Japanese Shadow Study Tool to be Available for All ArchiCAD Users

[Aaron Bourgoin]

we design buildings that impact the environment beyond the property line. And whether an Authority Having Jurisdiction impels us to show how we've mitigated that impact, or, we just think it good commonsensical design thinking, we attempt to comply.

For almost twenty years, a Graphisoft subsidiary has distributed a tool to make one aspect of that environmental impact assessment - overshadowing - an easy task and part of a standard design workflow. It's from Japan, it's an add-on and it's called Shadow Planner.

http://www.howtousearchicad.com/?p=2208

In this 30th year of ArchiCAD BIM, I'd like to propose that GSHQ recompile this tool for ArchiCAD 19, localize at least to the point where the interface is in English and make it available as part of the other 21 localized versions of the tool.

Overshadowing for the rest of us. For the good of our design souls, our better nature and the people who live in the cities we serve.

Bence Kovács. Please share this tool.

[James B]

Thanks for the suggestion.

I found the link here - https://graphisoft.com/jp/downloads/addons/partners/shadow-planner

It's not clear what aspect of this tool is being requested or needed. Can you help clarify what main functionality in a shadow study tool is part of this wish that you'd like to see as native functionality?

I'm aware of some regions that require submission of shadow areas for existing vs proposed for example.

[Aaron Bourgoin]

We are always looking for better ways to produce shadow studies. The process in Archicad is a protracted one and while the Add-On documentation is in Japanese, it would be potentially useful. See the example attached which has three different colours applied to different shadows.

[James B]

Hi @Aaron Bourgoin 

What would these colours represent in your own submission/documents?

My guess from this screenshot it shows shadows from existing buildings, vs new buildings (or extensions to existing buildings).

[Botonis]

My default opinion concerning addons released officially by local resellers is that those addons should at least be available for the INT users as well, or somehow Graphisoft should make them available for all languages. We are still expecting this Addon store to be available and this should the first step for moving forward the none localized addon. We already have this Global Library, now its time for the the addons.

Let the users decide how they use the addons and intergrate it their workflow.