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In this tutorial, we will show the capabilities and best practices on how to set up the project location, create a roof, place shading objects, and set up safety paths according to your requirements.

Before starting the design process please make sure that the AutoCAD and PVcase Roof mounts units match. In order to check AutoCAD units type "units" in the command line. As you can see we are using meters.

To check PVcase units open the Settings tab. Make sure that the PVcase units match the AutoCAD units. In our case, it is in meters. Example below:

If you want to use different units please choose them from the drop-down menu in Settings or Drawing units windows.

As a first step, the roof location can be defined by opening the Settings menu. To specify the location there are two options:

After the location has been specified, create and set up a roof according to the specifications. This can be done in two ways:

Draw the roof outline and add intersecting ridges from one angle to the one in front of it. Next, use the 'Assign Slope' feature to decrease the edges of the roof.

For a four-sloped roof with a longer ridge in the middle, follow these steps for improved aesthetics and symmetry:

In terms of the L-shaped roof, begin by drawing the basic outline of the L-shaped building with the longer part of the building and the shorter part forming an "L" shape.

Add a ridge running along the longer part of the building, dividing it in the middle. This ridge should extend from one end to the other, crossing the midpoint. Indicate the height of this ridge based on the actual measurements of the building.

Add the leftover ridges on the shorter part of the building. These ridges should connect to the main ridge, forming additional peaks or intersections. Assign heights to these ridges based on the actual design of the building.

Ensure that the heights of all ridges are proportionate and accurately represent the real-life dimensions of the building.

If there is a need for a more complex roof, PVcase offers many more modifications to achieve the required result.

Ridges can be assigned to any roof type. To do so, click on Add ridge; Having chosen this function you will be prompted to select the roof. After the roof is selected press Space or Enter on your keyboard. For the ridge height, we will set it to 16 meters. After the height has been defined, press Space or Enter again and finish up by drawing a ridge using left mouse key to specify the location of the ridge. In our case, we will place it in the middle of the roof. To finalize the action, press Space or Enter on the keyboard once more. If we go back to a 3D view we can see that the ridge was added.

You may also assign a slope to the roof. To do so, click on Assign slope; you will be prompted to select the lower roof edge - click on the lower edge of the roof - after the lower edge is selected, the next step is to select the higher edge using the same method. The last step is to specify the angle of the slope. In our example, we will set it to 6 degrees. To finalize press Space or Enter on the keyboard. If we go back to a 3D view we can see that the slope was added.

There is also an option to change the height of a specific edge of the roof. To do so, click on the Assign height function. You will be prompted to select one of the roof edges. After the edge is selected, you need to specify a new height. In our case, we will use 16 meters. To finalize press Space or Enter on the keyboard.

In addition, there is an option to assign a parapet to the roof. To do so, click on Assign parapet and you will be presented with two different options:

To execute the command click on Slope/Horizontal parapet. You will be prompted to select the roof. Once the roof is selected you will need to define the width of the parapet. For the example, we will leave it at 0.5 meters and press Space or Enter. Then you will need to define the height of the parapet. For the example, we will set it to 0.5 meters and press Space or Enter. Finally, you may define the offset if needed. For this example, we will use 0.5 meters and press Space or Enter on the keyboard to finalize. If we go back to a 3D view we can see that the slope parapet was added.

If the roof is finished but you need to make some last-minute changes to the shape of the roof, you might do that by clicking on the Edit roof function. You will then be prompted to select the roof and press Space or Enter to finalize the selection. The next step is to select the corner of the roof that you need to move and change the location of it.

In case there is a need to add an offset after the roof is finished, specify the dimensions of the offset in the Offset from building side. For example, we will set it to 1 meter and to execute the function choose Select specific you will be prompted to select either one specific edge or the whole building. Finalize the action by clicking Space or Enter on the keyboard.

With PVcase, you may add 3D shading objects that can be used to represent real-world objects that can be found on the roof area and its surroundings. Correctly defined and placed objects will allow you to perform shading analysis to see how they would affect the plant. This information can be used to enable more informed decisions about plant design with respect to these obstacles.

Shading objects can be found in the Create objects menu. After clicking on the function, you will be presented with two options:

To place the shading objects there are two options:

You may draw a safety path on the roof using the Safety path function. Clicking on the Safety path function you will be prompted to specify the width - we will use 2 meters and press space or enter, as a next step you will need to specify the offset from the road, let's make it 0.5 meters and press Space or Enter to finalize the path parameters. After the parameters of the safety path are defined there are two options for how to draw the roads:

Before performing the Shading analysis, ensure that you have included all the necessary objects. In the example design there are predefined shading objects such as skylights that can be added using pick from the dwg function. Also, there are AC stations that can be added using the same function. We will also add several trees near the building by going to Near the roof and using the function add object. Finally, you may convert existing polylines to safety paths. You may switch to a 3D view which will showcase shading objects that were added.

After the roof is finished and all shading objects are added, the shading analysis can be performed. In order to do so, open the Shading analysis menu. In the shading analysis window, you may select the specific location of the project as we did at the beginning of this article. If the location was selected at the beginning of the project, the location does not need to be changed and the specific date and time need to be selected when you want to perform the shading analysis. In order to do so click on the date. For this example, we will choose December 22, and if we click on time we will set it to 11 am. After choosing the time and date the Sun position angle will be calculated automatically.

To perform the shading analysis click On. As you can see in the image below the shadows will be represented in the red boundary.

If needed you can change the time/date or both parameters to get an additional shading projection. In order to execute the function implement the changes and click On. This gives the option to have several critical day projections to evaluate module placement.

If you want to avoid those areas when generating the modules you can leave the shading analysis on and PVcase will not generate any frames in shaded areas.