Drawing_Tools#Polygon.2FLine_Tool|Polygon Tool]] for best results. Due to the performance hit associated with using it, the [[Drawing Tools#Freehand and Shapes Tools|Freehand Tool]] is disabled while you are on the Dynamic Lighting layer.
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Remember that any drawings or tokens added to the dynamic lighting layer are invisible whenever the dynamic lighting layer is not selected. You can use this fact to put overhead or other 'invisible' lighting sources on a map by placing light emitting tokens onto the Dynamic Lighting layer.
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'''Note:''' Presently, circles drawn with the Circle Tool do not render light blocking correctly. Instead of using circles, create a rounded shape with the Polygon Tool.
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If you plan to block out a multi-room/complex map, it's recommended that you build the light blocking with smaller individual lines. This makes it easier to select and move around the shapes you add to the layer.
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<div style="clear: both; height: 10px;"></div>
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== Adding Light ==
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[[ File:Tokensettinglighting.png|thumbnail|right]]
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Now that you have your obstacles drawn out on the Dynamic Lighting Layer, you have to add light to your Page. Light is emitted via tokens. Create a token and place it on the map.
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Double click on the token and select the '''Advanced''' tab.  There you will find the option '''Emits Light'''. This option allows you to enter a light radius amount and gives you a checkbox for '''All Players See Light'''. When the checkbox is left unchecked, the only player(s) who can see that token’s light emission are those who have assigned permission to that token.
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By default, the light will start to "dim" about 5 feet (or units) before the selected maximum radius.  This effect can be modified by using the optional "Start of Dim" value in the "Advanced" tab.  To make the dimmed area larger, set the "start of dim" value to be much smaller than the radius (e.g., 20/5).  To make the edge of the light a "hard" transition, make the "start of dim" value larger than the light radius value (e.g., 20/30).
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Hold down the alt key while moving the token to prevent it from snapping to the grid.
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[[Category:Docs]]
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== Line of Sight ==
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Line of Sight restricts players to only see lights that are within the appropriate field of vision for the tokens that they control.  This means that a light on the other side of a wall won’t be visible to a player until they’re in that room, even if it’s a light that’s visible to all players. The image below shows the difference between a dungeon without line of sight, and then with line of sight enabled:
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[[File:Lineofsight.gif]]
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To enable line of sight you will need the "Line of Sight" Checkbox on the Page Settings checked, as well as having one or more tokens that the player controls have "Has Sight" checked otherwise your players won't see anything but darkness.
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GMs can also highlight a token and press Ctrl+L (Cmd+L on Macs) to view the scene restricted to the line of sight of the selected token.
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In addition to the line of sight feature, you can now customize the “angle” of lights and the line of sight of tokens. So you can specify, for example, that a player should only have a 140-degree field of view instead of the default 360-degrees.  To do so, use the "Angle" setting on the Token Settings screen to change the angle of the light emitted or the angle of the line of sight for the token.
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The token's vision can be further customized using the multiplier feature. The multiplier affects how far the token can see from existing light sources. This is a good way to simulate a character who has the ability to see further than normal in low light situations or has an alternate form of vision that might allow them to navigate in the dark. For example, someone who can see twice as far in low light would have a multiplier of two.
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== Restrict Movement ==
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[[File:restrictplayermovement.gif|right]]
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The "Restrict Movement" checkbox enforces that player controlled tokens, that also have the "Has Sight" box checked, cannot cross over Dynamic Lighting Obstructions. This ensures that players don't move outside the intended map area and accidentally reveal parts of the map their tokens could otherwise see. It can also be used without Dynamic Lighting checked as a way of restricting parts of the map from player token movement.
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== Global Illumination ==
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With "Global Illumination" checked along with "Enforce Line of Sight" the map is blanketed in light, with the only restriction to vision being Dynamic Lighting Obstructions. This options simulates daytime, outdoor, or brightly lit environments where the only limits to range of vision are physical obstacles.
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Revision as of 15:24, 19 February 2021

Roll20 currently have two Dynamic Lighting systems, which are not interchangeable.

Contents

Legacy Dynamic Lighting

Legacy Dynamic Lighting(LDL) is the original system, previous refereed to as just "Dynamic Lighting", and is what people talk about in any guides or videos made before April 2020. It will eventually be removed when UDL is good enough.


Roll20 have announced that LDL will be retired on May 18th 2021. More info: LDL retiring - What you need to know(Blog)

Updated Dynamic Lighting

Updated Dynamic Lighting(UDL) is the new DL system Roll20 have been working on to develop as a replacement for LDL, and it was first made available in May 2020, and as of Feb 2021, still have some unresolved issues.

  • Explorer Mode is UDL's equivalent to AFoW
  • Udl-hide-icon.jpg Darkness Tool is a tool that can be used to manually reveal or hide visible areas while using UDL. Fog of War is the free version of this tool, which is compatible with LDL
  • Convert Lighting Tool - for one-way converting Lighting settings & tokens in a game from LDL to UDL. Recommended to be used on a copy of your campaign, as you can't change things back with a single click.


General Info

On both Tokens and the Page Toolbar, the setting for LDL and UDL are on separate pages, as not to confuse people.

With Update 1.0, they also emphasized that "We will still support Legacy Lighting for a while, but we feel it’s only fair to let you know that we will be deprecating our support for the Legacy system sometime in the future. " No timeline for phased out LDL was announced.

Roll20 have said that we will get at least three months' notice before LDL is removed.[1]

API

Some API, such as TokenMod, support both LDL and UDL. There are still some UDL settings that API cant currently access.

Check API:Script_Index#Dynamic_Lighting for list of some API that focuses on DL.

A number of API automatically detect which DL is used, and acts accordingly.