Sun Position

Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D interaction/Sun Position - BlenderWiki http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interact...
blender.org
code.blender.org
Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D interaction/Sun Position

Log in / create account
< Extensions:2.6 | Py | Scripts | 3D interaction
Blender 2.6
Blender 2.6
Blender 2.4
English
Arabic
Bulgarian
Catalan
Czech
German
Danish
English
Greek
Esperanto
Spanish
Estonian
Farsi
Finnish
French
Indonesian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Lithuanian
Macedonian
Mongolian
Dutch
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Serbian
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Ukrainian
Chinese
Extension page
Discussion
View source
History
Page
1 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
What links here

Related changes
Permanent link
From BlenderWiki
Sun Position
Position Sun object(s) for a given place, date and time.
UI location Group: World panel
Version 3.0.1 Author(s) Xaire
Blender 2.65 r#53207 License GPL
Category 3D View
Executable information
File name
http://projects.blender.org/tracker/download.php/153/467/29714/23877
Current version download
/sun_position.zip
Python modules sun_position
Links and troubleshooting

Bug reports https://projects.blender.org/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=29714&group_id=153&atid=467
http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?245406-New-addon-Very-realistic-sun-studies-
Links
for-architects.
NASA composite
When properly installed, theSun position panel resides in the World panel under the Properties header.
Options now include an interactive world map with sunrise/sunset options as well as
a simple mode of binding the sun with an Environment Texture.
Introduction
2 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
The sun position widget can be used for creating sun animations as well as for just studying the sun position for
given locations and times as a singular object or multiple objects on the ecliptic or as an analemma.
Sun animation • Created using Cycles.
Installation
These scripts are in modular form stored in its own directory named sun_position. Prior to installation, make
sure to uninstall any previous version of Sun Position and remove it from the Blender ...\scripts\addons
folder.
You can install the Sun panel in one of two ways:
Either unzip the sun_position.zip file and place the sun_position folder in the Blender ...\scripts\addons
folder.
Or, open Blender and click on File » User Preferences » Addons. Next click on Install Addon located at
the bottom of the Preferences panel, locate the zip file and select it and click on Install Addon.
Check 3D View: Sun Position and close the window or press Save as Default .
The Sun panel will be available in the World panel.
Instructions
In the Properties header, click on the World world button and enable the Sun
panel. For more information on any panel field, just hover the mouse over it.
Enable and preference buttons.

Preferences
An inline preference panel allows you to tailor the Sun panel to your needs. There are two modes available:
Normal: This sets up a the panel for using world coordinates.

Sun+HDR texture: Sets up the panel for simply binding the sun to an environment texture (i.e. HDR, EXR,
etc). Once bounded, both can be rotated at the same time on the Z axis.
Those who just want to do simple rendering without caring about azimuth, north offset, etc., can select a minimal
configuration while those wanting to do ecliptic studies or observe sun movement more in-depth can choose other
options. If you would like your preferences to appear in your default Blender scene, do the following:
Set the preferences you want.

Next, disable the Sun panel by clicking on Disable.
Now save the file as the default by pressing CtrlU or click on the File menu and select Save User Settings .
3 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Selecting an option determines whether the item is displayed in the Sun panel.
Note on Map images
If you have a low-end graphics card, you may find that the higher resolution maps may not load or may respond
slowly. In that case, try one of the supplied lower resolution maps. All the images are jpg. Also, two of the highest
resolution maps have been removed as of version 2.05 to make for a smaller sized addon. Hopefully no one will
find this inconvenient.
Normal Mode
4 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Single column mode with a minimal number of options Two column mode showing all possible options
selected. selected.
Note: If north offset, refraction or daylight When comparing azimuth and solar elevation with NOAA's solar
savings time have been set in the Sun panel, calculator located at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/, the
sun objects will be placed based on those "Show Refraction" box should be selected from within the Sun panel,
settings even if these options are later for the most accurate reading. Refraction is most notable at dawn and
hidden by your preference selection. dusk.
Toggle to the Day-of-Year slider or Month-Day. Day-of-Year

allows for smooth action of objects spanning the year
without needing to stop after each month.
5 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Note on Time Zone

The UTC zone slider specifies the time difference from Zero longitude in hours. The widget automatically
determines whether the value is positive or negative based on longitude. If you notice the sun object jump as you
cross zero longitude using the map or slider, this is because of the time zone value flipping and moving the sun
relative to the number of hours specified. If you are using the map or sliders just as a way to smoothly move the
sun, then keep the UTC zone slider at zero.
Sun+HDR Texture Mode
6 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Image showing panel when binding sun to an environment texture.

