AutoCAD-Native Solar Design
Terrain to construction
in one AutoCAD file
PVX.Cad runs inside AutoCAD 2020+. Terrain analysis, grading, layout, cable routing, and construction exports without ever leaving your CAD environment. All data stays on your machine.
Request a Demo + Free TrialEvery handoff from AutoCAD costs engineering time and causes rework
Most solar design workflows involve exporting terrain data out of AutoCAD, running it through a separate tool, then manually transferring results back for construction documentation. Every export-import cycle introduces data loss, version mismatches, and rework. One project with 15 design iterations and 3 handoffs per iteration means 45 data-transfer points where errors can enter the model.
Terrain data that starts at full LiDAR resolution gets simplified in the layout tool. Cable routes calculated in one coordinate system don't align with the civil drawings in another. The construction team receives a design package assembled from pieces that were never in the same AutoCAD file, and discovers the site doesn't match the model after mobilization.
Solar represents 69% of new US energy capacity, but engineering headcount has not scaled to match. Design teams can't afford weeks of manual iteration and rework between disconnected tools. Solar design in AutoCAD needs to happen in one file.
PVX.Cad: complete solar design inside AutoCAD
Topo surface to slope map in AutoCAD
Import LiDAR, contours, or survey points directly. PVX.Cad reconstructs a grid surface at configurable resolution and runs slope analysis across the full site envelope.
Compare three grading approaches inside AutoCAD
Full-terrain smoothing, pile-adaptive grading, and table splitting evaluated side by side with real cost calculations. All inside the same AutoCAD session, same file.
DC cabling with real trench corridors
Automated cable routing for Line, U-String, and Leapfrog topologies. Voltage drop calculated per string, per cable cross-section. $430K cost difference on one 130 MWp project.
Pile coordinates to PVsyst in one file
Export DWG for construction, LandXML for civil contractors, PVsyst-compatible data for yield simulation, and CSV schedules for procurement. All from one source of truth.
One site. Three grading approaches. $727K difference.
On a utility-scale project with 44% hard rock and slopes reaching 40-45%, PVX.Cad compared three grading approaches on the same site, same panels, same capacity:
| Approach | Cut Volume | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Full-terrain smoothing | 118,225 m3 | $1,062,481 |
| Pile-adaptive grading | 48,109 m3 | $438,046 |
| Table splitting + pile-adaptive | 34,819 m3 | $335,376 |
70% less earthwork. $727K saved. Max cut depth reduced from 3.0m to 0.8m. All analyzed, compared, and exported from one AutoCAD file.
One AutoCAD file. Zero handoffs. Zero rework.
AutoCAD is where your civil drawings live. PVX.Cad analysis runs inside the same file, so your electrical design, grading plan, and construction schedules stay synchronized. Everything generated from a single DWG:
- ✓ Terrain analysis with slope maps and soil classification
- ✓ Grading contours and cut/fill surfaces (DWG, LandXML)
- ✓ Terrain-aware panel layout with rack placement
- ✓ DC cable routing with multi-topology comparison
- ✓ Pile coordinates with terrain-corrected elevations (CSV)
- ✓ PVsyst export with module-by-module positions
3.8 TWp of utility-scale solar capacity designed with PVX.AI across 40+ countries. All inside AutoCAD.
See PVX.Cad running inside AutoCAD
Book a 30-minute demo with your terrain file. We'll run the full workflow live in AutoCAD. Every demo includes a 2-week free trial.