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Sun Position

ADDON
📖3 min read
Latest Version: 5.2
Sun Position addon by CG Cookie

Introduction​

Sun Position is a built-in Blender addon that places the sun on the celestial sphere from a date, a time, and a location. It works inside World Properties together with the Nishita Sky Texture, and it removes the manual calculation from an otherwise fiddly part of scene setup.

For a reconstruction, the addon does the opposite of what it seems to do: it turns lighting into evidence. If the scene is positioned at the real coordinates, the correct date and time make the shadows fall the way they fell on the day of the incident.

Key Takeaways​

Time and Date

Set the exact time and date to compute the sun's position for any moment.

Geolocation

Enter latitude and longitude to place the scene anywhere on Earth.

Nishita Integration

Drives the Nishita Sky Texture, so the sun disk and sky lighting follow the computed position.

Installation​

  1. Open Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.
  2. Search for Sun Position.
  3. Enable the checkbox.

Usage​

Open the Sun Position panel· World Properties

In the World Properties tab, expand the Sun Position section. Set Usage Mode to Normal and select Sky Texture so the addon drives the Nishita sun disk.

Enter the geolocation· lat/lon

In the Location section, enter the site's longitude and latitude. Right-click a point in Google Maps to copy its coordinates, then paste them.

Set the north offset· scene alignment

In North Offset, rotate the scene so it aligns with true north. Enable the North option to display the direction while you work.

Set the time zone· UTC + DST

In the Time section, set the UTC offset for the location. Check the DST box only if daylight saving time was in effect on the date you entered.

Set the date and time· sun position

Enter the date and time of the incident. The sun disk, sky, and lighting update to match.

In an Investigation​

  • Shadow analysis. Move the time slider and watch the shadows across the scene change. Compare their direction and length with reference photos or footage from the site.
  • Chronolocation. When a photograph's timestamp is disputed, set the scene to the claimed time and check whether the shadows in the photo match the render.
  • Orientation checks. A wrong north offset produces visibly wrong shadows. Use the addon to verify the scene's orientation before any lighting-dependent analysis.
  • Sightline assessment. The sun's height at a given time determines which areas are lit or shadowed, which affects visibility and camera placement questions.

Limitations​

  • Accuracy depends on correct geolocation, UTC offset, DST, and date/time inputs. One wrong field puts the sun in the wrong place.
  • Requires the Nishita Sky Texture for the sun disk to render correctly.
  • It does not model atmospheric refraction or terrain shadowing, so horizon-level positions and shadows cast by real topography need manual checks.

Resources​