Hello,

I'd like to use POV Ray to model solar panels.

I'd like POV Ray to tell me how much shadow a particular panel is getting. Is
this possible?

Would it be possible to just set the Energy from the sun and it calculate the
energy reaching each point in the model?

I have programming experience, so API calls and the like would be no problem.

Thank you for any advice you have.

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> Hello,
>
> I'd like to use POV Ray to model solar panels.
>
> I'd like POV Ray to tell me how much shadow a particular panel is
> getting. Is this possible?
>
> Would it be possible to just set the Energy from the sun and it calculate
> the energy reaching each point in the model?

   Surely there are hundreds of convoluted ways to do that with POV-Ray... I
can't figure right now a specific one, but I'm sure that you will get a few
ideas if you look up the manual for the trace() function.

   Regards,


-- 
Jaime Vives Piqueres

http://www.ignorancia.org

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Jaime Vives Piqueres <jai### [at] ignoranciaorg> wrote:

> > Hello,
> >
> > I'd like to use POV Ray to model solar panels.
> >
> > I'd like POV Ray to tell me how much shadow a particular panel is
> > getting. Is this possible?
> >
> > Would it be possible to just set the Energy from the sun and it calculate
> > the energy reaching each point in the model?

>    Surely there are hundreds of convoluted ways to do that with POV-Ray... I
> can't figure right now a specific one, but I'm sure that you will get a few
> ideas if you look up the manual for the trace() function.

  Wouldn't it be easier to simply put the camera at the direction of the
Sun, point it at the panel, texture the panel with a distinctive color,
render an image and then calculate the visible area of the panel from the
resulting image?

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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>  Wouldn't it be easier to simply put the camera at the direction of the
> Sun, point it at the panel, texture the panel with a distinctive color,
> render an image and then calculate the visible area of the panel from the
> resulting image?
>                                                          - Warp

And use an orthographic camera to make sure the "solar rays" are treated as 
parallel....

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