[Plugin] ShadowProjector

[TIG]

Since 'shadow-projection' is usually relating to 'massing' studies, have you considered making some simple massing blocks [grouped] on their own layer[s], then switch off those layers belonging to the complex parts of the model you no longer need, and then retry shadow-projection ?
Use scene-tabs to help with this...

You must appreciate that if there are many thousands of edges and faces, then there are millions of calculations need to get the potential shadows on each face, these go up exponentially as the amount of geometry increases...
This tool is based on Ruby which is inherently slow.
Faster based C tools would be faster, but you must also notice that SketchUp itself becomes sluggish when you have shadows on and try and navigate around such a ginormous project ?

[architect]

TIG
Can we get this result? A sketchy line hatch parallel to the rays?

shadow (1).pdf

[TIG]

You'd need to apply suitably textured material.
You could edit the shadow-projector's material to have a texture.
Or apply a new material onto the grouped shadow-faces.
You'll also need to rotate its texture's pattern to suit the sun's direction...
If you have a number of regularly used sun-directions - say 2x 45° angles then make 2 materials and use those ?
Here's a quick 'botch-up' material...

[architect]

Thanks to you and all the others who give so freely of your time to help. I'm an "old school" architect/contractor that designs and builds large luxury homes in East Tennessee. Sat in front of a drawing board for years (and years) and only in the last 10 or so have begun to enjoy the amazing technology available these days. Sketchup and Layout have helped immeasurably in consultation with my clients and subcontractors in the field. Again, much thanks to all. . .

[AirWindSolar]

Since 'shadow-projection' is usually relating to 'massing' studies, have you considered making some simple massing blocks [grouped] on their own layer[s], then switch off those layers belonging to the complex parts of the model you no longer need, and then retry shadow-projection

That's essentially the point my buildings are already at; simplified down to less than a couple hundred faces each. Can't go much farther, since the actual buildings are fairly complex in footprint and roofline, which of course both affect the shadows.
If it helps, what I have is basically an apartment complex of 2-3 story buildings, 86 buildings of about 8-10 floorplans in all, with roughly 150 9' tall carports. The client wants to know, based on our typical shading criteria, (no shade at all between 9AM and 4PM local time any day of the year) which carports are good candidates for solar installation. Complicating matters, though the buildings are clustered, no two clusters are alike, and many are so close together that a carport in one cluster can be shaded by a building in an adjacent cluster.
Obviously, even just selecting 150 unconnected faces isn't practical each time, so my usual solution in a situation like this is to create a single face at the relevant level and find shadows over the whole thing. That doesn't work so well when that face is 55 acres. Even trying to do it a few carports at a time sometimes crashes.
This is the first time doing this on something this large and complex. Usually I can just trace out a few simple shadows by hand, but obviously having a tool to do that simplifies things greatly.
What I've been doing with ShadowProjector on simpler, smaller models is the following:

1. Create a plane where I want the shadows if one doesn't already exist, and make it a component for ease of handling later.
2. Select the whole plane.
3. Run ShadowProjector for 0900 12/22.
4. Explode the component SP makes within my component, and fill the shaded area with whatever my "don't use" material is.
5. Selecting only the remaining parts of the face, rerun SP for 1200 12/22
6. Repeat the explode-and-fill, running projections for 1600 12/22, then 1600 6/22 and 0900 6/22, adding in times as needed to get a reasonably accurate shading pattern.
7. Check morning and evening shadows for 3/22 and 9/22, and run more projections if needed

This way, the area of interest gets smaller with each run, and I have a fairly accurate picture of the areas that are never shaded during the best daylight hours.

[AirWindSolar]

OK, consistent splat on this one. I can run Shadowprojector on the two at right for 12/21 09:00 and it works, but either of the left ones, which shouldn't have any shade anyway, will splat.

[TIG]

Of course it shouldn't splat !
But if a face is not receiving any shadows why include it in the process ?

If I process a face in shadow it works, a face in shadow and one NOT works but the un-shaded face gives an error in the Ruby Console [which of course it shouldn't!] - some kind of transformation error...

If I try and process just the un-shaded face on its own I too get a splat.

Some something is clearly adrift...

I'm investigating...

[AirWindSolar]

But if a face is not receiving any shadows why include it in the process ?

Normally I wouldn't in a model this simple, but in something more complex, I tend to just select all the faces of interest on each run. Those faces would be shaded for the 16:00 run, so in a complex model I wouldn't be picking each one individually. I was only checking them one at a time this time because I wanted to narrow the problem down as much as possible to see if there was something goofy with my model first.

[driven]

it's working on my mac...

shad_projector.gif

john

[TIG]

I've worked out the issue.
It IS to do with empty groups - there's an intersection needed but if there is nothing to intersect it was splatting...
With a % text it's NOT empty so no issues !
Now I have it trapped and so far in retesting there's not splatting.
I'm preparing an update.
I'll also get it signed for v2016 full compatibility...

[TIG]

Here's v5.0

Download

Main changes:

• Unshaded face splat trapped.
• Text better placed.
• Signed for v2016 full compatibility.

[AirWindSolar]

I've worked out the issue.
It IS to do with empty groups - there's an intersection needed but if there is nothing to intersect it was splatting...
With a % text it's NOT empty so no issues !
Now I have it trapped and so far in retesting there's not splatting.

