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    [Plugin] ShadowProjector

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    • jolranJ Offline
      jolran
      last edited by

      Cool idea, TIG! 👍

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      • D Offline
        darospa
        last edited by

        fantastic!!!! a great help for architectural drawings instead of cheap renderings

        thank you

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        • utilerU Offline
          utiler
          last edited by

          @tig said:

          @utiler said:

          Neat TIG!! DO you ever get time to work for money???
          This is a little like GOH's 1001Shadows, right?
          http://www.1001shadows.com/en/index.html
          👍

          Not the same thing, this shows shadows cast on selected faces by objects, I don't have that tool but I think 1001shadows projects all onto the 'ground' [of course if you have a ground-plane face selected my tool does the same]. My tool also has options of displaying the shadows - from a line, to a face, to a face with statistics...

          That's pretty cool, TIG. 👍

          purpose/expression/purpose/....

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          • pbacotP Offline
            pbacot
            last edited by

            Something cool about this but not sure how someone makes use of it. Is it only so you can export a polygon and use it in a CAD rendering (2d)?

            MacOSX MojaveSketchUp Pro v19 Twilight v2 Thea v3 PowerCADD

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            • TIGT Offline
              TIG Moderator
              last edited by

              @pbacot said:

              Something cool about this but not sure how someone makes use of it. Is it only so you can export a polygon and use it in a CAD rendering (2d)?
              It's as useful as you think up uses for it... 😕
              For example, checking the % of solar shading on some selected glazing at a certain Date/Time.
              Getting the area [sq'/sqm] of perhaps some selected glazing or a solar-panel that's receiving [or not receiving] direct sunlight...
              Because faces using a translucent material don't show normal shadows you can now use this tool to add a visible translucent 'gray' shadow-group face [with no edges] onto selected window-glass etc, to fake these shadows in a Sup render...
              DAE files etc don't contain shadow info but you can now include a faced snapshot of the shadows if desired.
              I only invented the tool - you lot need to come up with uses for it... 😉

              TIG

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              • simon le bonS Offline
                simon le bon
                last edited by

                Dear Tig,

                @tig said:

                Because faces using a translucent material don't show normal shadows you can now use this tool to add a visible translucent 'gray' shadow-group face [with no edges] onto selected window-glass etc, to fake these shadows in a Sup render...

                That was exactly what I wanted to experiment: colored glasses and their colored shadows...

                Glasses and bottle are drawn , but 😕 I can't make to "ShadowProjector" draw their shadows.. Probably too complex shapes.

                http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/thShadowProjector_TIG_002.jpg

                😒 simon

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                • D Offline
                  driven
                  last edited by

                  Simon,
                  what scale are you trying at, is it a small triangle issue... just a thought
                  john

                  learn from the mistakes of others, you may not live long enough to make them all yourself...

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                  • simon le bonS Offline
                    simon le bon
                    last edited by

                    Hi John

                    You are right in the way I never take enough care of the scale !!! 😉
                    In this occurrence, the scale is not too small but too big: a glass of 135cm width !! You may be thirsty 😲


                    http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/thShadowProjector_TIG_004.jpg

                    ++simon

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                    • TIGT Offline
                      TIG Moderator
                      last edited by

                      Is the orange face 'reversed' - view in Monochrome mode to see.
                      Shadows are only cast onto front faces.
                      Also there is an issue with tiny faces/holes and groups/instances placed exactly onto a face and casting a shadow.
                      I'm doing a fix now...

                      TIG

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                      • TIGT Offline
                        TIG Moderator
                        last edited by

                        Here's v1.1 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=371243#p371243
                        1.1 20111214 Addressed issues with tiny faces/holes and group/instance sitting on face whilst casting a shadow.

                        TIG

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                        • simon le bonS Offline
                          simon le bon
                          last edited by

                          Hi TIG 😉

                          This tool is a great idea ++ 👍
                          I'm very sorry The updated rb doesn't work at all and anymore for me (and the first version is overwrited arghhh!).

                          Please can you pick an eye on my following SketchUp 7 model ?

                          TIG_shadowProjector002.skp

                          Sorry for trouble 😕

                          ++simon

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                          • TIGT Offline
                            TIG Moderator
                            last edited by

                            @simon le bon said:

                            Hi TIG 😉

                            This tool is a great idea ++ 👍
                            I'm very sorry The updated rb doesn't work at all and anymore for me (and the first version is overwrited arghhh!).

                            Please can you pick an eye on my following SketchUp 7 model ?

