Adding Sunlight

The sun can be used as an indirect (by shining through a window) or direct light source.

Follow the instructions below, to use the sun:

  1. The simplest method is to position and point the sun at the same time, by selecting it and clicking it in position. Hold down the mouse button.

  2. Move the mouse pointer in the direction in which you want to turn the sun. An angle is displayed. The angle will follow the mouse pointer and help you to point the sun's rays where you want them to go.

  3. Release the mouse button when the sun's rays are shining in the direction you want.

 sun.gif

 

Note:

  • All components under the 3D heading, are invisible on printouts.

  • The light from a sun does not affect the Auto 3D.

 

Pointing the Sun after Positioning it

You can point the sun after you have positioned it in the drawing area.

Follow the instructions below:

  1. Make sure that the sun is activated, by clicking on it. A snap point appears over the sun's directional arrow.

  2. Click on the snap point and turn the sun in the direction you want.

Sun Settings

sun_settings.gifBy double-clicking on the sun, or by right-clicking and choosing Settings from the pop-up menu, you open the dialog Sun Settings. In this dialog you can turn the sun on and off, adjust the brightness of the light and change the angle of the sun rays.

Status

In the Status field, you can turn the sun on or off using the radio buttons On and Off.

Lighting

In the Lighting field, you can change the brightness and the quality of the light. In the Brightness drop-down list, you can choose between Daylight, Dusk and Moonlight. In the next drop-down list, Shadow quality, you can choose how sharp the shadows on your 3D images should be.

Sun Angle

In the Sun Angle field, you can set the angle of the sun rays. The rays can be angled between 0 degrees (horizontal) and 90 degrees (from directly above). Drag the slider or enter a value between 1 and 90 for the angle you want.

Color

In the Color field, you can choose the color of the light from the drop-down list. If you choose Custom from the list, you can either enter values for an RGB color in the R, G and B boxes below, or click on Browse. This opens the Select and Edit RGB Color dialog. See the topic Creating your own RGB Colors.

 

At the bottom of the Sun Settings dialog is a Reset to Default Values button where at any stage, you can reset the dialog to the default values.

In the Apply to drop-down list, you can choose how many components should be changed.

When you are happy with your settings, click on OK or Apply.