Area Lights & Shadow Maps

[eetu]

Hi all!

I've tried looking in the docs and I'm still a bit perplexed about area lights with shadow maps.

What does it actually mean if I select 'shadow map' as the shadow type for an area light?

Does it create an "area samples" number of spotlights with a shadow map for each?

Does it light the surfaces as if there were "area samples" number of lights, but only

calculates one shadowmap from the center of the light?

Does it just raytrace the shadows even is shadow map is selected?

Does it do something Fancy and Smart, an actual area shadow map of some sort?

Something else?

I guess I could figure most of this out by just testing, but it would be nice to know

the accurate answer, if someone has it.

eetu.

[symek]

I can be wrong but shadow maps in Area Lights case are treated as a shadow from a ordinary point light effectively. Area lights has no meaning for shadow maps as such. "Area" is ignored. Stays light.