A new, OpenGL-based Sun Shadow rendering window provides you with sun angle and shadow data based on date, time, and location. A three-dimensional representation of the path of the sun across the sky from sunrise to sunset can also be displayed around your model for illustrative purposes. You can save individual views out to various image formats or combine them into a time-lapse animation. Click the “Display model in Sun Shader” button on the “Rendering” toolbar, or choose “Sun Shader” from the “View” pull-down menu to open the Sun Shadow rendering window.
Navigation
Positioning your model in the Sun Shader window is similar to using the o2c-based 3D Object Viewer. Click your left mouse button and drag the mouse to spin the model around. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse or click and hold the right mouse button to zoom in and out. Pressing [Shift] + [Left button] will pan the model.
Options dialog
The Options dialog, accessed via the “Sun Shader Options” toolbar icon or the “File” pull-down menu, contains the configuration settings for the Sun Shader.
Shadow Study section
The Shadow Study section of the Options dialog contains settings that define the location of the model, and the relative position of the Sun.
Location tab
The Shadow Study Settings section contains tabs that enable you to select the location of your site, the date and time or range of time, and adjust the properties of the shadows that are cast.
On the "Location" tab, select a Country from the drop-down list and then select a City. If the city you wish to use is not shown, click the globe icon to the right of the "Country" drop-down to access the "Manage Locations" dialog. In "Manage Locations," click the [+] icon to add a new location. Choose a country from the "Location" drop-down, or just type a name. Choose the City from the drop-down to the right of the Country, or just type a name. You may then proceed with defining the longitude and latitude of the location.
Longitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Prime Meridian to 180° Eastward (+) and 180° Westward (-). Each degree of longitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which divided into 60 seconds. Latitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles, with North being (+) and South being (-). Each degree of latitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which divided into 60 seconds. Longitude and latitude of locations around the world are available on the Internet. Decimal expressions of longitude and latitude are not currently supported, so if the information you find is noted in decimal form, you will need to convert it to degrees, minutes and seconds.
Date and Time tab
In the "Date" field, click the drop-down menu to select a specific date from the list. You can click the Calendar icon to the right of this field to set the value to today's date, based on your Windows system settings. Select the radio button marked "Specific Time" to set the exact time of day for the shadow, or click the clock icon to use the current time. Alternatively, you can select the radio button marked "Frequency" to play an animation which shows the path of the shadows from sunrise to sunset at the selected time frequency. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, click the check box and define the value in hours.
Shadows tab
You can define the "Minimum altitude to cast shadows" by entering a value into the field. The default is 5. When the Sun position is lower than the defined altitude, shadows are not cast on the model. Check the box next to "Display Sun trajectory" to include lines which show the position of the Sun relative to the model. If a specific time is selected on the "Date and Time" tab, the line represents the Sun trajectory at the selected time. If a frequency is selected, there are three lines which show Sunrise, Solar Noon, and Sunset. When “Cast Shadows” is checked, you are working in Shadow Study mode, and shadows will be displayed in the model.
The "Rendering" section enables you to define a color for the "Shadow tine" by clicking the color selection button. Alternatively, you can pick "Shadow contrast" and use the slider bar to define the level of contrast to use when displaying the shadows.
Lighting section
The "Sunlight" must be enabled in order to display shadows in your model. This light is positioned based on the real-world position of the sun relative to the location that you define on the "Shadow Study" section of the Sun Shader Options dialog. It produces shadows that correspond to the real shadows you would see on the site. Set the intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default value is 80.
The "Key Light" does not cast shadows, but may be used to illuminate the dark side of the model while using the Sunlight to show the path of shadows. Use the radio buttons around the globe icon to define the position of the Key Light relative to the model. Set the intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default value is 80.
"Ambient Light" is used for general illumination of the model. The "Headlight" adds another level of ambient lighting to the model. Set their intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default values are 20.
The "Custom Lights" section adds up to five positional light sources. These correspond to the lights in DataCAD's "Shader" menu. Any changes you make to the settings in this section will affect the same lights in the drawing, and vice versa. In terms of defining the position of these lights, you are limited to setting the X, Y and Z coordinates while working in the Sun Shader, so you may find it easier to set the positions using the options available in DataCAD's Shader menu. Use the "Color" column to set the intensity (white is highest, black is lowest).
Ground Plane section
In the "Ground Plane Settings" section, place a check in the box marked "Display ground plane" to add a polygon which represents the ground plane in the model. If your model does not include a ground plane or other ground surface, this option is necessary in order to have a surface on which to display shadows. Without it, shadows will only display on other portions of the model.
