Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 18 Lighting 489 Sun Properties Palette The properties of the sun are set in the Sun Properties palette, Figure 18-9. The SUNPROPERTIES command opens this palette. You can also pick the dialog box launcher button at the lower-right corner of the Sun & Location panel on the Visualize tab of the ribbon. The sun can be turned on or off using the Sun Properties palette. The date and time can also be changed in the palette. Other properties of the sun are only available in the Sun Properties palette. The categories in this palette are discussed in the next sections. General The Status property in the General category controls turning the sun on or off. The Intensity Factor property determines the brightness of the sun. Setting this prop- erty to zero, in effect, turns off sunlight. Increasing the property makes the sunlight brighter. The maximum value for the property is determined by the capabilities of your computer. The Color property is read-only and set to a preselected color based on the geographic location, date, and time. Sky Properties The settings in the Sky Properties category control the sky. The sky is used in conjunction with sunlight to generate more-realistic lighting in the scene. The Status property determines if the sky effect is off or if both the sky background and illumina- tion are active. In order to set the sky status, the projection must be set to perspective. The Intensity Factor property value is a multiplier for the illumination provided by the sky. The Haze property controls how the sky illumination is diffused. The value can range from 0 to 15. The preset sun color is affected by this value. The Night color prop- erty sets the color of the night sky. In a city, the night sky may have an orange tint to it because of the streetlamps in the city. However, in the country, the night sky is nearly black due to the lack of artifi cial illumination. The default color is true color 1,2,5, which is near black. SUNPROPERTIES Type SUNPROPERTIES Set the brightness Turn sunlight on or off Figure 18-9. The Sun Properties palette.