Release notes 2.52

📢 What's new

New features

Export terrain surface in LandXML format

We added the ability to export terrain surfaces in LandXML format for power users and detailed designers who need to post-process terrain data in other tools, such as Autodesk Civil3D and AGTEK.

This is often necessary to incorporate hydrological risk mitigation, fine-tune the proposed surface, or merge terrain data processed by different teams.

The advantage of LandXML is that it stores triangulation information. Compared to the existing point cloud export in CSV format, it allows to correctly replicate grading volumes obtained from PVcase Ground Mount in other tools.

How does it work?

In the Ground Grading section of the Civil Analysis menu, you’ll see a new export option available: Export to LandXML.

We look forward to receiving your feedback on this new functionality!

Improvements

Voltage Drop: NEC resistance values added

As the NEC standard operates at a higher temperature (75°C), the resistivity values are slightly different from the IEC standard. We’ve updated the resistance values for Copper to 12.873 ΩCM/ft and Aluminum to 21.182 ΩCM/ft when users select the Voltage Drop calculations in NEC standard.

Voltage Drop calculation

Calculation for voltage drop is performed according to IEC 60364-1 and NEC 2020 Article 690 standards.

In practice, the formula below is applied for a DC string voltage drop (Vdrop) calculation:

Electrical devices: frame groups can be used to select strings

When adding electrical devices to an existing frame group power station, you can now select all the strings within the frame group by simply clicking on its boundary. This makes it easier to reuse the already defined groups. 

Export to Web Viewer is now generally available

The Export to 3D viewer functionality, previously available in the grading tool for heatmap preview, has been consolidated with other export features and renamed to Export to Web Viewer.

You can still share your designs easily by sending a link, and this will now work for any design, whether or not grading has been done. You just need to select the PV areas you’d like to export.

We look forward to receiving your feedback on how we can keep improving sharing and collaboration capabilities.

Sync AutoCAD and PVcase Ground Mount units

To obtain best results when working in PVcase Ground Mount, we recommend using matching distance units between GM and AutoCAD. In order to save time and avoid costly errors, we added a functionality that automatically matched them for you.

How does it work?
In Layout generation settings we’ll automatically highlight if there’s a mismatch between GM and AutoCAD units. If there is, the AutoCAD units can be matched with a click.

You can always check AutoCAD units using the UNITS command.

Cabling: reverted semi-auto stick behavior

In Release 2.51, we made some changes to the cabling algorithm for Semi-Auto cabling, using the Stick option. Given there was a lot of feedback on this update, we decided to revert to the previous behaviour.

Your semi-auto cabling will now behave as it did prior to 2.51.
Thanks for your feedback, and we will keep improving the cabling algorithm to better suit your requirements.

If you have any feedback about how PVcase Ground Mount works, or how you expect it to work, please contact support@pvcase.com.

Minor updates 

• Increased row & column limits in frame creation: up to 300 rows or columns are now allowed.
• Performance improvements for electrical design copy/paste.
• Terrain-following trackers: when selected, the mechanical constraints are implicitly respected.