A sun-path video of your solar project, up to 4K
In the 3D site view, the Video tab records the sun sweeping a day you choose across your project: the shadows moving over the roofs and the arrays, under the site’s own sky. The clip renders at the resolution you pick, up to 4K, ready to show a client.
Three camera moves
- Fixed: the camera holds the current view and only the shadows move, for a shadow study.
- Orbit around the site: the camera circles the site at the radius, the height and the number of turns you set.
- Path: the camera flies the smooth curve of a video path drawn on the map, at one height for all its points or a height per point, with a lens zoom from 0.5× to 8× and the option to aim at the nearest arrays as it passes them.
The day, the sky and the figures
Pick the date and the window in local solar hours, and leave out the night frames. Every frame carries the sky of its own hour, from dawn to dusk, and with real weather on, the archived weather of that hour. With the floating stats on, their cards are drawn into every frame, refreshed to that frame’s sun and clock, so the figures in the clip match its shadows.
Resolution, length and format
- Resolution: HD, Full HD, QHD or 4K UHD, rendered at that size whatever the size of your window.
- Length: from 2 to 2,000 frames at 1 to 60 frames per second, the clip length shown as you set them.
- Format: H.264, VP9 or AV1, among those your browser can encode.
Recorded in the browser, kept with the project
The browser records the stream in real time, so a four-second clip takes about four seconds, and the finished clip opens in the video player, to watch full screen or download. The clip settings save with the project, so the next export renders the same shot.
And stills for the report
The same 3D view photographs two pictures into the project for the PDF report: a 360° horizon panorama with the measured skyline drawn over it, and the array seen from the sun with its shade overlay.
Record a sun-path video in five steps
- Open the 3D view, start the session and tick Advanced mode to see every clip setting.
- On the Video tab, set the Date and choose the Camera: fixed, orbit or path.
- Set the hours, the frames and the frame rate, then the resolution and the format.
- Click Record the sun path: the recording lasts as long as the clip.
- Watch the clip in the Video player and download it.
Questions
Is it part of the free plan?
Yes, the 3D site view is part of the free plan. A live session counts against a monthly streaming allowance, your company’s on the free plan, and on the free plan a session gives way to a paying customer when every 3D server is busy.
Does the clip have sound?
No. Clips play muted and loop in the video player: a recorded clip carries no sound.
What if I reload the page before downloading?
The browser keeps the newest twelve clips, up to about 200 MB in all, on a best-effort basis. Leave Download the clip when the recording finishes on, and the file is saved as soon as it is ready.
The fastest way to judge a simulation tool is to run it on a project you already know.