Tips on computing shadows

In order to reduce the quantity of data involved when computing shadows, copy the files in question to new files. In the new files, delete those elements that increase compute time unnecessarily. These include, for example, rear walls, internal floors, staircases, furnishings etc. that are invisible in the selected perspective.

Since 3D solids are difficult to recognize in a wireframe model, it is common practice to run an initial computation of the model for verification purposes using fills only.

Very large surfaces should be subdivided into smaller surfaces wherever possible (to reduce compute time). You can use Split up Surfaces to do this automatically. The impression of depth caused by subdividing a surface into smaller surfaces can produce interesting effects for subjects such as a floor slab.

Note: Shadow computations are very CPU-intensive if they are to produce realistic results. The amount of computation required and the interim results which arise increase approximately by a factor of four if the file is twice as complex. If the main memory capacity is overloaded, Allplan has to store interim results to disk. This can mean a considerable increase in the time required for computation.