---
title: "VRayLightSelect"
canonical: "https://documentation.chaos.com/space/VMAX/113587178/VRayLightSelect"
format: markdown
---
This page gives information on the Light Select Render Element.


## <span style="color: #000000">**Overview**</span>

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## <span style="color: #000000">**Parameters**</span>

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## **Common Use: Changing Lighting in Composite**

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For this example, the [Dome Light](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575431) is assigned two VRayLightSelect render elements: The first element's **Mode** is set to **Direct diffuse**, and the second element's **Mode** is set to **Direct specular**. This gives a finer degree of control to allow separate tuning of the light's diffuse and specular contributions. In addition, the light is rendered with a third VRayLightSelect element with the **Mode** set to **Full**.


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### Example: Compositing

VRayLightSelect is useful for editing the lights in a scene using a compositing or editing program. See the Beauty element before and after compositing.

## **Compositing Equation**

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The following diagram shows the compositing formula to recreate all the scene's Lighting from light sources when each light in the scene is accounted for in exactly one VRayLightSelect render element in **Direct** diffuse mode.



The diagram above illustrates that the sum of all VRayLightSelect Render Element set to ** ****[Direct diffuse](#Mode)**** **mode represents the [VRayLighting](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575321) render element which can be used in the [Back to Beauty](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575287) composite. For the above equation to work correctly, all enabled lights need to be accounted exactly once in the VRayLightSelect render elements. This happens with either specifying each light in a separate element, or combining them in a practical manner in several elements and avoiding repetitions.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to ** ****[Direct diffuse](#Mode)**** **mode, the sum of all lights' output composes the [VRayLighting](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575321) render element. It must be noted that **VRayAlSurfaceMtl** with sss_mix value other than the default 0, doesn't fit this equation.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to ** ****[Direct raw](#Mode)**** **mode, the sum of all lights' output composes the [VRayRawLighting](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575317) render element. This is only true when GI is disabled and there are no dome lights in use.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to **[Direct specular](#Mode)**** **mode, the sum of all lights' output composes the [VRaySpecular](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575325) render element.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to **[Direct illumination](#Mode)** mode, the sum of all lights' output replaces the sum of [VRayLighting](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575321) and [VRaySpecular](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575325) render elements in the [Back to Beauty](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575287) composite.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to **[Full](#Mode)**** **mode, the sum of all lights' output composes the [Beauty](https://docs-chaos.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/VMAX/pages/113575287) pass. This is only true when the environment is black and no environment override is used. Caustics are not included in the calculation of VRayLightSelect Render Element.

When the VRayLightSelect render element is set to **[Indirect](#Mode)** mode, its output equals the sum of VRayLightSelect render element set to [Indirect diffuse](#Mode) mode and VRayLightSelect set to [Indirect specular](#Mode) mode.


## **Notes**

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- If the VRayLightSelect element **Mode** is set to **Direct illumination**, the specular contribution is added to the render element. While this is perfect for simple compositing, a better workflow is for each light to be selected for two VRayLightSelect Render Elements, one with its **Mode** set to **Direct diffuse** and another with its **Mode** set to **Direct specular**. In this way, the specular and diffuse lighting can both be controlled independently at a composite level.
- There is no VRayAmbientLight contribution in the output of VRayLightSelect render element in **Raw**, **Specular** and **Diffuse** modes.
- Irradiance map GI engine does not work with the VRayLightSelect render element in **Full** mode.