That makes perfect sense now; even on the full model, it didn't splat on the first run, but after I'd exploded the shadow lines and marked the shaded areas, the remaining area was split into multiple faces, and apparently some of those were empty.

5.0 is working perfectly on a couple of the smaller sections. I'm tempted to test it on the full model when I have some free time.

[gudlopez]

MUCHAS GRACIAS.....

[Newvector]

Hello Friend.
You made a very good plugin. But I have problems in using it. I get artifacts with a shadow. Can you help me with this problem?
I installed this plugin in 2017

[TIG]

Hello Friend.
You made a very good plugin. But I have problems in using it. I get artifacts with a shadow. Can you help me with this problem?
I installed this plugin in 2017

Please explain these 'artifacts' more fully.
Use a screen-shot or even a small SKP example...

[Newvector]

Hi
I regret the inconvenience. That's my fault. I reduced the value of the variable 've.length' too much. This led to the appearance of artifacts. Now everything is fine, I changed this value to 0.00001.mm
The value chosen by you 0.25mm is not very good, it generates additional points when the scene is exporting.

[ideas_arte]

This tool is incredibly useful... thank you very much TIG!

Do you plan to update it? I'm using it in Sketchup 2018, and it's very slow, even though the geometry is simple. Neither it is able to create the percentages.

Best regards!!!

[wag1]

i just want to leave my thanks
this helped me to get the sketch-up shadow over into autocad
still needed a bit trickery but still a step closer to getting all these programs closer together
keep on tig!

[Einstein]

Great plugin for shadow analysis!

If I may suggest a few improvements:
- ability to project shadows on grouped faces, so if you select a group with faces, shadows are also projected there and you don't have to explode groups,
- applying the projecton wouldn't reset the selection,
- make an automatic text tablel (outside the shadow face) only informing at what time of day a projection was taken.

[Einstein]

I also noticed that the instance ID of a projected shadow-face shows wrong hour (the difference is always 2 hours). As in example below: I projected a shadow at 17:00 and it says 19:00.

[TIG]

Thanks for the report on the time-stamp error.
There was also an error with the % formatting in the newer SketchUps.
Here's v6.0

Download

I've fixed the issue with those incorrect UTC time-stamps, and the error with sprintf %. It's also been re-signed.

Apparently the incorrect time-stamp from the UTC AND ignored DaylightSavings when reported by SketchUp's ShadowInfo have been known for some time. But I've only just learnt of the workaround when extracting the time from the data, which I think now fixes it...

[Einstein]

Wow, you did this faster than I could think :O Thanks, it's fixed!
Are you perhaps going to further develop this plugin? Implementing these three points would be so cool!

[TIG]

Here's v7.0

Download

The original Selection is now kept on completion.
The Time & Date [...@hh:mm-mo-dd] is now added to the Shadow group's name for clarity - so it's easier to find and select in the Outliner.
It has been re-signed.

[Einstein]

Thank you!
Would it make a lot of work to also code projecting shadows onto grouped faces when a group is selected?

[TIG]

Yes, it is much much more difficult - since the group's transformation must be accounted for when deciding the 'hits' etc.
I have already looked at it briefly, but I've decided to do nothing in the immediate future, since I have other more urgent fish-to-fry...

A workaround that avoids exploding a group, is [after processing any faces within the model's context] to edit that group, and then select any faces within it to process.
Any objects outside of the group [in the model's context] should still cast shadows on the face[s], making the Shadow@... group[s] as normal.
You can then Select any Shadow@... groups inside the group's edit [use the Outline if needed] and then use Edit>Cut; immediately exit the group-edit, and use Edit>PasteInPlace to relocate the Shadow@... group[s] into the main model's context onto the surface of the group...

[Einstein]

Sure. Anyways, your plugin is already a game-changer!

[VERSEAU44]

Hi TIG,

I am a beginner under SketchUp

I've tried with the project below to calculate % shadow on EACH window panel

If I understand, I've to degroup then modify group but I've ... Bug Splat

Thanks for help
Laurent

[TIG]

Please explain your requirements more fully.
You have reset the axes, this will not affect the sun direction.
Either rotate the building as needed or ?

If you are trying to calculate the shadows falling on a particular window's glass at a particular time then you need to edit down into the windows entities context and select the glass faces.

BUT, considering the way the windows are built up as components, then I suggest this workaround... draw simple rectangles over the windows and group them, and give that a layer.
Then select that group's face[s] and do the Shadow Projection...

It'll be accurate enough for your purposes ?

The many small shadows created by the slatted handrails might well cause issues with geometry and splats...

Try making a much simpler version, of massing blocks/faces...

[VERSEAU44]

Hi TIG !
Thanks for your help
I need to know how much shadow I have for EACH window panel … so group them seems to me not be the solution.
I do not understand why to draw simple rectangles over the window : is it a tip to group them (it is NOT what I need) ?
I agree with you : the many small shadows created by the slatted handrails might well cause issues with geometry and splats BUT … I'm not the architect and I've to go with them
What do you mean by "Try making massing blocks/faces" ? How to do that ?
Many thanks for your help
Kind regards
Laurent

[VERSEAU44]

Hi TIG !
I'v degroupped objects but the file grows up to 12Mo ...
I can now easily pick the face I want to analyse but ... it still Bug Splat !
How to succeed ?
Kind Regards
Laurent