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Online Terrain Import

Jonas Žemaitaitis
Updated

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Online Terrain Import

You may start working on your project even without having the final topographic data ready. PVcase has introduced a feature called Online Terrain Import which allows the user to import basic topography from the Google global terrain database to perform the preliminary design.

Function location

The function can be found in the PVcase ribbon under the Import terrain button.
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Online Terrain Import

The Online Import terrain function can be used in two ways:

  • If the drawing already has a geolocation point defined, you may click on the Import Terrain button and the software will ask you to choose the predefined polygon or press the ESC key and draw the polyline around the working area. After the area is defined press Space or Enter on the keyboard to finalize. The terrain data will be imported and set as the active surface in PVcase.

  • If the drawing does not have a geolocation point defined, you may click on Import Terrain. The location selection tab will appear on the screen where you will be able to specify the location. You may also enter the name of the nearest town to the site. To finalize the selection click OK. The next step is to specify the reference point. To do so choose the desired position and left-click; Having done so you will get a pop-up menu asking you if you want to turn on the Online Map. To proceed, click YES. To finalize, the software will ask you to choose the predefined polygon or press the ESC key and draw the polyline around the working area. After the area is defined press Space or Enter on the keyboard to finalize. The terrain data will be imported and set as the active surface in PVcase.

Suggestions


When working on an existing drawing, we recommend making this an easily identifiable reference point, such as a nearby house. Click OK to continue.

The same point will need to be specified in the model space. It is up to the user where to place the point. For a new drawing, it can be the coordinates 0,0. For an existing drawing, choose the matching reference point that was specified in the Geolocation tab.
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The AutoCAD Georeference point (red circle) will be placed automatically in the designated point. The default coordinate system is UTM84. Advanced users can modify this in the AutoCAD Geolocation ribbon tab.
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As a final step, draw the polyline around chosen area. The terrain will be imported and set as the active terrain in PVcase.
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After the terrain has been imported, the Terrain Mesh can be used to visualize the terrain surface.
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