Very realistic sun studies for architects

For anyone working with architecture or for those who just want a better and more realistic sun work flow, check this out:
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interaction/Sun_Position
Its awesome…!
Thanks Xair!

2 Likes

Thanks for the heads-up, looks interesting.

Hey, that’s really useful. Thanks for the pointer.

I wonder if it could be ported to BGE when BGE Harmony branch gets finished. In a limited form of course.

awesome!!! :slight_smile:

Breathtaking! Just what I needed. Kudos and thanks!

Speechless…I waited so long for this feature…amazing!

Very nice feature. Sorry I haven’t had to for an in depth read… Still great find

Good…

Oh wow ! this will shine when cycles is better optimized for interior lighting !
Then it’ll be a breeze to make light studies !

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Ex…n/Sun_Position

gone through the site and found it really excited and wonderful feature one can find out…superb!!!

congrats for this very nice addon

Looks like a very nice implementation and will be very useful with cycles. Many thanks to Xaire.

Nice. In my opinion, it would be much more logical and better to have the Sun panel direct in the Properties panel (below the world settings) and not in the Object Properties.

I second that !

I Third that.

Let me put here the author’s response from Blender Wiki.

Regarding moving the sun position widget to the world settings:

First, thanks for the comments and I hope the widget proves useful or at least interesting.

Now, I had considered placing the panel in the world settings but settled on the properties shelf of the viewport for a number of reasons but mainly for the fact that other items in that panel update the viewport in real-time as they move objects or draw lines. This is what the sun widget does. (Logical demonstrations using syllogism are provided further on.)

However, this doesn’t mean to say that the widget can’t be added under the world settings. We need to consider whether it is as logical as it seems and whether there are drawbacks. I’ve made a version to work in the world settings but have difficulties with the openGL event handler needed for drawing the compass needle. The properties shelf of the viewport and the viewport itself are integrated in a way that makes using the event handlers easy. When trying to do so from a panel foreign to the viewport, special coding is required for the openGL events.

With this working version I’ve tested the workflow in the world settings as compared to using the properties shelf in the viewport. The Properties panel with the world settings is to the far right in all my default screens. The first thing I noticed was slider limitation. Being near the edge, the cursor brings the slider action to an end as soon as it hits the edge of the screen. So it is difficult to get a full swing of smooth action for observing objects with the slider. Doing ecliptic studies, I use spheres and will use colors based on time of year. So flipping back and forth between materials and world settings is a drawback. For myself, I would prefer leaving the panel as part of the viewport, but as programs have preferences because user needs vary, I aim to add an option for moving the panel to the world settings or back again. When I figure out the event handler issue, I’ll make it available. As the script has been marked for the contributor’s repository, The Powers That Be may eventually decide to limit the widget to one panel or the other — it is up to them.

Regarding the logic of why the widget is currently in the properties shelf:

In determining where the widget was to be placed, I used the criteria of functionality. First and foremost it moves objects on the screen. These could be spheres, ants, monkey heads or any and every object in your scene. It is actually a nice tool for evenly distributing objects in arcs or circles. Now, logical demonstration by way of valid syllogisms can also be used to test for location as in the following:

No item in the world settings moves objects.
The sun widget moves objects.
Therefore, the sun widget is not in the world settings.

No item in the world settings updates the viewport.
The sun widget updates the viewport.
Therefore, the sun widget is not in the world settings.

All items in the world settings control the degree of light, color, shade or ambience of the scene environment.
The sun widget provides no control of degree of light, color, shade, or ambience of the scene environment.
Therefore, the sun widget is not in the world settings.

Many items in the properties shelf of the viewport move objects or draw lines in real-time in the viewport.
The sun widget moves objects and draws lines in the viewport in real-time.
Therefore, the sun widget could be in the properties shelf of the viewport.

A new version of the widget will be released in a few days. It is mainly to add functionality for study purposes. It allows for showing or hiding sun refraction as well as being able toggle back and forth using a day-of-year slider as opposed to month/day. Additionally, if you are viewing the analemma, the objects will move in a direction based on day. After this, I’ll take a look at releasing a version which allows itself to be moved between panels. —X:)

Great news! Now I can trust blender to design my own earthship! :smiley:

I’m having problem with this script.
If I add keyframes on the “Time” field, and press ALT+A, everything renders fine in the viewport.

But, if I hit “Animation” to render the animation to disk, all other animation proceeds as normal, but the Time field does not step through unless there is GUI activity “forcing” the field to update.

Otherwise, the “Time” field remains at it’s initial keyed value and the sun does not move.

Again, if I run the mouse over the Blender GUI (anywhere that causes the GUI to switch focus, not just the add-on’s panel), the “Time” attribute will update. If I render unattended, “Time” stays unchanged.

Any help?

Blender 2.62 official release, Cycles renderer.

Yeah, looks great: I’ld like to “Say Thankyou”, too. :wink: Very useful and well done.