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Introduction
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Blender comes equipped with five different lamp types,
each with its own unique strengths and limitations.

.. figure:: /images/render_blender-render_lighting_lamps_introduction_visual.png

   Visual height and shadow markers of two points lamps. Ray Shadow is enabled on the left lamp.

You can add new lamps to a scene using the *Add* menu in the header, or
with :menuselection:`Add --> Lamp`, :kbd:`Shift-A`.

Once added, a lamp's position is indicated in the 3D View by a solid dot in a circle, but most
types also feature dashed wireframes that help describe their orientation and properties.
While each type is represented differently,
there are some visual indicators common to all of them:

Shadows
   If shadows are enabled, an additional dashed circle is drawn around the solid circle.
   This makes it easier to quickly determine if a lamp has shadows enabled.
Vertical Height Marker
   This is a dim gray line, which helps locate the lamp's position relative to the global XY plane.