Exterior lighting for presentation drawings


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I would like to cheat on my exterior lighting so the views have better shadows.  I haven't been able to get anything to work.  It always reverts to the proper sun direction based on the site.  Is there no ability to move a light source around for this.  Should I save-as and then totally change the north arrow for each view?

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Thanks for the suggestions. I did try the sun shadow but maybe didn't do it right. Does the sun shadow only work if there isn't a north arrow? I'll try it again and then try Jons suggestion with the north arrow too and see what works the best.

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I place a north arrow and sun angle. Adjust the time of day/year on the sun to get the vertical angle. Rotate the north arrow to change the direction. I almost always cheat the sun to get good shadows to help show three dimensionality with little regard for reality. I am crazy like that.

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Save yourself some grief and remember to add an "Artistic License" disclaimer to any stylized shots you submit to gov't (or customers) for review.

 

I watched a client get raked over the coals for 45 minutes in a very public forum because the shadows on some hand rendered project images didn't match the reality on the ground.  Some anti-development types tried to create distrust within the larger community; claiming intentional deception.  In reality, the artist just thought it looked good.

 

jon    

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For those who don't know, if you tile your views, you can use the north arrow and the sun angle dbx and watch your changes take affect as you make them.  Rotating the north arrow won't change the lighting till you let go of the mouse button but changes made in the sun angle dbx are essentially real time (i.e. scrolling through the time of day with your mouse wheel and you can watch the shadows spinning around your model).

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When I just need the "pretty picture" and don't care about reality, I make sure I do not have a sun angle in the file.  Then when I'm in the 3D view where I want to adjust shadows, I select the "Adjust Lights" dbx, select the Default Sun and then I can adjust the tilt and the angle to exactly what I want. 

 

I find this much easier and quicker than trying to fake dates/times/locations on a regular sun angle to get what I want.  I originally made a little cheat-sheet for myself to help get the shadows right for doll-house views, then found it helpful for other views too.  I've attached it in case you find it helpful.  And you can always put the sun angle back in when you need the real-life shadows.

post-772-0-64806500-1443819265_thumb.jpg

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This sound like it is definitely worth a try. I am starting to put my plot plan in a cad detail so the north reading will not effect my exterior views. Using a default sun should then work. Thanks for another option Christina.

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