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Glow[col]

is a graphics directive which specifies that surfaces of 3D graphics objects that follow are to be taken to glow with color col.

Glow[]

specifies that there is no glow.

Details
Details and Options Details and Options
Examples  
Basic Examples  
Scope  
Applications  
Possible Issues  
See Also
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Glow

Glow[col]

is a graphics directive which specifies that surfaces of 3D graphics objects that follow are to be taken to glow with color col.

Glow[]

specifies that there is no glow.

Details

  • Glow is added to diffuse and specular reflection components to determine the final rendered color of a surface.
  • Glow is a color component independent of simulated illumination.
  • Glow[] is equivalent to Glow[Black].
  • A surface can be specified as having an absolute color col by giving the combination of directives Glow[col], Black, and Specularity[0].

Examples

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Basic Examples  (1)

Cylinder that glows red but has a black surface that reflects no light:

Wolfram Language code: Graphics3D[{Glow[Red], Black, Cylinder[]}]

Scope  (2)

Glow gives an overall surface color that is independent of any Lighting:

Wolfram Language code: Table[Graphics3D[{Black, Glow[Blue], Sphere[]}, Lighting -> {{"Point", c, {0, 0, 3}}}], {c, {White, Yellow, Green}}]

Other surface colors still interact with lighting even if Glow is given:

Wolfram Language code: Graphics3D[{Glow[Red], White, Sphere[]}]

Applications  (2)

Use a pure color function with no lighting interaction:

Wolfram Language code: Plot3D[Sin[x + y ^ 2], {x, -3, 3}, {y, -2, 2}, ColorFunction -> Function[{x, y, z}, Glow[RGBColor[z, 1 - z, 0]]]]

Use a color function based on the phase of a complex function:

Wolfram Language code: Plot3D[Abs[Zeta[σ + I ω]], {σ, -2, 2}, {ω, 0, 40}, ColorFunction -> Function[{σ, ω, z}, Glow[Hue[Rescale[Arg[Zeta[σ + I ω]], {-Pi, Pi}, {0, 1}]]]], ColorFunctionScaling -> False]//Quiet

Possible Issues  (1)

With Glow, objects can look flat if edges are not drawn:

Wolfram Language code: {Graphics3D[{Glow[Blue], Black, EdgeForm[], Cuboid[]}, Boxed -> False], Graphics3D[{Glow[Green], Black, EdgeForm[], Cylinder[]}, Boxed -> False]}
Wolfram Language code: {Graphics3D[{Glow[Blue], Black, Cuboid[]}, Boxed -> False], Graphics3D[{Glow[Green], Black, Cylinder[]}, Boxed -> False]}
Wolfram Research (2007), Glow, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html.

Text

Wolfram Research (2007), Glow, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html.

CMS

Wolfram Language. 2007. "Glow." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html.

APA

Wolfram Language. (2007). Glow. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html

BibTeX

@misc{reference.wolfram_2026_glow, author="Wolfram Research", title="{Glow}", year="2007", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html}", note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}

BibLaTeX

@online{reference.wolfram_2026_glow, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={Glow}, year={2007}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/Glow.html}, note=[Accessed: 13-June-2026]}