Free Software (for Windows 2000/XP)

The introduction to the Shadow Analyzer Collection:

•  3D Message Free -- a simple 3D tool for beginners [without the texture management]

The installation package of 3D Message Free contains the documentation for the entire Shadow Analyzer Collection.

The Shadow Analyzer Collection (for Windows 2000/XP)

The Shadow Analyzer Collection includes the following products:

•  3D Message -- a simple 3D drawing tool for everyday communications [shadows only on the plane landscape]
•  3D Draw Shadows -- a 3D drawing tool with shadow effects
•  Shadow Visualizer -- a CAD tool with the visualization of natural shadows that the objects cast during a day
•  Shadow Analyzer -- an advanced CAD tool for professionals in the area of Solar Energy

Click on links above to read more details about each product.

Each product is a stand-alone tool that does not depend on any other applications or any third-party packages.

The installation package of each product contains the documentation for the entire Shadow Analyzer Collection.

Note that usually you do not need more than one product of the Shadow Analyzer Collection, because each next product in the sequence 3D Message, 3D Draw Shadows, Shadow Visualizer, Shadow Analyzer is "higher" than the previous one and contains all the features of "lower" products.

All products of the Shadow Analyzer Collection have the advanced parametric CAD features that allow you to compose scenes, populate them with objects, change object dimensions, location, orientation, colors, and reflectivities. You can also apply textures to objects' surfaces. After all the transformations, you can save scenes in files. 

All the products have common elements of the user interface for the scene management. A combination of combo boxes allows easily find and select objects, their types, parameters, coordinates, and their places in the CS hierarchy. You can transform objects smoothly and continually using Spin controls to change their parameters.

All the products have compatible file formats with the same (.sa1) file extension. The scene files are amazingly small (only a few kilobytes). You can send them by email. Your recipients do not need to buy any product to read your 3D messages -- they can use the Trial version as a free viewer to view your scenes (we recommend 3D Draw Shadows Trial for this purpose).

Read the documentation

The detailed description of all products of the Shadow Analyzer Collection is compiled in a single Help file "SA_Collection_Help.chm" that is designed in HTML Help format.

This file is included in each product as well as in the Trial version of each product. However, you can separately download it, using the following link:

DOWNLOAD "SA_Collection_Help.chm"

Try before you buy

Each product has its own feature-limited (time-unlimited) Trial version. In the Trial version, you can try the user interface and can train yourself in how to compose new scenes, but you cannot save scenes in files.

Each Trial version of a product is delivered as a self-extracting installation Setup program with the corresponding name and the suffix TW (trial ware) delimited by underscores like "Product_Name_TW_Setup.exe".

You can download Trial versions of products, using the following links:

DOWNLOAD "3D_Message_TW_Setup.exe"

DOWNLOAD "3D_Draw_Shadows_TW_Setup.exe"

DOWNLOAD "Shadow_Visualizer_TW_Setup.exe"

DOWNLOAD "Shadow_Analyzer_TW_Setup.exe"

See the Installation instruction below.

The Trial version constraints

• In the Trial version of any product of the Shadow Analyzer Collection, you cannot save scenes in files.
• The appearance of a scene in a Trial version depends on the product, by which the scene was created. For example, all scenes created by 3D Message appear in a Trial version of any product without shadows.
• In a Trial version you cannot copy objects from a scene created by a "lower" product. For example, in the Trial version of Shadow Visualizer, you cannot copy objects from a scene created by 3D Message or 3D Draw Shadows.

Some other constraints are specific to the corresponding products:

• You cannot change the light source elevation in Trial versions of 3D Message and 3D Draw Shadows
• You cannot change the geographical latitude and the date in Trial versions of Shadow Visualizer and Shadow Analyzer.
• Shadow Analyzer Trial analyzes solar collector systems in scenes created only by Shadow Analyzer.

Installation

Before the installation

Usually, you do not need more than one product of the Shadow Analyzer Collection. However, you can try several Trial versions of different products. Note that each new installation overwrites the association between the (.sa1) file extension and the corresponding executable program inside the file manager settings.

Before each new installation, it is better (but not necessary) to uninstall the previous Trial version using its uninstallation program to save your hard disc space, remove the redundant icons from your Programs menu and the Desktop screen, and remove the obsolete registry settings.

Installation

Run the corresponding installation program.

The quickest way to install the product (or its Trial version) is to click the "No-Questions-Asked Installation" button. You will be asked to accept the license agreement, and then the product will be installed immediately. No technical questions will be asked.

By default, the setup program will install everything. If you want to exclude certain items, such as the examples of the scene files, click on the "Select Components" button.

If you want to change the default installation folder as well as select which components should be installed, click on the "Advanced Options Installation" button.

After the installation

After the installation, the installation folder will contain the sub folder "Docs" with the Help file "SA_Collection_Help.chm" and the sub folder "Examples" with some examples of the scene (.sa1) files. To find the location of the installed folders, run the installed product and use the menu item "File / Folder Architecture...".

Online store

Each product of the Shadow Analyzer Collection is delivered as a self-extracting Setup installation program with the corresponding name delimited by underscores like "Product_Name_Setup.exe":

"3D_Message_Setup.exe"
"3D_Draw_Shadows_Setup.exe"
"Shadow_Visualizer_Setup.exe"
"Shadow_Analyzer_Setup.exe"

Choose a product from the following list:

3D Message

3D Draw Shadows

Shadow Visualizer

Shadow Analyzer

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