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    [Plugin] ShadowProjector

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    • D Offline
      driven
      last edited by

      it's working on my mac...

      maybe it's because I have the % turned on...

      john

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

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      • TIGT Offline
        TIG Moderator
        last edited by

        I've worked out the issue.
        It IS to do with empty groups - there's an intersection needed but if there is nothing to intersect it was splatting...
        With a % text it's NOT empty so no issues !
        Now I have it trapped and so far in retesting there's not splatting.
        I'm preparing an update.
        I'll also get it signed for v2016 full compatibility...

        TIG

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        • TIGT Offline
          TIG Moderator
          last edited by

          Here's v5.0 http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=TIG_shadowProjector Main changes:

          • Unshaded face splat trapped.
          • Text better placed.
          • Signed for v2016 full compatibility.

          TIG

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          • A Offline
            AirWindSolar
            last edited by

            @tig said:

            I've worked out the issue.
            It IS to do with empty groups - there's an intersection needed but if there is nothing to intersect it was splatting...
            With a % text it's NOT empty so no issues !
            Now I have it trapped and so far in retesting there's not splatting.

            That makes perfect sense now; even on the full model, it didn't splat on the first run, but after I'd exploded the shadow lines and marked the shaded areas, the remaining area was split into multiple faces, and apparently some of those were empty.

            5.0 is working perfectly on a couple of the smaller sections. I'm tempted to test it on the full model when I have some free time.

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            • G Offline
              gudlopez
              last edited by

              MUCHAS GRACIAS.....

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              • N Offline
                Newvector
                last edited by

                Hello Friend.
                You made a very good plugin. But I have problems in using it. I get artifacts with a shadow. Can you help me with this problem?
                I installed this plugin in 2017

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                • TIGT Offline
                  TIG Moderator
                  last edited by

                  @newvector said:

                  Hello Friend.
                  You made a very good plugin. But I have problems in using it. I get artifacts with a shadow. Can you help me with this problem?
                  I installed this plugin in 2017
                  Please explain these 'artifacts' more fully.
                  Use a screen-shot or even a small SKP example...

                  TIG

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                  • N Offline
                    Newvector
                    last edited by

                    Hi
                    I regret the inconvenience. That's my fault. I reduced the value of the variable 've.length' too much. This led to the appearance of artifacts. Now everything is fine, I changed this value to 0.00001.mm
                    The value chosen by you 0.25mm is not very good, it generates additional points when the scene is exporting.

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                    • I Offline
                      ideas_arte
                      last edited by

                      This tool is incredibly useful... thank you very much TIG! 👍

                      Do you plan to update it? I'm using it in Sketchup 2018, and it's very slow, even though the geometry is simple. 😲 Neither it is able to create the percentages.

                      Best regards!!!

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                      • W Offline
                        wag1
                        last edited by

                        i just want to leave my thanks
                        this helped me to get the sketch-up shadow over into autocad
                        still needed a bit trickery but still a step closer to getting all these programs closer together
                        keep on tig!

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                        • E Offline
                          Einstein
                          last edited by

                          Great plugin for shadow analysis!

                          If I may suggest a few improvements:

                          • ability to project shadows on grouped faces, so if you select a group with faces, shadows are also projected there and you don't have to explode groups,
                          • applying the projecton wouldn't reset the selection,
                          • make an automatic text tablel (outside the shadow face) only informing at what time of day a projection was taken.
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                          • E Offline
                            Einstein
                            last edited by

                            I also noticed that the instance ID of a projected shadow-face shows wrong hour (the difference is always 2 hours). As in example below: I projected a shadow at 17:00 and it says 19:00.


                            sun analysis.png


                            analiza słonia z TIG shadow projector.skp

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                            • TIGT Offline
                              TIG Moderator
                              last edited by

                              Thanks for the report on the time-stamp error.
                              There was also an error with the % formatting in the newer SketchUps.
                              Here's v6.0 https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=TIG_shadowProjectorI've fixed the issue with those incorrect UTC time-stamps, and the error with sprintf %. It's also been re-signed.

                              Apparently the incorrect time-stamp from the UTC AND ignored DaylightSavings when reported by SketchUp's ShadowInfo have been known for some time. But I've only just learnt of the workaround when extracting the time from the data, which I think now fixes it...

                              TIG

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                              • E Offline
                                Einstein
                                last edited by

                                Wow, you did this faster than I could think 😮 Thanks, it's fixed!
                                Are you perhaps going to further develop this plugin? Implementing these three points would be so cool!

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                                • TIGT Offline
                                  TIG Moderator
                                  last edited by

                                  Here's v7.0 https://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=TIG_shadowProjector The original Selection is now kept on completion.
                                  The Time & Date [...@hh:mm-mo-dd] is now added to the Shadow group's name for clarity - so it's easier to find and select in the Outliner.
                                  It has been re-signed.

                                  TIG

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                                  • E Offline
                                    Einstein
                                    last edited by

                                    Thank you!
                                    Would it make a lot of work to also code projecting shadows onto grouped faces when a group is selected?

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                                    • TIGT Offline
                                      TIG Moderator
                                      last edited by

                                      Yes, it is much much more difficult - since the group's transformation must be accounted for when deciding the 'hits' etc.
                                      I have already looked at it briefly, but I've decided to do nothing in the immediate future, since I have other more urgent fish-to-fry...
                                      A workaround that avoids exploding a group, is [after processing any faces within the model's context] to edit that group, and then select any faces within it to process.
                                      Any objects outside of the group [in the model's context] should still cast shadows on the face[s], making the Shadow@... group[s] as normal.
                                      You can then Select any Shadow@... groups inside the group's edit [use the Outline if needed] and then use Edit>Cut; immediately exit the group-edit, and use Edit>PasteInPlace to relocate the Shadow@... group[s] into the main model's context onto the surface of the group...

                                      TIG

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                                      • E Offline
                                        Einstein
                                        last edited by

                                        Sure. Anyways, your plugin is already a game-changer!

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                                        • V Offline
                                          VERSEAU44
                                          last edited by

                                          Hi TIG,

                                          I am a beginner under SketchUp

                                          I've tried with the project below to calculate % shadow on EACH window panel

                                          If I understand, I've to degroup then modify group but I've ... Bug Splat 😞

                                          Thanks for help
                                          Laurent


                                          Projet.zip

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                                          • TIGT Offline
                                            TIG Moderator
                                            last edited by

                                            Please explain your requirements more fully.
                                            You have reset the axes, this will not affect the sun direction.
                                            Either rotate the building as needed or ?

                                            If you are trying to calculate the shadows falling on a particular window's glass at a particular time then you need to edit down into the windows entities context and select the glass faces.

                                            BUT, considering the way the windows are built up as components, then I suggest this workaround... draw simple rectangles over the windows and group them, and give that a layer.
                                            Then select that group's face[s] and do the Shadow Projection...

                                            It'll be accurate enough for your purposes ?

                                            The many small shadows created by the slatted handrails might well cause issues with geometry and splats...

                                            Try making a much simpler version, of massing blocks/faces...

                                            TIG

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