I Download and install Shadows

Shadows

is

available

from

the

Internet

web

site

www.shadowspro.com. You can download for free on the page

www.shadowspro.com/gb/download.htm.

The downloaded file, shadows.exe, is the installation software.

One downloaded, launch the installation by double-clicking on the
icon of shadows.exe.

1.
On the first screen, select
the language used during
installation, then click on
OK.

2.

3.

On the welcome screen,

click on Next >

Read carefully the license

text then click on the
button I accept the
agreement and click on
Next >

4.

5.

Click on Next >

The installation is now

finished.

(you may change the

destination folder)

Click on Finish

Click on Next > until the

installation is launched.

Shadows is then automatically launched (unless in the previous step, you unchecked the option Launch Shadows).In case of trouble,
you will find advices on the page www.shadowspro.com/gb/faq.htm
Later, launch Shadows from Start button > All programs > Shadows 3.1 > Shadows

II Installing a Shadows Expert or Shadows Pro license

Shadows Pro and Shadows Expert are two advanced levels of Shadows. The complete list of features of each level can be found on
the page www.shadowspro.com/gb/functions.htm. The license can be bought by Internet on the page
www.shadowspro.com/gb/order.htm. In case of trouble with the installation, you will find advices on the page
www.shadowspro.com/gb/faq.htm. The following explanations are valid for version 3.0.2 and followings. If needed, download the
latest versions on the page www.shadowspro.com/gb/download.htm

1.

2.

Click on the right

button of the mouse on
the attachment name
and select Open.

Open the file with

Notepad and select all
the text by CTRL-A and
copy it by CTRL-C.

3.

4.

Open the Help menu

then select

In the dialog, click on

the button Paste the
license code...

Information about
the Shadows
license...

Your personal
information is then
displayed in the dialog,
confirming that the
license has been
successfully loaded.

Quick start guide of Shadows Franois Blateyron, March 2009 www.shadowspro.com page 1 of 4

III Before starting

Before you start exploring Shadows, you can discover its features by reading the help
file which contains a lot of information. To open the help, launch Shadows, then go to
the Help menu and select Help content.
At the top left of each help page, a link allows you to come back to the main content
page. Another link drives you to the glossary of technical terms. At the bottom of almost
all pages, other links will give you further explanations.
You can search for keywords by selecting Search the help for a keyword in the
Help menu in Shadows. Results are given as a list of links to relevant pages.
Do not hesitate to read this help when you have a question. In almost all dialogs of the
program, a Help button allows you to display the relevant help page.

IV Create and configure a declining vertical sundial

1.

2.

Create a sundial by clicking

on the first button on the left
of the toolbar.

In the first screen, select

the location where you
intend to install the
sundial.

Or open the File menu and

select Create a sundial...

If the location you want

does not exist, you can
create it by clicking on
Add a location...

3.
In the following screen, select the type of sundial you want to create. Sundials with a polar style
are the most classical ones; they can be oriented and reclined as you wish. Analemmatic sundials
are large ellipses. The cylindrical sundials family contains the shepherd dial or the equatorial ring.
The following screens depend on the type of selected sundial.
Choose Plane sundial with polar style. Click on Next >

4.
Click in the first list on Vertical, then on the right list Declining vertical.
In the box Wall declinaison enter the declination in degrees and minutes. Do not enter
negative values. Select the orientation between East and West. The declination is counted from
0 when facing South, until 180 crossing East or West.
Click on Next >

5.
The newly created sundial is then displayed immediately. Here the sundial is declining by 25
towards East.
You can change the number of hour lines by clicking on the icons
Declination arcs can be hidden or displayed by clicking on the icon
of drawings can be set by clicking on the icon
the hours can be modified by clicking on the icon

in the toolbar.
. The color or the thickness

. The size and style of characters used to scale

.

Quick start guide of Shadows Franois Blateyron, March 2009 www.shadowspro.com page 2 of 4

6.
When the sundial is created, it displays Local Solar Time. But Shadows can display a lot of
different sort of drawings. To change them, go to the Configuration menu and select
Information given by the sundial... or click on the icon

In this dialog, you can select for example the watch time (mean hour with longitude correction)
and superimpose special hours (italic, babylonic, sidereal, temporary), or even draw curves of
azimuth and altitude of the Sun.

Mean time of the Time zone,

Italic and babylonic hours

Declination arcs are drawn, by

default, for each Zodiac sign
change; it is the usual way to
represent the path of the Sun
every 30 of ecliptic longitude.
Other settings are possible
from the menu Drawings and
Declination
Options...

Azimuth and altitude of the Sun

Lots of sundials have

an analemma curve at
noon.
To display it, go to
menu Drawings and
Analemma Options...

lines

In this dialog box, arcs can be drawn for the solstices and equinoxes, If you want an analemma curve at each hour, you need to select
for decans, for every 5 or 10 of declination of the Sun, or for days a sundial indicating Mean Time (see above, step 6)
of each month.
It is possible to add a motto on
the sundial from the menu
Frames and Insert a Text
Frame.
In the next dialog box, click on
the button: A motto... and
select a motto from the list,
and validate by clicking on OK.
Change the text appearance by
clicking on the button: Text
style...
The frame can be moved and
resized with the mouse.

Quick start guide of Shadows Franois Blateyron, March 2009 www.shadowspro.com page 3 of 4

Simulate the shadow cast on

the sundial by selecting the
menu Tools and Animate
the Styles Shadow.

In case of a vertical
sundial, it is possible to
change its orientation by

Control the animation from

the following dialog box:

On a inclined-declining
sundial it is also possible
to change the inclination /
reclination.

In order to realize the sundial

on real materials, you can print
it to scale to transfer the
drawings onto the material, or
print the coordinate table of
hour lines to draw then with a
ruler and a protractor.

It is common to display
the 8-shape curve of the
equation of time besides
the sundial to allow a
visitor to apply the time
correction between Solar
time and Mean time.

clicking on

V Create an astrolabe
1.

2.

Click on the second button at

the left side of the tool bar.

The selection of a
location is used to
determine for which
latitude the astrolabe
plate will be created.

Or got to the menu File and

select
Create
an
Astrolabe...

3.

4.

After the creation, the

astrolabe face is displayed.

You can display the back

of the astrolabe by

You can rotate the Rete by

clicking and drag the point
located around 270 on the
ecliptic circle, or use the Up
and Down arrows of the
keyboard and maintain the
CTRL key pressed down.

clicking on
or use
the
Configuration
menu.

VI Further steps
The official web site of the Shadows software: www.shadowspro.com
The on-line help: www.shadowspro.com/help/fr/contents.html
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: www.shadowspro.com/fr/faq.htm
A portal on sundials: www.cadrans-solaires.org

Quick start guide of Shadows Franois Blateyron, March 2009 www.shadowspro.com page 4 of 4