Shadow study and sun analysis for your section, in 3D
Parcela simulates the sun’s path over your section and casts the real shadows of your proposed massing and the neighbouring buildings — through the day and across the seasons. It is the shadow study an architect usually prepares, available automatically online. New Zealand sits in the southern hemisphere, so the low sun comes from the north — Parcela orients the study correctly.
See the shadow study for my section →How to run a shadow study on a section
- 1Pick the section. Select the section by address, legal description or on the map — Parcela pulls its boundary and the surrounding building context from spatial data.
- 2Place the massing. Define the planned building or start from an A/B/C scenario; the app builds a 3D model on the real terrain of the section.
- 3Review the shadows. See the sun-path and shadow simulation for a chosen day and time — daylight to the rooms, overshadowing of neighbours and rooftop solar potential.
A sun path over the real 3D terrain
Parcela builds the section from the digital elevation model (the LINZ 8 m DEM, or denser regional LiDAR where available) and surrounds it with the geometry of the neighbouring buildings. The sun follows its true southern-hemisphere trajectory for the latitude and date you pick, so the shadows correspond to what you would actually see on the ground.
From daylight to rooftop solar
The same analysis reveals the roof’s solar potential — how many hours of sun each roof plane receives over the year, with overshadowing from the surroundings included — to size a future solar installation. With New Zealand’s high solar resource, a north-facing roof free of overshadowing is a real asset.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a sun study and a shadow study?
A sun study tracks how long a point is lit by the sun; a shadow study shows the shadow your massing casts onto its surroundings; overshadowing is the loss of light a neighbouring building or the terrain imposes on the section. Parcela handles all three in one 3D model.
Does the study account for the height-in-relation-to-boundary rule?
Yes. The 3D massing respects the district plan’s height in relation to boundary (recession plane) controls and yard setbacks, so you can see whether a design both fits the envelope and avoids overshadowing the neighbours — the two issues most likely to trigger a resource consent.
Can I use this for a resource consent application?
The Parcela study is a fast design and due-diligence tool. A formal shadow/recession-plane assessment submitted to a council with a resource consent must be prepared by a qualified professional — but Parcela lets you catch an overshadowing or recession-plane problem very early.
Why study shadows before buying a section?
A tall building to the north can permanently overshadow a section, undermine daylight to living spaces and cut the return on rooftop solar. It is far cheaper to check before you buy than to discover it on site.