This mode only works when rendering in Cycles.
To use this mode in Cycles, go to the sun widget's inline preference panel and:
Select Sun + HDR texture then press Done and then enable the Sun panel.
In the Surface section of the World panel make sure that nodes are enabled, then:
Under Color, select Environment Texture

Click on Open and select the image you want to use.
Set the projection type to Equilateral or Mirror Ball.
7 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
In the Sun panel:
Select the Environment Texture and Sun object to be used.

Click on Sync Sun to Texture . An image of the environment texture will appear in the viewport. A few seconds
may be needed for Mirror Ball projections to be converted.
Use LMB to place the crosshair over the sun location within the image. You can zoom and move the image
as with the World map in Normal mode. Press F1 or H for help.
Click RMB when finished.
The sun and texture are now bound together. Changing the values in the Rotation slider will rotate both sun and
texture along the Z axis. If you press Release binding , the Rotation slider will only move the sun. You may want to do
this for tweaking the position of the sun without using the lat/long image. The Elevation slider will move the sun
higher or lower. When satisfied, press Bind Texture to Sun to rebind them.
Example of using the Sun+HDR mode where a sun lamp

is bound to an environment texture. Both are rotated
together using a rotation slider.
Map Help
8 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
The help screen for the map is accessed by pressing F1 or H

while the mouse is hovering over the map.
9 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
One of the map image options is Textureless. In addition to freeing up GPU space, this selection allows you to
tweak the sun position within Cycles or the native renderer without blocking your view or caring about geographic
location. This clear mode of working is also available when using a map texture by pressing 'O', then moving the
mouse and or scroll wheel to reduce the opacity. However, one difference between using Textureless or a map
image is how North Offset is effected. The offset has no effect on the sun direction indicator when an image is used
but will effect it in Textureless mode. Why so? Well, on the map, north is north whereas in textureless mode, who
can tell?
Sun positioning methods:

I. Using a sky texture in Cycles
II. Using a named object
III. Using selected objects
IV. Mixing options
I. Using a sky texture in Cycles

1. In the Info header, set Cycles as the render engine. (The image below shows the entire setup)
2. In the Properties header, click on the button for the World panel.
3. In the World panel, enable nodes if not already enabled.
4. Once enabled, choose "Sky Texture" from the color menu or attach a sky texture node in the node editor for
the world shader.
5. In the Sun panel, enable "Cycles sky" and select the name of the texture from the drop down menu. The
default name is "Sky Texture." The menu only appears if the World panel nodes are enabled.
6. At this point, looking through Blender’s camera in the 3D viewport, choose "Rendered" from the Viewport
Shading menu. Location and time sliders can now be changed to view changes in real-time in Cycles. The sky
texture's sun will be set in the proper position for the given time and location. For well defined shadows, add a
sun lamp to the scene and set its size to about .02 (found within the Lamp properties panel.) The higher the
value, the softer the shadow. Be sure to check both "Cycles sky" and "Use object" (giving the name of the sun
lamp) so that both remain in sync.
7. To create an animation:
In the Timeline panel, set the starting frame.

In the Sun panel, move the time slider to position the sun for the start of the animation and insert a
keyframe by hovering the mouse over the time field and pressing I. The field color should change
indicating that the keyframe was set.
10 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
In the Timeline panel, set the ending frame.

In theSun panel, move the time slider to position the sun for the ending frame. Hover the mouse over
the time field and press I.
With Cycles set and currently rendering in the 3D viewport, you should now be able to move the
Timeline bar and watch the sun movement from beginning to end. This is the sequence which will occur
when you render the final animation.
TheSun panel using just the sky texture in Cycles.

