Hi Chris -

The videos both look great. I agree that the second approach, with only one time stamp per day, makes for a more interesting animation.

Do you know if it's possible to show shadows for more than one time at the same time?

I added

status = page.use_camera=false

in two places below. As I'm sure you know, this makes it so that the scenes do not save the camera position from when the script was run.

model = Sketchup.active_model
si = model.shadow_info
ps = model.pages
si["DisplayShadows"]= true
#set the year, month, day, and time of first shading scene
t = Time.gm(2010,"aug",1,10,0,0).to_i


#set number of days to repeat
31.times do |day|
si["ShadowTime_time_t"]=t
page = ps.add
status = page.use_camera=false
page.transition_time = 0.0
t= t+(60 * 60 * 6)
si["ShadowTime_time_t"]=t
page = ps.add
status = page.use_camera=false
page.transition_time = -1
t= t+(60 * 60 * 18)
end

I've moved onto trying to add screen text, which notes the month and day of the current shadow displayed. I'm thinking this will be more involved than turning off the camera location save. Any ideas, anyone? The end result would be in the finished animation, there would be a time stamp of sorts on the screen as the animation plays back.

Hi Gaieus -

Thanks for your comments.

Do you know if there's a way to reset the temporary world axis to the original world axis? In other words, once you've moved the temporary world axis using the "Axes" tool, how do you know where the original world axis is?

Sure. I'm able to move the model back to the ground level.

I'm trying to understand if it's possible to move the ground level; and if it's normal for the ground level not to move when the xy plane is moved.

This code accomplishes what I described above.

model = Sketchup.active_model; si = model.shadow_info; ps = model.pages; si["DisplayShadows"]= true; t = Time.gm(2010,"aug",1,10,0,0).to_i; 31.times { |day| si["ShadowTime_time_t"]=t; ps.add; t = t + (60 * 60 * 6);si["ShadowTime_time_t"]=t; ps.add; t = t + (60 * 60 * 18);}

For the month of August, it creates two scenes per day. The first is at 10am, and the second is at 4pm.

This line works as you described above: it sets the time to August, starting at 10am, and sets it to repeat 31x.

(2010,"aug",1,10,0,0).to_i; 31.times

The first time this line appears, the "6" is the time after first scene that I want to create the second scene. (10am + 6hrs = 4pm)

t + (60 * 60 * 6)

The second time this line appears, the "18" is the time after the second scene until the first scene the next day (4pm + 18hrs = 10am the following day).

t = t + (60 * 60 * 18)

Now onto displaying the current month/day onscreen for each scene....

By the way, are you using the export to AVI function to create your animation, or some other method? It sounded like above you were exporting an image for each scene, which you would then compile into a video. This would be very cool, but you would lose the transition effect that sketchup performs between scenes, right?

I do have Jim's Web console installed. Is Alex's console better?

So, here's my stab at creating a scene for every day in August, from 10am to 4pm:

    model = Sketchup.active_model;si = model.shadow_info;ps = model.pages;si["DisplayShadows"]= true;t = Time.gm(2010,"aug",1,10,0,0).to_i;31.times { |day| si["ShadowTime_time_t"]=t;ps.add;t= t+(60 * 60 * 6);}

When I ran this script, I ended up with 4 scenes per day. (4am, 10am, 4pm, 10pm)(the very first day had only three scenes, as it didn't create a 4am scene)

Maybe I should modify the first version of the sript? (trying now)

Hi -

Is it normal for the ground plane to remain unchanged when redefining the model axis?

I had a large model that appeared about 100' up the Z axis. Instead of moving it down to the the model origin, I just moved the axis up.

However, when I turned the ground on, and made some shadows, the shadows were still falling 100' below, where the origin used to be.

Is there a command to move the ground plane?

Hmmm.

I didn't export any video, but I did watch some of the animation from within SketchUp. It really has potential to do exactly what I'm looking for, which is to allow the viewer to tell if the shadow from a specific object will shade another object at any time during the year.

I did reduce the scene time to .125 seconds, which compressed a whole year into 1.5 minutes of animation. For shorter durations, I think longer scene times would be cool too.

So, going off of your description of how to modify the code block: Say I want to set it to create scenes for the month of August, and I want the first scene of the day to be at 7am, and the last scene of the day to be at 1pm. Is this the correct code? (all other code as you posted above)

t = Time.gm(2010,"aug",1,7,0,0).to_i; 31.times

I don't see where the script would tell the second scene to be at 1pm, so I'm thinking this would create one scene at 7am, and the next scene exactly 24 hours later?

This. Is. AWESOME! I stand in awe of you scripting skills.

