Surroundings palette

Position of sun / north

Month / Day

Use the slide bars to set the date.

Time / North

You can define the time of day (and thus the position of the sun) and the north direction using the slide bars or by entering values in the boxes. If you want, you can also define these settings directly using the graphics on the Position of sun / north tab.

Fill-in light

You can use this option to brighten up the model, without having to set artificial light sources.

Location

Location / Latitude / Longitude

To define the location, you can

Select a location from the list box.
Enter the latitude and longitude directly.
Use the graphics on the Location tab.

Time zone / Summer time

You can specify the time zone and select the Western Europe Daylight Time option.

Virtual ground plane

Select this option to add a "virtual ground plane" to your scene,

making sure your model does not float in empty space and the shadows it casts look realistic. The virtual ground plane is only visible in rendered images and in view types using the Shaded or RT_Render rendering method.

It is always parallel to the global X-Y plane and stretches to infinity in rendered images. You can use the following parameters to define the height and surface of this virtual ground plane.

Height of ground plane / Connect with ground

Only if the Virtual ground plane option is active

Height of virtual ground plane

Depending on the setting of the Connect with ground option, the height always applies to the global Z direction: if selected, the lowest point of the model acts as the reference point; otherwise, the global coordinate system is the reference.

Surface of ground plane

Only if the Virtual ground plane option is active

You can select a surface for the virtual ground plane and make settings for this surface.

For more information, see Surface settings.

Background

You can define the background for view types using the Shaded and RTRender rendering methods.

Note: Fog (see Options - Desktop environment -> Animation) has priority over the settings you make here.

Type

You can specify the background type:

Color
This option displays the background in a single color. You can choose the color from various color systems.
Physical sky
This option simulates natural light under a cloudless sky. The time of day, location, viewing angle and north direction are taken into account.

Examples of rendered images with physical sky used for the background:
Examples of rendered images at different times of day with the physical sky setting for the background.
Custom
You can select a bitmap, allowing you to apply a texture to the background. You can map this texture onto a plane or onto the "celestial globe". (The celestial globe is a sphere that is infinite in size. Its center is the origin of the global coordinate system.)

Color

Only if the Type is set to Color

Select the color for the background.

Texture

Only if the Type is set to Custom

Select a bitmap for the texture. You can choose from the common bitmap formats.

Mapping

Only if the Type is set to Custom

You can map the texture onto a plane or onto the "celestial globe":

Plane
The bitmap you selected for the texture in the background is completely flat, resembling a plane. The program takes the lighting conditions (including the sun) from the physical sky, which also appears on reflecting surfaces.
Sphere
The program maps common-format bitmaps (JPG, PNG and so on) onto the "celestial globe". These bitmaps have an effect on the lighting conditions. They become a fixed part of the scene (for example, reflection). The program takes the settings for the sun from the physical sky.
Bitmaps in HDR format can include their own information on the sun. If this is the case, the program uses these pieces of information for the scene instead of taking the parameters from the physical sky.

Horizontal rotation

Only if Mapping is set to Sphere

You can turn the bitmap mapped onto the "celestial globe" horizontally in relation to the model or the northern direction relevant to the model.

Note: In order to return to the defaults, click Restore basic settings.

Some notes on the sun and the longitude