Digieffects (http://www.digieffects.com), a developer of visual
effects software plug-ins, has released Falloff Lighting (US$49),
which provides enhanced lighting for After Effects’ built-in lights.
Falloff Lighting is much more like that of the real world where light
naturally decays or “falls off” as surfaces increase distance from
the After Effects light, according to Robert Sharp, president of
Digieffects. With After Effects it doesn’t matter how far away a
layer is from a light, it is still illuminated the same amount by
that light. However, if you use Falloff Lighting, objects will appear
dimmer the further away they are from the lights illuminating them,
Sharp says.
The plug-in displays the distance from the camera to the corners of
the layers. With Falloff Lighting, you can adjust the distance scale
to account for the scale of objects in your scene. You can control
the intensity of light reflecting off an object and the gradual
falloff as the distance from the light increases. All effects are
rendered in 32bpc.
For $229 (a $19 savings) you can get Trapcode Lux and Falloff
Lighting bundled together. Lux is a stylistic aid plug-in that adds
volumetric lighting effects to projects that require realistic
spotlights, point lights, or stage lighting of all kinds.