I hope you have good luck with exporting the animation. Monday, after work is done, I'll start rendering a year's worth of shadows, and hopefully it will be done when I come back Tuesday morning.

I have two questions about customizing this script:

Is it hard to add screen text automatically? For example, I did a much shorter time lapse manually, and I had text on screen that displayed the month and date. Kind of like a progress or status for the viewer.

Can you help me understand the anatomy of the script you uploaded? For example, can I change the start and end points for each day? (so the animation would only show 10am to 5pm, or 9am to 6pm, etc..). Can I change the range of dates? (so the time lapse would only cover Feb through July, etc..).

Best,
Dan

Hi All -

Here's an idea I've been toying with:

I like how you can set up an animation, where you watch the shadows play over your model from morning to night or whatever.

I'm wondering if it's possible to create an animation for a whole year.

I know this could be rigged by creating many many scenes, but I'm thinking you can set one scene to Jan 1, and the next to Dec 31, and then set some timing and playback options, etc..

Then, you can sit back and watch the shadows as they appear throughout the year, not just for one day.

Currently, if you set once scene in Jan, and one in Dec, the animation of the shading just transitions from one date to the next, without showing all the days in between.

The result of the animation I'm thinking of would look similar to a time lapse nature video that shows many months in a few minutes.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

You can right click on the layer name, and choose "select entities".

This will select all the objects on the layer, which would be close to what I think you want to do.

After selecting all the objects you want to change, you can then change the settings using the shape style, or use the sample tool (default shortcut "s") and click on the shape you want to change the style settings to.

(this is in SketchUp 7)

I did verify by clicking the display formula button, and by double clicking on the field where the formula is entered, that the formula is gone, and a set value has replaced it.

I also noticed because the function the formula performs stopped working upon re-open.

Strange.

Has anyone had their formulas written in dynamic components disappear?

I created a DC, wrote formulas for several of the values, and the next time I opened it, there was a set value where the formula used to be.

Here's another workaround for 2d shapes to scale in LayOut:

Do all your drafting in SketchUp on the XY plane.

Import into LayOut,and choose the desired scale.

Render the model in vector, then use the "explode" command to convert the SketchUp model to LayOut native shapes.

Depending on the complexity and overlapping of your shapes, you will have some level of cleanup (joining, splitting lines, etc..).

But then you have LayOut shapes, to scale, and you were able to draw them relatively quickly in SketchUp.

I realize this isn't exactly what you were going for. I've really wanted the same functionality in LayOut (and the guides tool, and the tape measure tool). This is how I've approached similar situations.

Try one or both of the following:

Rotate the component about the Z Axis, then move the component, and it resets to the original Z rotation.

Or, rotate the component, and create a copy of the component. The copy will return to original Z rotation upon placement.

I suspect both issues are from the same root problem.

Sharp 235 Dynamic.skp

Hi all -

I have a DC I've created, and, among some custom attributes, I have the LenX, LenY, LenZ, RotX, and RotY values being controlled through the component options.

When I rotate, and move my component, it always rotates about the Z axis to it's original orientation, relative to the model axis (not the component axis).

I can't figure out why it is doing this, because I don't have RotZ, or any position attributes enabled in the component.

Any ideas?

Hello -

I'd like to do a query on a component, which will return the azimuth angle (z rotation if North = 0 degrees).

I've tried using

=current(RotZ)

in a custom field as a dynamic component, but it's telling me the value is not found.

Any ideas?

Amazing!

What are the limitations as far as what this will record? I noticed, for example, that if X-ray mode is switched on during the recording, the X-ray switch is not shown on the animation playback.

The path tool is interesting. I'm assuming the marks are shown everywhere a frame is recorded?

Is there a tool out there that allows the creation of a camera path like this, which can be edited?

This is very cool. Does it work every time like this: Has anyone seen a plugin that... and then, poof!, Chris replies with a hot-off-the-press plugin? (JK )

Amazing!

I'll go look at it now.

As far as reducing user "shakiness," that little 3d navigation hardware is the answer for that.

Google earth has this exact feature: you can hit record, navigate however, whereever you want, then save it as an animation.

One of the nice things, is that you can save "scenes" (placemarks in google earth), and jump to them while recording.

I'm assuming this would work with a similar solution in sketchup.

The result would be a powerful tool, which would allow you to have different intervals between scenes in a linear animation.

Enough chat for now.

I'm off to check out the fruits of your labor.

Beautiful rendering.

I hope I don't experience the same problem... I have not had components make themselves unique.

Hello-

I was looking at this little gadget:
http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/spacenavigator.php

and I started wondering if there's a way to record an animation based on camera movement.

Does anyone know of a way I can hit "record", then reposition the camera, and have what I saw on screen become the animation export?