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Best software for sun studies


rogue3d
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I searched the forums and couldn't find anything so sorry if this has been asked and answered. My firm is being asked to do a realistic (in terms of scientific fact calculations) study of the shadows cast on a building by another building being proposed next to it. A developer and an independent researcher have done sun studies that contradict each other.

 

The project is going up for review to a planning comity so it can't be faked, need to back up the imagery with actual numbers and angles.

 

I know how to do this in max and I've done it back in the day with autocad, but is there any software or plugin that is specific to this? I don't know lightwave or lightscape but was thinking something along those lines might do it better or more accurately. any ideas?

 

thanks.

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Ecotec is not bad at all but a bit complicated.

This soft was recently acquired by Autodesk.

 

I usually work with Townscope, developed by the University of Liege, Belgium.

 

 

thanks, the independent consultant used ecotec. we agreed with his results. not sure what the developer was using because he just showed renderings with no mathematical evidence to support it. plus the developer's motives are obviously biased. I'll look in to townscope. thanks again.

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We beleive that the maths used in Revit and 3ds max to define the Sun angle (and the directions of its shadows) is as precise as Radiance if that helps.

 

Our validation studies conducted specifically tests for indoor illumination calculations, but to get there, you need the angle of the sun to be right.

 

http://www.autodesk.com/3dsmaxdesign-exposurevalidation

 

I have seen projects out there validating shadow directions in 3ds max since a long time as well: see this report on a 911 memorial:

 

http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/article1_SEARB.asp

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