The "Scale" section includes a "Factor" setting which describes the size of the ground plane. The value is a multiple of the extents of the model. The "Elevation" section indicates the position of the ground plane in the model. When "At base of model" is checked, the ground plane is situated at the lowest calculate point of the model extents. When un-checked, you may enter a value into the "Height" field which represents a real-world Z-location of the ground plane.
The "Material" section provides the ability to map a DataCAD rendering material to the ground plane, giving you the option off showing grass, for example. To remove a previously set material, highlight the value in the field and press [Del] on your keyboard to delete the information.
Background section
In the "Background Settings" section, choose the radio button labeled "Background color" to set a solid color for the background. Click the "Set background color" button to the right and the select a color from the palette and click OK. Alternatively, you may choose the "Background image" radio button to define an image for the background. Click the "Set background image" button to the right to select an image from your hard drive. To remove the selected background image, highlight the value in the field below and press [Del] on your keyboard to delete it.
Performance section
In order to speed up the process of positioning your model in the Sun Shader, you can check the option "Display wireframe view of model while navigating (Faster)." If you do not know whether or not your graphics card is capable of displaying the shaded view of the model while navigating, check the option to "Let application decide," and the Sun Shader will automatically switch to the wireframe view when necessary.
Shadow Study Results
After you have configured the location and time for the Shadow Study Settings, you can click the "Shadow Study Results" toolbar icon to review the data. It includes the Altitude and Azimuth of the Sun, and the apparent or true time for Sunrise, Sunset and Solar Noon.
If you have selected the option to show a frequency of shadows, you may click the "Play" toolbar icon to review an animation which shows the path of the Sun and the resultant shadows on the model. You can alternatively click the slider bar to select various times of day, or select a specific time from the drop-down menu, and the Sun Shader will display the Sun position and resultant shadows in your model.
Other toolbar icons enable you to select from pre-defined view projections, including elevations or isometric. Perspective viewing is not yet supported. When Shadow Study mode is enabled, you can render the model with shaded faces or with shaded faces and edges. When Shadow Study mode is disabled, wireframe and hidden line modes are also supported.
Click the "Save Image" icon, or select "Save Image" from the "File" menu to save out an image from the Sun Shader window.
Navigation
Positioning your model in the Sun Shader window is similar to using the o2c-based 3D Object Viewer. Click your left mouse button and drag the mouse to spin the model around. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse or click and hold the right mouse button to zoom in and out. Pressing [Shift] + [Left button] will pan the model.
Options dialog
The Options dialog, accessed via the “Sun Shader Options” toolbar icon or the “File” pull-down menu, contains the configuration settings for the Sun Shader.
Shadow Study section
The Shadow Study section of the Options dialog contains settings that define the location of the model, and the relative position of the Sun.
Location tab
The Shadow Study Settings section contains tabs that enable you to select the location of your site, the date and time or range of time, and adjust the properties of the shadows that are cast.
On the "Location" tab, select a Country from the drop-down list and then select a City. If the city you wish to use is not shown, click the globe icon to the right of the "Country" drop-down to access the "Manage Locations" dialog. In "Manage Locations," click the [+] icon to add a new location. Choose a country from the "Location" drop-down, or just type a name. Choose the City from the drop-down to the right of the Country, or just type a name. You may then proceed with defining the longitude and latitude of the location.
Longitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Prime Meridian to 180° Eastward (+) and 180° Westward (-). Each degree of longitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which divided into 60 seconds. Latitude is an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles, with North being (+) and South being (-). Each degree of latitude is sub-divided into 60 minutes, each of which divided into 60 seconds. Longitude and latitude of locations around the world are available on the Internet. Decimal expressions of longitude and latitude are not currently supported, so if the information you find is noted in decimal form, you will need to convert it to degrees, minutes and seconds.
Date and Time tab
In the "Date" field, click the drop-down menu to select a specific date from the list. You can click the Calendar icon to the right of this field to set the value to today's date, based on your Windows system settings. Select the radio button marked "Specific Time" to set the exact time of day for the shadow, or click the clock icon to use the current time. Alternatively, you can select the radio button marked "Frequency" to play an animation which shows the path of the shadows from sunrise to sunset at the selected time frequency. If Daylight Saving Time is in effect, click the check box and define the value in hours.
