Solar Studies

Evaluate the impact of natural light and shadows on the buildings and site.

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About Solar Studies
Solar studies help you visualize the impact of natural light and shadows on the exteriors and interiors of projects.
Types of Solar Studies
When creating a solar study, you can choose from the following types.
Workflow: Solar Studies
Use solar studies to evaluate the impact of natural light and shadows on the project.
Create Views for Solar Studies
Before creating a solar study, prepare a view to display light and shadows.
Display Sun and Shadows
You control the visibility of shadows on a view-by-view basis. When you turn shadows on or off in one view, no other views are affected.
Create a Still Solar Study
Still solar studies produce single images that show the impact of sun and shadows at a project location for a specified date and time.
Create a Lighting Solar Study
Lighting solar studies produce single images that show the shadows cast from the sun position in the active view.
Save Solar Study Images
Save solar study images with the project for later reference.
Export a Solar Study
Export a solar study to a variety of file formats to share with colleagues and clients.
About Sun Settings
Sun settings specify the position of the sun in a view.
Define Sun Settings for a View
Specify a sun setting for solar studies and walkthroughs using the Sun Settings dialog.
Work with Sun Setting Presets
Create sun setting presets and apply them to views. You can also edit, duplicate, rename, and delete presets.