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Sunlight Control

by MST ARQUITECTURA·Rendering

Images © MST ARQUITECTURA. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Sunlight Control stands out in the superhive library because it turns Blender's default sun trackball into animatable sliders and adds location-based solar positioning through coordinates, date and time.

What is Sunlight Control?

Sunlight Control links the sun in a sky texture to Blender's Workbench Render Sun, swapping the default trackball for animatable sliders. Azimuth sets the sun's horizontal position in degrees, Elevation adjusts its height above the horizon, and North Offset rotates the scene's relative north when your project isn't oriented on the Y axis. You can also enter coordinates, a date and a local time to get the solar direction for a specific location.

A Sky Texture picker selects a Nishita Sky Texture to illuminate the scene and sync it with the Workbench sun. On the Workbench side, the add-on animates and controls shadow parameters: Darkness sets shadow intensity, Shift adjusts shadow direction, and Focus controls sharpness, with separate toggles to display shadows in the viewport and in the final render. Your sun settings can be saved and loaded as presets across scenes.

An optional north widget acts as a visual guide, marking north in red, the sun direction in yellow and the cardinal midpoint in violet. Its radius in Blender units and line width in pixels are adjustable, and the widget is not rendered. Released under the GPL license, it supports Blender 4.5.

Who is Sunlight Control best for?

Sunlight Control is best for blender users who need precise sun positioning and shadow control on the Workbench engine and want to sync it with a Nishita sky texture.

How much does Sunlight Control cost?

Sunlight Control is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Links a Nishita Sky Texture to illuminate the scene and sync it with the Workbench sun
  • Animatable Azimuth and Elevation sliders replacing the default trackball, plus a North Offset for the scene's relative north orientation
  • Coordinates and time input to get the solar direction of a specific location by date and local time
  • Saves and loads your own sun presets for use across scenes
  • Workbench shadow controls: Darkness for intensity, Shift for direction and Focus for sharpness
  • North widget marking north, sun direction and the cardinal midpoint, with adjustable radius and line width (not rendered)
  • Separate toggles to display shadows in the viewport and in the final render

Tags

#blender#workbench#sunlight#3d-lighting#sky-texture#shadows#azimuth#lighting-control

Frequently asked questions

Does Sunlight Control work with Blender 4.5?

Sunlight Control lists Blender 4.5 as its supported version and is marked as Blender Extension compatible, installing as an add-on. It integrates with the Workbench sun and works with Nishita Sky Textures for lighting the scene. For versions outside 4.5, check the developer's page before installing, since compatibility beyond the listed version isn't confirmed here. The add-on is also noted as a Dev Fund contributor, and it was published around eleven months ago at version 1.0.0.

Which render engines does Sunlight Control support?

Sunlight Control is associated with Blender-Internal, Cycles and Eevee. Its core focus is the Workbench sun and shadows, where it controls shadow Darkness, Shift and Focus, and lets you toggle shadow display separately for the viewport and the final render. It can also link a Nishita Sky Texture to illuminate the scene and keep it synced with the Workbench sun. Review the developer's page for details on how each engine is handled in your setup.

What license is Sunlight Control released under?

Sunlight Control is released under the GPL license. It installs as a Blender add-on and is listed as Blender Extension compatible, with version 1.0.0 published roughly eleven months ago. The add-on is also flagged as a Dev Fund contributor. For the full terms of the GPL and any usage conditions, along with the current version and support details, refer to the developer's page linked with the product.

Is Sunlight Control free to download?

Sunlight Control is listed as free here in the catalog. Licensing and any current pricing can change over time, so check the developer's page for the latest terms before downloading. The add-on is released under the GPL license and marked as a Dev Fund contributor. Once installed, it provides sun and shadow controls for the Blender Workbench along with Nishita sky texture syncing and savable presets.

Does the north widget show up in the final render?

Sunlight Control's north widget is not rendered; it's a visual guide that represents the sun and north parameters in the viewport only. The widget shows the current north as a red cross and arrow, the sun direction as a yellow sphere and line, and the midpoint of the cardinal points as a violet octagon. You can adjust its radius in Blender units and its line width in screen pixels, or disable it entirely with the Show North Widget toggle.

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