This tool performs a hillshade operation (also called shaded relief) on an input digital elevation model (DEM) with multiple sources of illumination. The user must input a DEM (`dem`). Other parameters that must be specified include the altitude of the illumination sources (`altitude`; i.e. the elevation of the sun above the horizon, measured as an angle from 0 to 90 degrees) and the Z conversion factor (`zfactor`). The Z conversion factor is only important when the vertical and horizontal units are not the same in the DEM, and the DEM is in a projected coordinate system. When this is the case, the algorithm will multiply each elevation in the DEM by the Z conversion factor.

The hillshade value (HS) of a DEM grid cell is calculate as:

> HS = tan(s) / [1 - tan(s)2]0.5 x [sin(Alt) / tan(s) - cos(Alt) x sin(Az - a)]

where s and a are the local slope gradient and aspect (orientation) respectively and Alt and Az are the illumination source altitude and azimuth respectively. Slope and aspect are calculated using Horn's (1981) 3rd-order finate difference method.

Lastly, the user must specify whether or not to use full 360-degrees of illumination sources (`full_mode`). When this flag is not specified, the tool will perform a weighted summation of the hillshade images from four illumination azimuth positions at 225, 270, 315, and 360 (0) degrees, given weights of 0.1, 0.4, 0.4, and 0.1 respectively. When run in the full 360-degree mode, eight illumination source azimuths are used to calculate the output at 0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270, and 315 degrees, with weights of 0.15, 0.125, 0.1, 0.05, 0.1, 0.125, 0.15, and 0.2 respectively.

Classic hillshade (Azimuth=315, Altitude=45.0)

Multi-directional hillshade (Altitude=45.0, Four-direction mode)

Multi-directional hillshade (Altitude=45.0, 360-degree mode)

## See Also

hillshade, hypsometrically_tinted_hillshade, aspect, slope

## Function Signature

`def multidirectional_hillshade(self, dem: Raster, altitude: float = 30.0, z_factor: float = 1.0, full_360_mode: bool = False) -> Raster: ...`

## Project Links

WbW Homepage User Manual Support WbW