Features List of Shadows Levels


Shadows calculates and draws sundials and astrolabes. It can also provide solar and lunar ephemeris, graphs of the equation of time, graph of the duration of days, maps of the sky, etc. Shadows is first of all a free software, well known for its ease of use. Thousands of people use Shadows worldwide, as simple amateurs or as professionals.

Read their testimonies and view the sundials they made with Shadows.

The Shadows software and its author received several prizes, amongst which, the Sawyer Dialing Prize awarded by the North American Sundial Society and the Julien Saget Medal awarded by the Société Astronomique de France (French Astronomy Society).


Shadows

Shadows in its basic level is free. It comes with a powerful set of functions and a fully illustrated user manual.

Detailed features

Shadows Expert

Shadows Expert is a level dedicated to people who want to access to more advanced functions in the program.

Detailed features

Shadows Pro

Shadows Pro is the most advanced level and is made for professional sundial makers and power users interested in astrolabes.

Detailed features


Shadows

  • Plane sundials with polar style (horizontal, vertical declining, equatorial, polar, meridian)
  • Sundial drawn to scale 1, of any size and any orientation or reclination
  • Compatible with any location on Earth, in northern or southern hemisphere (6000+ locations installed)
  • Style drawn to scale 1
  • Tables of coordinates of hour line points and declination arcs
  • Lines of solar or mean time, with or without longitude correction
  • Text frames that can be moved and resized on the sundial, with preinstalled list of mottoes
  • Equation of time drawn in various forms
  • Drawing of a protractor and azimuth circle
  • Export of data in Excel format
  • Copy-paste of images in bitmap format
  • Fully illustrated 150-page user manual
  • User interface translated in 17 languages




Shadows Expert

Get access to features locked by yellow lockers
Features in addition to those of Shadows:

  • Inclined and declining sundial, declining polar sundial, spider sundial
  • Analemmatic sundials
  • Cylindrical sundials
  • Spider sundial
  • Ephemeris tables
  • Italic hours, Babylonic hours,
  • Insertion of image frames on the sundial
  • Sundial plate can be circular/elliptic, hexagonal or octogonal
  • Export and copy-paste of drawing layout in EMF (vector format)
  • Drawing of the construction layout of a sundial
  • Simulation of the roof's shadow on the sundial
  • Change of orientation and reclination of a sundial
  • Tool for the determination of the wall's declination
  • Direction rose, map of the sky
  • Mariner's astrolabe
  • Stars finder map
  • Two-year maintenance plan on the license

Upgrade to Shadows Expert




Shadows Pro

Get access to features locked by yellow and red lockers
Features in addition to those of Shadows Expert:

  • Planispheric astrolabe, universal astrolabe
  • Vertical declining analemmatic sundial
  • Bifilar sundials
  • Interactive 3D view of sundials and multiple sundials
  • Export of the 3D model to OBJ format, compatible 3D printing
  • Drawing of azimuth and altitude lines on the sundial
  • Sidereal hours, unequal hours
  • Colored background outside solstice arcs
  • Colored background between declination arcs
  • Solar graph (azimuth-altitude) with horizon mask
  • Lunar ephemeris
  • Export of drawing layout in DXF (AutoCAD)
  • Export of animations in AVI
  • Tool for the calculation of sundial parameters from a photo
  • Efficiency graph of a solar pannel
  • License can be installed on two of your PCs

Upgrade to Shadows Pro






Feature

Shadows

Free

Shadows Expert

20 EUR

Shadows Pro

50 EUR
Database of 6000+ cities with latitude, longitude and time zone
User manual in English, 150 pages in color
User manual in French, German, Spanish, Czech
User interface translated in 17 languages
Compatible with Windows 11/10, Windows 8.x and Windows 7
Classical sundial, horizontal, vertical due south or declining
Classical sundial, equatorial or polar
Hour lines of solar or mean time
Declination lines
Declination line for an anniversary date
Analemma curves (8-shaped)
Export of data tables in Excel format
Copy-paste of images in bitmap format
Moveable free text frames
Catalog of 950+ mottoes in Latin, English, French, ...
Graph of the Equation of Time
Drawing of a large size protractor
Animation of the style' shadow
Rectangle or square sundial plate
Elliptical, hexagonal or octogonal sundial plate
Declining-reclining sundial, declining polar sundial
Spider sundial
Italic and Babylonian lines
Declination lines for declination angles or dates
Declination lines for multiple anniversary dates
Noon hour line for another location
Image and clipart frames for decoration
Export and copy-past of images in EMF (vector format)
Analemmatic sundial, horizontal or vertical
Shepherd's dial, polar cylindrical sundial
Armillary ring, vertical cylindrical sundial
Simulation of the shadow of a roof on the sundial
Mariner astrolabe
Solar ephemeris
Direction rose
Map of sky, star finder
Interactive 3D view of sundials
3D view of multiple sundials
Export of 3D model to OBJ format, compatible with 3D printing
Simulation of realistic styles and shadows
Unequal hours, sidereal hours
Arcs of solar azimuth and altitude
Colored background outside solstices
Colored background between declination arcs
Solar graph (altitude-azimuth of Sun over the year)
Tool for calculating vertical sundial parameters from a photo
Tool for calculating horizontal sundial parameters from hour line angles
Lunar ephemeris
Generator of ephemeris tables
Bifilar sundials
Planispheric astrolabe
Universal astrolabe
Export drawings in DXF (AutoCAD) for driving CNC machines
2-year warranty on the license (Maintenance plan)
License can be installed on only 1 PC
License can be installed on 2 PCs
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