Shadows tab
You can define the "Minimum altitude to cast shadows" by entering a value into the field. The default is 5. When the Sun position is lower than the defined altitude, shadows are not cast on the model. Check the box next to "Display Sun trajectory" to include lines which show the position of the Sun relative to the model. If a specific time is selected on the "Date and Time" tab, the line represents the Sun trajectory at the selected time. If a frequency is selected, there are three lines which show Sunrise, Solar Noon, and Sunset. When “Cast Shadows” is checked, you are working in Shadow Study mode, and shadows will be displayed in the model.
The "Rendering" section enables you to define a color for the "Shadow tine" by clicking the color selection button. Alternatively, you can pick "Shadow contrast" and use the slider bar to define the level of contrast to use when displaying the shadows.
Lighting section
The "Sunlight" must be enabled in order to display shadows in your model. This light is positioned based on the real-world position of the sun relative to the location that you define on the "Shadow Study" section of the Sun Shader Options dialog. It produces shadows that correspond to the real shadows you would see on the site. Set the intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default value is 80.
The "Key Light" does not cast shadows, but may be used to illuminate the dark side of the model while using the Sunlight to show the path of shadows. Use the radio buttons around the globe icon to define the position of the Key Light relative to the model. Set the intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default value is 80.
"Ambient Light" is used for general illumination of the model. The "Headlight" adds another level of ambient lighting to the model. Set their intensity using the slider bar or the input field. The default values are 20.
The "Custom Lights" section adds up to five positional light sources. These correspond to the lights in DataCAD's "Shader" menu. Any changes you make to the settings in this section will affect the same lights in the drawing, and vice versa. In terms of defining the position of these lights, you are limited to setting the X, Y and Z coordinates while working in the Sun Shader, so you may find it easier to set the positions using the options available in DataCAD's Shader menu. Use the "Color" column to set the intensity (white is highest, black is lowest).
Ground Plane section
In the "Ground Plane Settings" section, place a check in the box marked "Display ground plane" to add a polygon which represents the ground plane in the model. If your model does not include a ground plane or other ground surface, this option is necessary in order to have a surface on which to display shadows. Without it, shadows will only display on other portions of the model.
The "Scale" section includes a "Factor" setting which describes the size of the ground plane. The value is a multiple of the extents of the model. The "Elevation" section indicates the position of the ground plane in the model. When "At base of model" is checked, the ground plane is situated at the lowest calculate point of the model extents. When un-checked, you may enter a value into the "Height" field which represents a real-world Z-location of the ground plane.
The "Material" section provides the ability to map a DataCAD rendering material to the ground plane, giving you the option off showing grass, for example. To remove a previously set material, highlight the value in the field and press [Del] on your keyboard to delete the information.
Background section
In the "Background Settings" section, choose the radio button labeled "Background color" to set a solid color for the background. Click the "Set background color" button to the right and the select a color from the palette and click OK. Alternatively, you may choose the "Background image" radio button to define an image for the background. Click the "Set background image" button to the right to select an image from your hard drive. To remove the selected background image, highlight the value in the field below and press [Del] on your keyboard to delete it.
Performance section
In order to speed up the process of positioning your model in the Sun Shader, you can check the option "Display wireframe view of model while navigating (Faster)." If you do not know whether or not your graphics card is capable of displaying the shaded view of the model while navigating, check the option to "Let application decide," and the Sun Shader will automatically switch to the wireframe view when necessary.
Shadow Study Results
After you have configured the location and time for the Shadow Study Settings, you can click the "Shadow Study Results" toolbar icon to review the data. It includes the Altitude and Azimuth of the Sun, and the apparent or true time for Sunrise, Sunset and Solar Noon.
If you have selected the option to show a frequency of shadows, you may click the "Play" toolbar icon to review an animation which shows the path of the Sun and the resultant shadows on the model. You can alternatively click the slider bar to select various times of day, or select a specific time from the drop-down menu, and the Sun Shader will display the Sun position and resultant shadows in your model.
Other toolbar icons enable you to select from pre-defined view projections, including elevations or isometric. Perspective viewing is not yet supported. When Shadow Study mode is enabled, you can render the model with shaded faces or with shaded faces and edges. When Shadow Study mode is disabled, wireframe and hidden line modes are also supported.
Click the "Save Image" icon, or select "Save Image" from the "File" menu to save out an image from the Sun Shader window.
Mark Toce
DATACAD LLC
Sales: 1-800-394-2231 | info@datacad.com
Support: 860-217-0567 | techsupport@datacad.com
DATACAD LLC
Sales: 1-800-394-2231 | info@datacad.com
Support: 860-217-0567 | techsupport@datacad.com
