Positioning the Sun

The sun position control sets the direction your natural light is coming from whether it is sunlight or moonlight. The position can be set using the Sun Control in the Sky & Fog palette. The control works like a trackball, with the sun (bright) at one end and the moon (dark) at the other.

You can think of the control as a compass: if the highlight on the Sun Control sphere is positioned at 12 o'clock, the light comes from the north, and so on. As you change the position of the sun, the "time of day" changes. When the sun position is closer to the edges of the control, the sun appears closer to the horizon, making the scene darker. When the sun is in the center of the control, the sun shines from directly above the sun, like it would at high noon.

The colors in your sky will change depending on the position of the Sun Control, or the "time of day..." just like in the real world. The angle of the shadows changes as the sun changes. If your object is shiny, and there are no other light sources, the position of the sun controls where the highlight appears. In this example, you can see the effects of the sun's position on several reflective and shiny objects.

You can position the sun manually and with precision on the Sky & Fog Palette and in the Sky Lab. You can also position the sun numerically in the Sky Lab.

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