Analyzing Your Design - Autodesk Infraworks and Infraworks 360 Essentials - page 273

Analyzing Light and shadow
For many designs, the study of sunlight and shadow will be an important aspect
of assessing the function of a design. Considering sunlight and shadow raises
concerns about glare, areas of persistent shade or sunlight, natural light for
buildings, heating and cooling, and many others. Fortunately, InfraWorks has
an accurate sunlight modeling system that factors in the location, time of year,
time of day, and of course the model itself, to show you and your audience how
sunlight will interact with your design.
using the sun & sky Asset Card
You have already learned one of the most effective tools in studying the effects of
sunlight and shadow: the Sun & Sky asset card. Using this tool you can simply
move the sliders to change the date and time and observe the change in light and
shadow conditions as you do (see Figure 7.24). With this tool you could answer
questions such as: During what times is this courtyard in the shade? For what
percentage of a given day can natural light be used to light this foyer? Is this part
of the town going to be affected by the shadow of this building?
fIgure 7.24 Using the Sun & Sky asset card to study sunlight and shadow in a model