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Is there a standard comparison for light power / values in Blender Cycles?

What I mean is that under a certain value lights tend to have a weak effect, but over a certain threshold the interplay of lights can be volatile and compete.

Its not for my lack of knowledge in lighting that I usually struggle with light power in Blender, but simply I lack a comparison to it's real-world representation?

Example:

Maybe by necessity I might crank up a light over 100 (and yet, embarrassingly enough the light-object itself is already quite huge) and in doing so other lights are competed with.

Maybe it's real world comparison would cook anyone in the room due to the shear heat...

Perception problem...

Its this lack of relative value in blender, as it reflects reality that I often stumble on lighting. This is where I need help.

Maybe I have a mental defect and this problem is unique to me. But if not, the question is:

How am I to understand the scale of blender lighting values as it compares to real-world use?

Pipsqweek
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  • are you talking about the light objects, or just a mesh with a emission material? – David Jul 02 '16 at 02:28
  • Generally mesh with emission material - I use this because I assume its more "real world" but I'm sure the issue exists in both areas. – Pipsqweek Jul 02 '16 at 02:39
  • It seems light intensity in Cycles is controlled by irradiance measured in Lux. according to this answer http://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/45209/what-kind-of-units-does-the-cycles-emission-strength-use see if this helps – Duarte Farrajota Ramos Jul 02 '16 at 03:29
  • That is a great comment you linked to that helps explain the mechanics a bit. For guys like me who might want to simulate a lightbulb or maybe a sunlit window, how can we know which values correspond to which real-life states? By knowing this its possible to create a more realistic scene that doesn't involve tons of post-work. – Pipsqweek Jul 02 '16 at 04:29

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