Display Sun and Shadows

You control the visibility of the sun path and shadows on a view-by-view basis. When you turn the sun path or shadows on or off in one view, no other views are affected.

3D views have more shadow-casting elements than 2D views, so they yield far more information about natural lighting, shading requirements, passive solar design potential, and renewable energy potential.

For the best results when studying the effect of light and shadows on a building and site, turn on both the sun path and shadow display in a 3D view.

To turn on the sun path

Use one of these methods:

• On the View Control Bar, click Sun Path Off/OnSun Path On.

To turn on shadows

Use one of these methods:

• On the View Control Bar, click Shadows Off/OnShadows On.
• On the View Control Bar, click Visual StyleGraphic Display Options. In the Graphic Display Options dialog, under Shadows, select Cast Shadows, and click OK.

Note: Cast Shadows are automatically enabled when opening Solar Study from the View Control Bar: Sun Path Solar Study.

To adjust the intensity of sun, indirect light, or shadows

1. On the View Control Bar, click Visual StyleGraphic Display Options.
2. In the Graphic Display Options dialog, under Lighting, move the Sun slider or enter a value between 0 and 100 to change the brightness of the direct light.
3. For Ambient Light, move the slider or enter a value between 0 and 100 to change the brightness of the ambient light.
4. Under Shadows, move the Shadow slider or enter a value between 0 and 100 to change the darkness of the shadows.
5. Click OK.