proper setup for a clay render?

[wannabeArtist]

Hi!

Are there any real rules to set up a clay render? I mean materials and lights, mainly?

I tried to do this on my own, but it's not quite working yet. I actually did this one with mental ray's physical sun, but I know I should probably use spotlights instead, right? - I just don't know where should I place them?
The material is just a lambert with no reflectivity at all - also my best guess

[origin]

most 'clay' renders Ive seen use only diffused light... Skylight + ambient occlusion for example. Or big arealights (very soft shadows)

[wannabeArtist]

Thanks for the reply!

What exactly is diffused light, same as indirect light?
You still need to have some direct light or an image for environment, or you'll get just a dark frame, right?

[origin]

by diffused I meant effect that won't produce any sharp shadows

just plug color attribute into environment (= skylight)
in your material do: phong->bright slot of ambient occlusion shader->surface
and activate FG