3D buildings and the sun simulator
Switch the map to a 3D perspective, rotate and tilt with the orbit control, and use the sun simulator to see the sun's position and cast shadows for a chosen date and time.
Switch the map from flat to a 3D perspective and watch buildings rise up out of the terrain. With the sun simulator you pick a date and time and see how the sun's position and the cast shadows fall across the area — a fast way to gauge daylight, sightlines and placement.
1Turn on 3D
Open Map and find the button with the icon at the top of the map. It is labelled Switch to 3D — click it to tilt the map and lift the buildings off the surface.
Switch to 3D — toggles the 3D perspective on/off Layers — opens the map layers panel
When 3D is active, the button changes to Switch to 2D, and you click it again to return to the flat map.
The 3D button is the same on desktop and mobile. On desktop it sits in the top-right corner; on mobile it is in the tools row below the search field.
2Rotate and tilt the perspective
On desktop a compass control appears on the right as soon as 3D is active. It has three parts:
Compass globe — drag to rotate the map (bearing) Tilt slider — drag vertically to pitch the camera (0–85°) Auto-rotate — the map spins around automatically
Drag the compass globe to view the area from a different direction, and use the tilt slider to pitch the camera so you see the facades rather than the roofs. The Auto-rotate button lets the map spin on its own — handy for a quick fly-around or a screenshot.
3Open the sun simulator
Hover the toolbox at the bottom left and click Sun simulation. The Sun & shadows panel opens:
Time — slider from 00:00 to 23:45 (15-minute steps) Month — choose Jan–Dec Set to now — jumps to today's date and the current time
The top of the panel shows the selected time and month plus the sun's altitude, e.g. "34° above horizon". When the sun is low or has set, the text changes to "Below horizon" and the map shifts to a night mood.
4Read the shadows
As you drag the Time slider, the sun moves across the sky and the shadows cast by the buildings update instantly:
- Morning and evening: a low sun casts long shadows that reach far across neighbouring plots.
- Midday: a high sun casts short shadows close to the buildings.
- Month controls how high the sun gets at all — winter months give a markedly lower sun and longer shadows than summer.
Combine this with a tilted 3D angle from the orbit control, and you see both the shape of the buildings and their cast shadows in the same view. That gives a concrete sense of daylight on facades and outdoor areas before you move on to a valuation or a project.
The sun simulator and the orbit control are shown on desktop only. On mobile you can turn on 3D and navigate with touch, but the sun panel and compass control are reserved for the desktop view.
The sun position is calculated for a fixed reference point in Denmark, so the shadows are indicative. Use them to compare times and seasons — not as a centimetre-precise shadow calculation.