Amethyst ShadowFX V3
Amethyst ShadowFX is a sun and shadow analysis program for architects, designers and town planners. With the program, you can generate shadow profiles cast by buildings and other objects for any latitude, longitude and time of year.
The program is an essential solar tool for all design professionals. Data is presented in a highly usable and easy-to-understand format. With Amethyst ShadowFX you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out the movements of the sun.
Main program features:
- Develop 3D Models
With the Model Designer you can build a 3D model that allows you to examine the shading effects of adjacently placed buildings. Building position, size, color, orientation, and roof type and pitch can specified. The following roof types are supported: flat, mono-pitched, gabled, hipped, gambrel and mansard.
- Design 3D Window Shading
Interactively design window shading in 3D. With the built-in shade designer, horizontal overhangs, vertical fins, pergolas (louvre shading, brise soleil) and screening objects can be positioned in 3D. Shading can be sized, positioned and angled as required. Animations can be run on a daily or annual basis to simulate shading for the most effective solar control.
- Import 3D Freeform Model
Import your own 3D designs into the program, and run shading animations. A large number of file formats are supported including Autodesk 3ds MAX and Wavefront OBJ.
- Design 2D Horizontal Overhang
Here you can run a 2D simulation of various shade options for horizontal window overhangs.
- Design 2D Vertical Fin
Run a 2D simulation for vertical fin window shading.
- Sun Path Diagrams
A number of sun path diagrams can be generated on which animations can be run to track the movement of the sun. Included are Stereographic, Equidistant, Spherical and Orthographic projections, and Waldram diagrams.
- Solar Reports
The followings solar reports can be generated:
--- Daily Sunrise, Sunset & Solar Noon
--- Daily Sunrise, Sunset & Azimuths
--- Daily Altitude at Solar Noon
--- Solar Azimuth & Altitude
--- Horizontal & Vertical Shadow Angles
--- Angle of Incidence
--- Shadow Length & Direction
- Export Shadow Diagram to DXF
Shadow profiles can be saved to AutoCAD DXF files. These can be imported into CAD drawings for further analysis, or printed onto transparencies for use as overlays.
- Download Plugin for Google SketchUp
This feature enables exporting Google SketchUp files to the Wavefront OBJ file format. These can then be opened in ShadowFX for sun and shadow analysis.
- Location Finder
The program incorporates a database of location data for major cities and countries of the world. This makes it easy to find the latitude and longitude of your location.
- Magnetic or True North
When generating solar reports, you can choose to have coordinates expressed from magnetic or true north. Magnetic variation is automatically calculated by the program. This is based on the geomagnetic model (IGRF-10) from the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy.