UTC Value Not Saved in Scenes
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The UTC value in the Shadow Settings window does not get saved with scenes.
SU Pro 2014 version 14.1.1283 OS XSteps to replicate issue:
Create two scenes configured to save the Shadow Settings property, each with different time, date & UTC.
When you switch between scenes the UTC value keeps only the latest value used. -
UTC setting isn't a scene-specific setting. It's a model setting like geo-location, dimension units, credits, etc.
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@dave r said:
UTC setting isn't a scene-specific setting. It's a model setting like geo-location, dimension units, credits, etc.
When you save a scene you can specify for the Shadow Settings to be saved with the scene.
The UTC Value is part of the Shadow Settings dialog box.The UTC drop-down is part of the time and date settings because its value can change during different seasons. Although time zone is a geographical region and stays the same for the location of your model, the UTC value needs adjusting with the date.
Technically UTC does not change with a change of seasons, but local time may change if a time zone jurisdiction observes daylight saving time (summer time).
Since SU does not take Daylight Saving Time into account when generating shadows, changing the UTC is the only way to factor DST into your simulation.
For example, SU sets the default Geo-location for the model to Boulder Colorado and the UTC to UTC-7:00. This UTC value is only good during winter. In summer you have to change the UTC value to UTC-6:00.
All this is important for SU users who need to produce accurate shadows.
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I know all that. That doesn't change the fact that UTC is a model setting not a scene-specific setting. Maybe it should be and you could put that in as a feature request.
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@dave r said:
I know all that. That doesn't change the fact that UTC is a model setting not a scene-specific setting. Maybe it should be and you could put that in as a feature request.
Could you please explain what you mean by "UTC is a model setting not a scene-specific setting".
Are you talking about the source code of SketchUp?I can't find any UTC settings under the Geo-location or any other section of the Model Info window.
The UTC value is adjusted in the Shadow Settings dialog box.When I expand the Scenes pane there is a check box labeled Shadow Settings under the Properties to Save section. That indicates that all values that are part of the Shadow Settings will be saved with the scene.
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I know where the setting is changed.
As I said before, the UTC setting is a setting for the model just like setting dimension units, and geo-location. It used to be in older versions of SketchUp, this setting was made in Model Info. It's coded that way. You are the first in over 10 years I've ever seen make a comment about setting UTC per scene. I understand your point regarding it. Make a feature request that it become a scene setting along with the rest of the shadow settings. Maybe they can make that change.
Or maybe there's a way to deal with it using a plugin and maybe one of the gurus could find a little time to write it.
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"You are the first in over 10 years I've ever seen make a comment about setting UTC per scene."
Well, I'll be the second one in 13 years then, to comment on this.
I find it very unintuitive, that it is visually a part of the Shadow dialog box, but isn't included in the scene settings under shadows.
I just stumbled onto this by mistake, but nearly did a sun/shadow-analysis with 5 or 10 scenes showing the shadows 1 hour wrong (DST). This might, worst case scenario, have resulted in lawsuits regarding loss of an hour of evening sun, as a result of a building being built on incorrect documentation.
Yes, I'll file a "feature" request..
Fredrik
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