The World panel is on the right showing color set as Sky Texture.
II. Using a named object
1. Enable the option "Use object." It will try

to default to "Sun" even if it doesn't exist.
For a different object, click on the entry
field and choose from the menu or enter
the name you would like to use as the sun
(lamp or mesh).
2. When the Sun panel's values are changed,
the object will be positioned accordingly at
the specified distance. If you don't see it,
bring it closer with the Distance slider or
make sure that the value of the End field of
the scene's clipping distance (located in the
View panel ) is greater than the sun
distance. Image showing combination of sky texture and mesh emitter
3. If you want correct shadows, the named object should be a sun lamp. The sun direction will automatically be
set and will point to the convergence of the XYZ axes. You could create special effects by using multiple sun
lamps of different colors set apart using the Time Spread slider for the ecliptic.
4. For a Cycles animation, you could also do a blend of the sky texture and a sphere chosen as a sun object that
has an emitting material as in the image above.
III. Using an object group

1. Positioning multiple objects is meant as a help for architects or anyone interested in observing the ecliptic and
analemma for given times and locations. The analemma will let you see in one fell swoop the range of solar
elevations at a particular time of day throughout the year.
2. Enable the option "Object group" in order to place the currently selected lamps or meshes on the ecliptic or as
an analemma.
3. Next, press Set Object Group . All of the objects that where currently selected will be remembered as the object
11 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
group and are de-highlighted. These groups

are only remembered for the current
Blender session. To create a new group or
add to the group, press Release Group ,
make your selections and press
Set Object Group.
4. For the ecliptic, objects are distributed
within the time frame specified by the Time
Spread slider.
5. Objects are evenly distributed on the
analemma. If you use theDay-of-Year
slider while viewing the analemma, you can
watch the direction the sun moves based on
the day.
IV. Mixing options
Any mixture of options I, II and III can be used. Ecliptic range from the winter to summer solstice.
Object group on the ecliptic with map in the viewport.
12 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Object group as an analemma with map floating free in the panel.
Additional Info
We gratefully acknowledge both NASA and the NOAA for their work and the liberal usage policy of their
products.
The world map images have been composited from two NASA images.
The sun positioning algorithms are based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)
Solar Position Calculator which rely on calculations of Jean Meeus' book "Astronomical Algorithms."
Azimuth and solar elevation are provided in degrees and can be used in conjunction with time and place
coordinates to verify the accuracy of this widget with web based solar calculators such as the one provided by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/grad/solcalc/. For the
greatest accuracy in matching these values, make sure the Show Refraction option is set. Of course the
accuracy of results provided in the Sun panel can be no greater than that which NOAA has stated for their
solar calculator.
The default direction for North is Blender's Y+ axis. A North offset value is provided so that North can be set
in relationship to your model. When used, it will be in degrees or radians based on the Units setting in
Blender's Scene panel. The Show North option will keep a compass needle pointing north in the 3D viewport.
The decimal values for latitude and longitude can be plugged into Google Earth's "Fly to" field to look up the
location. Values are entered as (latitude,longitude). For example,[ 47.398, -2.687 ] will take you to ( 47° 23'
55" N ) by ( 2° 41' 13" W ).
Back to Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts
Retrieved from "http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interaction/Sun_Position"

Category: Script
13 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Installation
3 Instructions
4 Preferences
5 Normal Mode
6 Sun+HDR Texture Mode
7 Map Help
8 Sun positioning methods:
8.1 I. Using a sky texture in Cycles
8.2 II. Using a named object
8.3 III. Using an object group
8.4 IV. Mixing options
9 Additional Info
14 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20
Wiki
Report a wiki bug

Wiki Guidelines
Special pages
Categories
Popular pages
New files
New pages
Recent changes
15 de 15 16/05/2013 10:20

Sun Position

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sun Position

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D interaction/Sun Position - BlenderWiki http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interact...

Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D interaction/Sun Position

What links here

Links and troubleshooting

Sun animation • Created using Cycles.

Enable and preference buttons.

Normal: This sets up a the panel for using world coordinates.

Set the preferences you want.

Toggle to the Day-of-Year slider or Month-Day. Day-of-Year

Note on Time Zone

Sun+HDR Texture Mode

Image showing panel when binding sun to an environment texture.

Under Color, select Environment Texture

In the Sun panel:

Select the Environment Texture and Sun object to be used.

Example of using the Sun+HDR mode where a sun lamp

The help screen for the map is accessed by pressing F1 or H

Sun positioning methods:

I. Using a sky texture in Cycles

In the Timeline panel, set the starting frame.

In the Timeline panel, set the ending frame.

TheSun panel using just the sky texture in Cycles.

II. Using a named object

1. Enable the option "Use object." It will try

III. Using an object group

group and are de-highlighted. These groups

IV. Mixing options

Object group on the ecliptic with map in the viewport.

Object group as an analemma with map floating free in the panel.

Retrieved from "http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/3D_interaction/Sun_Position"

Report a wiki bug

You might also like