Rendering in SketchUp

1. 
Create a 3D cube and make it into a component.
2. 
Place it on a layer: SHADOW BOX 01, etc. (Fig. 18.14).
3. 
Position the bird’s eye view to the model (see Chapter 15).
4. 
Position the cube so that it casts a shadow into the scene.
5. 
Turn on the Shadows tool, making sure that the detailed layers are off (Fig. 18.15).
6. 
Assess the shadow box cast. Scale and reposition the cube to achieve your desired results 
(Fig. 18.16).
7. 
Create additional boxes as needed. Place each shadow box on its own individual layer.
Fig. 18.10: 
The SketchUp Solar North tool 
can adjust the overall rotation of the sun from 
0 to 360 degrees.

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305
Chapter 18: Composing Light
Fig. 18.11: 
A shadow box, the big white cube, is created and positioned off camera to 
cast shadow onto the USDA building and site.
Fig. 18.12: 
The rendering shows the USDA building without a shadow box casting light onto the scene.

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306
Part 4: Setting Light with Shadows
Fig. 18.13: 
The added shadow box (shown in Fig. 18.11) adds contrast and shade to the right side of the ren-
der, covering the building facade and site.
Fig. 18.14: 
The shadow box is created, made into a component, and then 
placed on its own layer.

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307
Chapter 18: Composing Light
Fig. 18.15: 
Using a bird’s eye view camera, the shadow box is positioned and the Shadows are 
turned on to the cast shadows into the scene.
Fig. 18.16: 
The shadow box can be moved and scaled to adjust the length and direc-
tion of the shadow being cast into the scene. The resulting shadow can be seen in the 
render in Fig. 18.5.

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