                            [attachment=1:12he1z9c]<!-- ia1 -->TIG_shadowProjector002.skp<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:12he1z9c]

                            Sorry for trouble 😕

                            ++simon
                            I can get it to work with reduced complexity [removing the 'glass']...
                            [attachment=0:12he1z9c]<!-- ia0 -->Capture.PNG<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:12he1z9c]
                            I don't have v1.0 either 😒 [lost it!]
                            I'll investigate...


                            Capture.PNG

                            TIG

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                            • simon le bonS Offline
                              simon le bon
                              last edited by

                              Hi TIG,

                              @unknownuser said:

                              I can get it to work with reduced complexity [removing the 'glass']...

                              Me too 👍 😉

                              http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/ShadowProjector_TIG_005.jpg

                              I'm going to test the ShadowProjector with incremental complexity models...

                              thank you for your patience and kindness

                              *s

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                              • TIGT Offline
                                TIG Moderator
                                last edited by

                                Hiding the glass, or putting it onto an 'off' layer work too...

                                TIG

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                                • simon le bonS Offline
                                  simon le bon
                                  last edited by

                                  Dear TIG

                                  @unknownuser said:

                                  I can get it to work with reduced complexity [removing the 'glass']...


                                  Hiding the glass, or putting it onto an 'off' layer work too...

                                  As I can conclude , ShadowProjector not only take in account the geometry casted by the shadowed selected face, but also the entire geometry of the model.😒
                                  😕

                                  @unknownuser said:

                                  I'm going to test the ShadowProjector with incremental complexity models...

                                  Alas ShadowProjector is stopped by the first model 😕

                                  http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/ShadowProjector_TIG_006.jpg

                                  http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/ShadowProjector_TIG_007.jpg

                                  TIG_shadowProjector_incrementalComplexity.skp

                                  Simon.

                                  PS1: I am not happy to be the one who show the tool limitations 😳

                                  PS: [Plugin] Teapot (1.0.0) — 01 December 2009

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                                  • TIGT Offline
                                    TIG Moderator
                                    last edited by

                                    You are right.
                                    It would be better/quicker if it found only the objects potentially casting shadows on the face...
                                    BUT the algorithm to do that robustly is beyond me [at the moment].
                                    So at the moment it checks everything that's active for shadow casting even when it doesn't even cast a shadow on the face.
                                    So I suggest that keep the 'active entities' simple [using temporary grouping?] and do small sets of shadows...

                                    TIG

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                                    • TIGT Offline
                                      TIG Moderator
                                      last edited by

                                      Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=371243#p371243
                                      Its speed and error trapping are improved.
                                      It now limits its purview to potential shadow-casting objects and is therefore quicker... 😲

                                      TIG

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                                      • simon le bonS Offline
                                        simon le bon
                                        last edited by

                                        @unknownuser said:

                                        Because faces using a translucent material don't show normal shadows you can now use this tool to add a visible translucent 'gray' shadow-group face [with no edges] onto selected window-glass etc,

                                        http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/ShadowProjector_TIG_009.jpg

                                        http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj245/Spendauballet/SketchUp/ShadowProjector_TIG_010.jpg

                                        As it is, it's already a great tool dear TIG

                                        Thank you so much to make SketchUp each day growing as a wonderful application

                                        ++simon

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                                        • dereiD Offline
                                          derei
                                          last edited by

                                          I can't use the plugin 😞 It crashes my model all the time. I made a magnifier glass and a ground plane (face) . I selected the face, that was oriented with front upwards (the shadow projected on front face), then ran the plugin. ... First time it made a grouped face over my selected one. Now it just crashes every time.
                                          Model attached.


                                          magnifier.skp

                                          DESIGNER AND ARTIST [DEREI.UK](http://derei.uk/l)

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                                          • TIGT Offline
                                            TIG Moderator
                                            last edited by

                                            It Bugsplats for me too. 😕 😢

                                            It's a relatively small object and makes many tiny facets in the shadow that it needs to process.
                                            Some complex shapes just have too much geometry.
                                            I erased the unneeded coplanar edges which up the face count considerably!
                                            Also made sure the forms were solids - tiny holes leak shadows - erased unwanted internal partitions and flaps...
                                            The small detailing on the handle also makes some tiny facets when projected.
                                            Lifting the handle up 1mm so it didn't touch the face [a single point of contact or tiny common facet seems to be awkward].
                                            Making it 1000 bigger using Scale, simplifying the handle and putting the lens on an 'off' layer [you don't want it's shadow anyway ?] - I did get it to work eventually... BUT it took ages !

                                            If I copy/paste your geometry into a new SKP I get an error fix now ? message about zero length edges - BUT it doesn't 'fix' within the SKP itself - weird...

                                            This simplified version processes readily without problems.Capture.PNG

                                            TIG

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