[Plugin] ShadowProjector
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Cool idea, TIG!
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fantastic!!!! a great help for architectural drawings instead of cheap renderings
thank you
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@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.
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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)?
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@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...
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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.
simon -
Simon,
what scale are you trying at, is it a small triangle issue... just a thought
john -
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
++simon
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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... -
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. -
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 ?
Sorry for trouble
++simon
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@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...
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Hi TIG,
@unknownuser said:
I can get it to work with reduced complexity [removing the 'glass']...
Me too
I'm going to test the ShadowProjector with incremental complexity models...
thank you for your patience and kindness
*s
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Hiding the glass, or putting it onto an 'off' layer work too...
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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
TIG_shadowProjector_incrementalComplexity.skp
Simon.
PS1: I am not happy to be the one who show the tool limitations
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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... -
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... -
@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,
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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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.
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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.
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