Platform Features

Every step from raw terrain to bankable design

PVX.AI covers the full utility-scale solar workflow inside AutoCAD: terrain import and analysis, grading, layout, electrical design, battery storage, and exports that feed PVsyst, construction, and stakeholders. Eight capability areas, one connected system.

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Terrain & Site Intelligence

PVX.AI imports terrain from whatever source your site data exists in: Google Earth KML/KMZ with automatic georeferencing, drone LAS/LAZ point clouds, TXT/CSV elevation points, or contours already drawn in AutoCAD. Once terrain is loaded, hydrology, soil compaction, and directional slope analysis show what the ground will do to your design before you place a single rack.

  • KML/KMZ import with automatic georeferencing and a live satellite base map.
  • Hydrology analysis: drainage channels, flow direction, and transformer placement suitability zones.
  • Soil compaction hardness map with a driving and pull-out value breakdown table.
  • Directional slope maps (N-S and E-W) and contour generation from the same surface.
  • 3D scene objects (trees, structures, HV lines) for accurate shading obstructions.
Deep dive: Terrain analysis and site intelligence →

Grading & Earthworks

PVX.AI balances cut and fill for utility-scale sites inside AutoCAD. Set max slopes per direction, pick a balance method, and build the graded surface, with cut and fill volumes reported on every run. Pile-adapted grading fixes only the rows that violate pile length or clearance limits, leaving the rest of the site untouched. On one project, comparing three grading approaches cut earthwork volume 70%, from 118,000 m3 to 35,000 m3, saving $727K.

  • Cut/Fill Ratio slider (balanced smoothing) or a Max Fill Height cap for a hard fill ceiling.
  • Pile-adapted grading touches only the ground under tables that violate pile or clearance limits.
  • Cut/fill map colors every mesh triangle, with volume and depth per triangle.
  • Earthworks CSV export (NGL, FGL, difference) and pre/post-grading PVsyst-compatible terrain CSV.
  • Volumes flow into the Bill of Quantities civil works sheet.
Deep dive: Grading and earthworks optimization →

Layout & Racking

PVX.AI places fixed-tilt, East-West, and single-axis tracker racks on real 3D terrain, including terrain-following trackers that bend at joints to follow rolling or steep ground. Row pitch can be fixed or calculated dynamically from sun position, slope limits are respected per direction, and Capacity Iteration sweeps spacing and tilt to hit a target capacity. Design Wizard builds a full concept design, tables, roads, cables, and equipment, in one pass.

  • One rack catalog for fixed, East-West dome, and single- or multi-row tracker systems.
  • Terrain-following trackers with a live constraint-check simulation before placement.
  • Dynamic Pitch: row spacing calculated from sun position for a chosen date and time window.
  • Capacity Iteration sweeps spacing, GCR, or shading angle against a capacity target.
  • Design Wizard auto-generates a complete concept layout with roads, cables, and equipment.
Deep dive: Terrain-aware layout and racking →

Electrical Design

The five-step flow runs in one scrolling panel: build reusable stringing presets, scope the strings, configure the transformer and inverter hierarchy, place devices, then trench and cable. PVX.AI sizes every cable to a voltage-drop target, flags string-sizing issues against PVsyst rules as you go, and draws the completed design as an IEC-60617 single line diagram. On one project, comparing cable topologies cut cable runs 14% and saved $430K.

  • Reusable stringing presets: Single Row, U-Stringing, Leap Frog, or fully custom patterns.
  • PVsyst sizing badge checks cold Voc against max system voltage and hot/cool Vmp against the inverter MPPT window.
  • Auto (cloud) or manual device placement, with trenches routed along service roads.
  • Cables sized to a voltage-drop target under IEC or NEC, copper or aluminum.
  • One-click IEC-60617 single line diagram, aggregated or full detail, including BESS clusters.
Deep dive: Electrical design from strings to SLD →

Battery Storage (BESS)

PVX.AI designs utility-scale battery storage inside AutoCAD, alongside a PV plant or standalone. Container placement is checked against NFPA 855 and IFC rules with citation-level provenance, augmentation is planned with reserve pads from day one, and every pad is graded and fire-laned, with noise contours modeled around the site. The design carries through cabling, the single line diagram, yield, and the Bill of Quantities.

  • Fire-code rule-sets: NFPA 855 (2020/2023/2026), IFC (2018/2021/2024), or manufacturer-only.
  • Auto-placement preview with a validation badge before anything commits.
  • Augmentation planner sizes future MWh and recommends reserve pads against transformer loading.
  • Pad grading, fire lane regeneration, vegetation clearance rings, and 45/55/65 dBA noise contours.
  • Runs standalone with zero PV areas, using the same workflow end to end.
Deep dive: Code-aware BESS design →

Assessment & Yield Reports

When the PVX.Cad design is complete, submit it to PVX.Assess as a queued cloud job. PVX.Assess evaluates the project risks and returns a comprehensive PDF with the layout study, monthly DC/AC energy, P50/P90 yield, Performance Ratio, capacity factor, BESS results, and financial analysis. Report generation can take up to 30 minutes.

  • Final project assessment generated from the completed PVX.Cad design.
  • Queued cloud submission with Queued, Running, and Completed status tracking.
  • PDF report: monthly climate and production, specific yield, PR, capacity factor, loss diagrams.
  • Financial analysis: NPV, IRR, LCOE, DSCR, and payback period.
  • BESS results populated from the battery system in the completed design, where applicable.
Deep dive: PVX.Assess →

Exports & PVsyst Integration

PVX.AI is built to feed PVsyst, the industry standard for yield simulation. Modules import from PAN files and inverters from OND files, and finished designs export as PVCollada, including PVC 2.0 with the full electrical hierarchy, 3D device bodies, and terrain mesh. Beyond PVsyst, PVX.AI exports the Bill of Quantities, pile procurement workbooks, cable schedules, Google Earth KML, and a shareable web viewer.

  • PAN and OND import for modules and inverters, or manual entry.
  • PVCollada 2.0 (.pvc2): full electrical hierarchy, 3D device bodies, terrain mesh, always in meters.
  • Four-sheet Bill of Quantities (XLS): Main Equipment, Civil Works, Electrical System, Miscellaneous.
  • Pile procurement workbook with live Excel formulas: Inputs, Pile Schedule, BoQ, Procurement.
  • Google Earth KML export and one-click shareable web publish.
Deep dive: PVsyst integration and design exports →

Works Inside AutoCAD

PVX.AI is a native AutoCAD plugin, not a separate application to learn. It runs in AutoCAD 2021 through 2027, in five interface languages, and reads the drawing's own unit system, metric or imperial, for every dialog, export, and report. An in-app AI assistant and guided onboarding help new users get productive in the environment your team already uses every day.

  • Native plugin installed per user for AutoCAD 2021 through 2027.
  • Five interface languages, with metric and imperial unit support throughout.
  • Guided onboarding for new users and teams switching from other CAD tools.
  • In-app AI assistant for questions while you design.
  • One file, one environment: terrain, grading, layout, electrical, and BESS in the same drawing.
Deep dive: PVX.Cad →

See PVX.AI on your site data

Book a 30-minute demo with your terrain file. We run grading analysis, layout optimization, and a cable topology comparison live. Every demo includes a 2-week free trial.