How do I find the sun position?
mermaid010
Posts: 5,489
I know how to position the sun, in Bryce 7. Ctrl+Alt+double Click on the Sun Dome and without letting the keys go, click anyway to position the sun and a yellow asterisk will appear showing the sun position.
But how do I find the sun position, I don’t want to position it myself but just want to know where it is in the scene.
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Go into the Sky Lab (click on the cloud with the rainbow). Then, at lower right, you see the sun position in Azimuth and Altitude (which is actually the elevation). Perhaps this helps.
Thanks Horo. I don’t think my question was clear.
What I want to know is, is there any way I can see the sun position in relation to the other objects on the scene. E.g. I can see the trees in relation to the rocks or the mountain, can I see the sun position in relation to the mountain for instance. I know how to position the sun in a scene, if I want it behind the mountain or between the trees. (Thanks to Robin’s tuts) When I’m using the preset skies, is there any way I can pinpoint the position of the sun or make calculations using the Azimuth and Altitude. From the shadows and the position of the sun dome, I can tell whether the sun is on the left or right etc, but not the exact position of the sun. From Robin’s tuts, I know the default sun is behind the camera, but now near or how far from the camera.
I have done many tutorials without really, really understanding the basics. Now I am trying to learn the whats and whys and hows of the program, thus I will be posting questions from time to time.
Btw Horo I am having lots of fun with Bryce, it’s an amazing program, and I am eager to do some cool landscapes, some day soon.
There are two cameras, Directors View and Camera View. I almost never use the Directors view, but others mostly use it. The Camera view is more versatile in my opinion. It comes in at a queer position at top left (if viewed from top) looking to the bottom right corner.
If you look on the scene from above, you look on it like looking on a map. Top of the screen is north, bottom south, left west and right east. If the perspective camera is set to south looking north, all rotation angles 0, then all numbers make sense (though the editing tools on the shelf on top of the screen less so). If the sun azimuth is set to 90° and the altitude to 15°, the perspective camera can be turned right (Y=90°) and the sun is again in the centre of the scene. Also, if the camera looks north, the custom stars show the constellation we see from the Earth in spring.
The sun is in front of the scene if the camera Y angle is 0° and the sun azimuth as well (the scene gets back lit). If the sun azimuth is set to 180°, it is in the back of the camera. I think the problem comes from the default camera Y angle of 135°, which is like looking from north-west to south-east.
If you find a setup to begin a scene with that makes you happy (camera position, sky), save the file in the Bryce main folder and give it the name "default" (without the quotes). The next time you start Bryce, it will load that scene and you don't have to worry about where your camera is pointing.
Horo is right other then in my case I always use the directors view instead of the camera view...
I also square up my Bryce scene to coincide with the XYZ coordinates useing the Directors view...I can upload my default scene for anyone anting it...
Thanks Horo for this helpful explanation. I don’t have any preference as regards which camera I use. I normally use the camera as per the tutorial.
Can you elaborate more on this? I don’t understand where to save the file, is it- in the C drive (where Bryce is installed.)
What do you mean "square up your Bryce scene" ?
Can you elaborate more on this? I don’t understand where to save the file, is it- in the C drive (where Bryce is installed.)
Bryce scenes can be saved anywhere. All my Bryce scenes are saved on an external HD (my folder is boringly called "My Bryce Scenes"), So much easier when changing computers.
Can you elaborate more on this? I don’t understand where to save the file, is it- in the C drive (where Bryce is installed.)
Sure. Usually, you save your work with a name of your choice and to a location where you want it. That's ok and fine, we all do it this way.
However, whenever Bryce starts, it looks for a scene with a particular name in a defined folder. If it doesn't find that scene, it generates one that is fix programmed into it.
Since we know that Bryce looks for the file "default.br7" in the location where Bryce.exe itself resides, we can create any scene, save it as default.br7 into the folder on the drive where Bryce has been installed into. Consider this default.br7 scene as being the canvas you start most of your work with. You can set the preferred document size, camera start position, sky and clouds, render options, render priority. Nevertheless, the scene is otherwise left empty, just the essential settings are in place.
Whenever you launch Bryce (not double clicking on a scene file), this very file is loaded and you have your personalised "canvas" ready to start with. You know that your preferences - also the ones hidden in labs - are set the way you want them. While you're working on your scene, you can always change the settings if they are not fitting with just that scene you have in mind.
Thanks Chohole and Horo for your responses.
Presently I am saving my few files in my doc in a folder Bryce trials and errors. It will be cool to have my own personalized "canvas" one day.
When I started using Bryce ( version 4 ), the position of the sun was a bit of a mystery, until I came up with this cunning scheme.
Put a cube in the center of a blank scene, switch the view so you are looking down from above and render.
The shadow reveals the sun position.
( annoying forum software still says new member , I have faith it will be resolved eventually)
Your 26 post will do it ...