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    [Plugin] ShadowProjector

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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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                                    • sbpronhS Offline
                                      sbpronh
                                      last edited by

                                      Using this technic and some more 😄 creating anamorph art would be great!!!! url:
                                      http://jrengozzi.wordpress.com/page/2/

                                      Regards and thanks!
                                      Harry

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                                      • JuantxoJ Offline
                                        Juantxo
                                        last edited by

                                        If someone is interested there is a similar shadow projector in skelion plugin.
                                        You can project shadows at specific time, but over a range of time too, that's the main difference of the plugin.
                                        I tried with the magnifier.skp test and it works.(Time calculation about a minut)

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                                        • M Offline
                                          morph
                                          last edited by

                                          to TIG

                                          I try to find the way to reduce the time of ShadowProjector plugin culation process after I found it take a long time when the number of calculated face up to 50 faces.

                                          Now, I study in master degree and try to create plugin to retrieve shadow area from all day solar vector on glass face of building. When I try to put ShadowProjector algorithm to 10 loops solar vector, the time usage graph of 10 loops are not linear. It is parabola although the time usage graph in loop which use the .raytest function is linear.

                                          Please suggestion.

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                                          • TIGT Offline
                                            TIG Moderator
                                            last edited by

                                            Morph

                                            The time it takes Sketchup to add objects to a context is not linear.
                                            The more objects the slower it is, but as you have noticed it is almost 'exponential' so x2 objects takes x4 the time etc.
                                            With relatively few objects this is not so noticeable - but the more objects the worse it gets.
                                            Also the number of objects already in the context slows things up considerably... so perhaps compartmentalizing the results inside their own entities context - e.g. a group - might speed things up...

                                            TIG

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