If you are using PVCAD Mega, make sure that you are in the correct mode for the project you are designing. If you are designing a large ground mount you should be in Utility Scale mode vs. Standard. Click SETTINGS and select UTILITY SCALE . If you doing a design <5MW or a rooftop select STANDARD. To display all the tools needed for solar project design, click PVCAD on the right side of the ribbon menu.  

Settings

In the top PVCAD ribbon, choose your settings before you start project design. Settings cannot be changed mid-design and getting your settings and workspace organized now will save rework later on.

Template Setup

PVCAD templates streamline the creation of solar project plan sets by automatically transferring design data from your drawings into standardized documents such as site plans, array layouts, single-line diagrams, and simulation reports. This eliminates the need to manually re-enter system data into each document, saving time and reducing errors.

PVComplete has a library of pre-made templates, including support for IronRidge mounting systems, which feature side cutouts and layout elements directly within the model space. These templates can be customized and

extended to meet your project needs.

You can either download a PVCAD template from our website or click LOAD SAMPLE PROJECT and clear layout to gain access to our template. More templates are listed used to initialize new project drawings and ensure consistency across all outputs. You can download and save these templates anywhere on your computer. Just be sure to store them in a location you can easily access later. You may also use our standard AutoCAD DWT templates or modify PVCAD templates to suit your own standards. To add downloaded templates to PVCAD:

1. Open AutoCAD.
2. Select New Drawing from the application menu.
3. When the Select Template window appears, locate the window’s folder location.
4. Copy your downloaded .dwt template files.
5. Right-click within the template window and select Paste.
6. Your templates will now appear as selectable options every time you start a new drawing.

Imperial Templates:

• 11×17 Template
• 24×36 Template

Metric Templates:

• 11×17 Template
• 24×36 Template

Utility Scale Template

Also to ensure PVCAD runs correctly and supports all features, use the Excel-based template files.

• Simulation.xlsx
• SingleLineDiagram.xlsx
• SimulationPVWatts.xlsx

Loading and Assigning Template Properties

If you are looking to load more Properties into your template – you can click EXPAND LIST, add in additional linked information. If you would like to load more properties you can also load directly from an excel file by clicking LOAD PROPERTIES.... Using our template to Load Properties below, you can upload new Template Properties that will show up on the Project tab and then you can assign these properties. Follow the below instructions.

1. Download LoadPropertiesTemplate.xlsx
2. Add, delete, rename all or some of properties in Columns A & B  of the excel file and save this file to your computer
3. Click LOAD PROPERTIES...and upload your new properties file
4. Using CONTROL + F and a window will pop up to properties uploaded to your template. 
5. Observe the properties flowing through your template as you have defined them

Start Project and Set Location

Once you have your template set up, you can start drawing a project from within PVCAD or by importing from PVSketch. Pin your project geo reference as closely as possible to the origin point of your AutoCAD drawing (0,0) and confirm your units are matched correctly in your base – this will avoid any errors if you go to export the design to PVSyst later. Once you have set a project location or imported your project with the below workflow – you are ready to go onto the next tab.

1. To begin, go to Model Space in PVCAD.
2. Run the AutoCAD UNITS command by typing UNITS into the command line and pressing ENTER. In the Units dialog box, confirm or set the desired drawing units, such as feet, meters, or inches, before importing any imagery data.
3. Choose your project location by clicking Set Location in the PVCAD window and click in the model space. You will have three options to set location: MAP, FILE, or importing an image
   • Choosing MAP allows you to set the project location by entering a latitude and longitude or an address using Google Earth.
   • Alternatively, selecting FILE allows a KMZ or KML file to be imported define the project site. You can use the function PVCGEOGRAPHICLOCATION to size the file.
   • Image: Click INSERT in the AutoCAD ribbon, then select the file and ATTACH, select an image and open it. To use DWG or DXF drawings of the project site, simply open them in PVCAD. Just be sure to check the scale to make sure it uses the correct measurement unit, inches or meters. Adjust the unit if necessary using the AutoCAD keyboard command SCALE. Make sure all roof faces are drawn as closed poly shapes. If you are using a PDF, go to the Insert ribbon and use the PDF import button or use PDFIMPORT. Again, check the scale for the unit of measurement.
4. After setting the location or importing the imagery, adjust the model space view to properly size the workspace. To do this, type Z and press ENTER to select the Zoom command and box the area you would like to capture in your screen. This will ensure the imported data fits correctly within model space.

One of he key advantages of PVComplete’s solar design solution is that you enter project data in our ecosystem of tools and never have to manually repeat steps in the design process. If you have started a design in PVSketch (or PVSketch Mega), you can import the site image and sales layout directly. Follow the below instructions:

1. Go to PVSketch and find the project you want to import
2. Click on the REPORTS on the top menu of PVSketch and select EXPORT to PVCAD, then copy the project link.
3. Return to PVCAD, select IMPORT FROM PVSKETCH in the PVCAD ribbon, paste in the project link from PVSketch and select IMPORT.
4. PVCAD will insert the satellite image and sales layout, automatically at the proper scale.

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