Sunpath

You can display a Sunpath diagram for the building at its current location by checking the Show Sunpath diagram Display option and pressing the Apply button. This will display a Sunpath diagram similar to that shown below.

The Sunpath diagram provided in DesignBuilder can be a very useful way to view the paths taken by the sun as it moves through the sky at all times of the year.

Sunpath diagram scale factor

There is an option to override the default scale factor applied to the Sunpath diagram. With a scale factor of 1 the Sunpath diagram fits snugly round the building. The default scale factor is 1.5.

Sunpath day of month

By default DesignBuilder uses the first day of the month when generating the sunpath lines for each month of the year. This option allows you to use any other day of the month from 1 to 28.

Change solar position tool

When both the Show Sunpath diagram and Show shadows Display options are set, the Change solar position tool becomes available. This allows you to move the sun around the diagram. To do this first click on the Change solar position toolbar icon (above). When this tool is active the cursor become a cross and you can use it to click on a junction of time/month sunpath lines to set the new solar position. You can continue to move the sun around the sky by clicking on the diagram in the same way. An alternative way to use this tool is to drag the sun around the sky. You will notice that the Time of day and Month data in the Display options panel are updated along with shadows as the sun moves through the sky.

When you have finished press the <Escape> key to return to Select mode.

Tip: You can use the Sunpath diagram with the Create movie tool to show the sun moving through the sky for the current design month. To do this select the 2-Shading for design day option on the Movie options data dialog box