Is there a renderworks style that shows shadow only?

[Dcrb]

Is there a renderworks style or something else I can do that shows only the grey shadow cast from an object lit with a directional light, and doesn't show the object itself?

[Matt Overton]

Artistic render works - line and shadow - set line thickness to 0.1 or small as it lets you as you can't set it 0.

 

Is that what you are looking for?

[Matt Panzer]

You also might want to try creating a Shadow Catcher texture and use class overrides to apply that texture to any (or all)objects that you don't want to see but want shadows on/from.

 

Shadow Catcher.vwx

 

[The Hamma]

4 hours ago, Matt Panzer said:

You also might want to try creating a Shadow Catcher texture and use class overrides to apply that texture to any (or all)objects that you don't want to see but want shadows on/from.Shadow Catcher.vwx

Matt:

Neat idea.  I downloaded the file and the wierd thing is that it works but when I open it in my Windows version of VW and the classes show they are overwritten but doesn't show how they are overwritten.   See below.  In the second window it should have the shadow catcher texture. 

Edited April 4 by The Hamma

[Matt Panzer]

56 minutes ago, The Hamma said:

Matt:

Neat idea.  I downloaded the file and the wierd thing is that it works but when I open it in my Windows version of VW and the classes show they are overwritten but doesn't show how they are overwritten.   See below.  In the second window it should have the shadow catcher texture. 

 

Ah.  I'm seeing that as well.  I was not using a "release" version of Vectorworks to create the file and something went amiss.  I opened the file in 2022 SP3 and set the overrides up again.  They should stick now.  🙂 

[Matt Panzer]

Also, shadows from Shadow Catcher textures use alpha channels in the viewport so they will work nicely over images and other objects on the sheet layer.  In this example, only the Pavement object is overridden to have the Shadow Catcher and an Image was placed on the sheet layer and sent behind the viewport.

[Matt Overton]

3 hours ago, Matt Panzer said:

Also, shadows from Shadow Catcher textures use alpha channels in the viewport so they will work nicely over images and other objects on the sheet layer.  This example, only the Pavement  object is overridden to have the Shadow Catcher and an Image was placed ion the sheet layer and sent behind the viewport.

Well this is far more fun than my work around.

I'll find uses for this.

 

Wondering out loud if this would make a better texture for glass in drawings and sketch renders.