PVX.AI is a professional AutoCAD extension for end-to-end solar site design. It helps engineering teams move from survey data to build-ready layouts with clarity and control, bringing terrain modeling, rack/row definition, layout generation, electrical checks, and export handoffs into one consistent workflow. The extension is designed for field engineers, CAD operators, and project managers who need repeatable, audit-friendly outputs and who prefer decisions grounded in standards rather than guesswork.
Getting started is straightforward. You install PVX.AI, activate your license inside AutoCAD, and keep the extension current through the update command. Once the PVX ribbon is visible, you work entirely in AutoCAD with familiar drawings and layers, while PVX handles the heavy lifting behind the scenes. The interface references clear, explicit labels, so parameters and results are always visible and traceable.
PVX.AI ingests the data that matter for solar. You can import KML boundaries, roads, and exclusions to establish the project envelope; bring in drone point clouds alongside contour lines and surveyed Z-points to build an accurate surface; and add georeferenced imagery and elevation data to complete the picture. Coordinate reference systems and units are respected end-to-end, enabling you to consolidate disparate sources without guesswork or drift.
Once data are in, PVX.AI gives you deep terrain understanding before you place a single row. Multi-directional terrain analysis reveals slope magnitude and direction across the site, while smoothing and grading tools let you evaluate whether to ease micro-roughness or reshape larger areas. Cut/Fill Before–After Analysis quantifies volumes immediately, and a dedicated application map turns those numbers into actionable staking areas. Drainage analysis traces natural flow paths so you avoid ponding and protect access routes, and soil compaction checks highlight zones that could challenge piling. When you need to compare changes, you can toggle views and, where relevant, preserve the baseline using Keep Original Terrain.
Design constraints are made explicit. Within PVX.AI you define PV build areas, draw and edit roads, and mark exclusions for setbacks, floodways, or obstacles. These become hard rules for the layout engine, ensuring future edits and optimizations do not accidentally violate what the civil team or authorities require. The software’s defaults reflect common utility-scale practice and you can override them as your standards evolve.
Rack/row definitions are fully parametric. You can create fixed racks in simple or detailed forms, controlling module geometry, clearances, and pile spacing, and you can configure single-row, terrain-following trackers with practical slope tolerances. These saved definitions act as your library, so the same assumptions flow into every layout and export without manual rework. Because definitions are consistent, downstream electrical and construction steps benefit from fewer mismatches and cleaner bill-of-materials work.
Layout is both fast and defensible. Fixed-distance layouts place rows at a constant pitch when constructability and uniformity are paramount. Dynamic layouts adapt spacing to solar geometry within a defined date and time window to improve density without compromising access or operations. After generation, you can move, copy, and adapt rows to align with roads or drainage while staying within PV areas. A conversion tool lifts any design into 3D so you can verify pile heights and clearances on the actual surface, and conflict detection pinpoints overlaps with roads, exclusions, or slope limits before they become field problems.
Electrical checks are built in where they add the most value. PVX.AI calculates DC cable losses at 1500 V, helping you maintain ≤0.6% voltage drop across strings and feeders and iterate conductor sizes with real distances from your actual layout. This keeps BOS decisions tied to reality instead of estimates and catches edge cases that appear only once the geometry is final.
Interoperability is a first-class concern. PVX.AI exports terrain and design geometry directly to PVsyst so your simulation flow is clean, and you can import PVsyst designs back into AutoCAD to continue refining without losing context. For construction and stakeholder review, the extension exports Pile Coordinates as CSV and publishes Google Earth KML overlays so clients and site teams can validate in familiar tools. These packages are meant to move smoothly from engineering to survey to build.
Throughout the workflow, PVX.AI provides contextual guidance inside the product so teams can work faster without leaving AutoCAD. The goal is not to replace engineering judgment but to raise the floor and expose the right parameters at the right time, and make it easy to defend why a design looks the way it does. When you update the extension, the guidance and defaults stay aligned so projects begun on one version continue predictably on the next.
PVX.AI is built for long-term projects and teams that value clarity over cleverness. By grounding each step in explicit parameters, conservative defaults, and reproducible outputs, the extension helps you deliver layouts that are constructible, compliant, and ready for simulation and staking without hand-waving. If your work depends on precise terrain understanding, robust rack/row placement, disciplined electrical checks, and clean handoffs, PVX.AI keeps it all in one place inside the CAD environment your team already knows.