Setting Date and Time

You can change the default date and time and see the result on your environment.

This lets you position direct sunlight on the 3D in accordance with the selected referential. This position has an impact on shadow effects (especially cast shadows).Therefore, it is recommended to select the Balanced performance profile then, if necessary, activate shadows through the Shadows command in the action bar to check the result.

  1. From the View section of the action bar, click Date/Time .
  2. In the date and time panel, click the appropriate items:
    • Left arrow next to the month name to go back to previous month
    • Right arrow next to the month name to move to next month
    • Month name to display the year calendar. You can then use the left/right arrows on top to select the year.
  3. Click the icon then use the arrows to select the time to be applied, or directly type the time in the box then press Enter.
    The environment display changes to reflect your selection. For instance, if you select 1.00 PM, the environment is more illuminated than when you select 20.00 PM.

    Bear in mind that you should also take into account the eventual time shift between your local time zone and the one of the database loaded in the widget. Time is displayed in local time zone as set in the operating system preferences, and it is then applied as UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) value to the database.

    July - 5.00 AM. The environment is dark and few shadows can be seen.

    December - 3.00 PM. The environment is illuminated and more shadows can be seen.

    Tip: Use the slider at the bottom to quickly change the time. As you drag the slider, you can see in real time how shadows change throughout the day.



  4. Optional: Click Today to revert to the original date and time.
  5. To close the Date/Time panel, either click the cross on the top right or click Date/Time .