# Unwanted shadow above dynamic light, also shadows vanishing when far away **URL:** \ **Category:** Rendering\ **Tags:** dynamic-lighting, dynamic-shadows, unreal-engine, question\ **Created:** [June 20, 2020, 7:57am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016 "2020-06-20T07:57:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 7:57am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/1 "2020-06-20T07:57:14Z")
I made a gif small enough to post here, and will provide a decent photo. I am thinking both of these will be fixed with one setting, but I cannot figure out what setting would cause/correct this. Please help, many thanks. ![304940-2020-06-19-23-45-032.gif](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/b/5/2/b5248fd2685d43ff156afcef2d6314b3dfa24cc4.gif) ![304939-capture.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/4/1/0/410de02833cc8215d08a301c6b528f9f0fcc6324.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ClockworkOcean](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/clockworkocean/32/1169999_2.png) [@ClockworkOcean](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/ClockworkOcean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 10:02am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/2 "2020-06-20T10:02:09Z")
I’ve knocked up a rough replica of this and can’t get it to happen. Is it just a point light with default settings? ---
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 10:51am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/3 "2020-06-20T10:51:17Z")
Thanks for attempting, its a blueprint of a particle system that I got from one of the free packages. I added two meshes to it (I lowered them by 10 since I suspected it could be blocking the light), and it has a pointlight on it. Also, ‘cast shadow’ on the particle system is off. I should have provided this information earlier, here is two screens with the pointlight settings: ![304949-capture.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/7/d/8/7d83437ab7391644b9a1e6bf4b95767f51bb8f55.jpeg) ![304963-capture2.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/7/e/f/7ef56a05594489165c2a4f01e66e8a5a45c9dfcf.jpeg) ![304964-capture3.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/a/6/5/a65b37313e663f61d37cae4b99e1ae8781ddb624.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ClockworkOcean](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/clockworkocean/32/1169999_2.png) [@ClockworkOcean](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/ClockworkOcean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 10:55am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/4 "2020-06-20T10:55:34Z")
I’m assuming you’ve tried turning off ‘cast shadow’? ---
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 11:14am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/5 "2020-06-20T11:14:49Z")
Oh, you responded quickly, before I edited my comment. Yes, cast shadow is off on the particle system ---
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 11:21am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/6 "2020-06-20T11:21:06Z")
I tried moving the candle around a little, and the shadow only shows from the distance I am standing in the second image which also has it raised a little higher so the shadow seems to only be in a short radius, if I walk closer it starts shrinking until vanishing from view rather quickly: ![304968-capture.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/9/f/7/9f7a2e9e531eed3d1a6b64bd21456c511962460b.jpeg) ![304969-capture1.jpg](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/7/8/4/7846f1b778b1f55189870ce9012bc8bea27d9ac4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ClockworkOcean](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/clockworkocean/32/1169999_2.png) [@ClockworkOcean](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/ClockworkOcean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 11:29am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/7 "2020-06-20T11:29:52Z")
Yes, that’s the problem, you will get a shadow from the meshes you put in. I mean have you turned off ‘cast shadow’ on the point light? ---
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 11:46am UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/8 "2020-06-20T11:46:15Z")
cast shadow on the light is on. I do want dynamic shadows, I do not want this mysterious shadow coming from above the candle though. Also I do not want the strange vanishing of the bottom shadow when I step further away ---
**Author:** ![McPhearson](https://d3kjluh73b9h9o.cloudfront.net/original/4X/2/8/5/28502927f1d97ba1051b3b47ccfe17233bf41ef0.png) [@McPhearson](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/McPhearson)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 12:04pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/9 "2020-06-20T12:04:43Z")
By golly I think I found it. Under Distance Field Shadows\< Ray Start Offset Depth Scale. I changed that from .1 to 0. ClockworkOcean thank you for your time ---
**Author:** ![ClockworkOcean](https://d1ap1mz92jnks1.cloudfront.net/user_avatar/forums.unrealengine.com/clockworkocean/32/1169999_2.png) [@ClockworkOcean](https://forums.unrealengine.com/u/ClockworkOcean)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2020, 12:08pm UTC](https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/unwanted-shadow-above-dynamic-light-also-shadows-vanishing-when-far-away/467016/10 "2020-06-20T12:08:17Z")
Excellent!