Overview
PVX.AI works in feet drawings from terrain import to export. Since version 2.11.0, layout, grading, cabling, voltage drop, cross-sections, piles, the BoQ and the exports all read and write values in feet when the drawing is in feet. This guide covers setting up a feet drawing and what to check at each stage.
PVX.AI supports two kinds of feet:
- Feet (international feet, 0.3048 m).
- US Survey Feet, used by many State Plane coordinate systems. PVX.AI uses the exact survey-foot factor, so site coordinates do not drift by metres over State Plane distances.
Prerequisites
PVX.AI 2.11.0 or later. If you are on an older version, update first: feet drawings were not handled end to end before 2.11.0. See Updating PVX.AI.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Set the drawing units before you start
PVX.AI reads the units from the drawing (AutoCAD’s INSUNITS setting). In a new, empty drawing, set the insertion units to Feet, or to US Survey Feet for State Plane data, with AutoCAD’s UNITS command. To start every new project in feet, open Settings on the Configurations panel and set Units to Imperial (ft, acres, cy).
Do not use inches or millimetres. PVX.AI treats their coordinates as feet or metres, and Health Check warns about them.
2. Import the terrain with the right coordinate system
When an import asks for the coordinate system, pick the EPSG code that matches your survey data, including its unit: a US survey feet State Plane zone for survey-feet data, an international feet zone otherwise. PVX.AI converts with the projection’s own unit.
3. Lay out the racks
Every length box in the layout settings shows and accepts feet, and its label reads (ft). For example, the row limits read Min Row Gap (ft) and Max Row Gap (ft). Capacity Iteration, roads and setbacks use feet too. Module dimensions stay in millimetres, as on the datasheet.
4. Grade the terrain
Grading, contours and cut/fill work on feet terrain. Volumes are reported in cubic yards and areas in acres. Grading limits such as maximum fill height are entered in feet.
5. Design the electrical system
Cable lengths, string lengths and voltage drop are calculated in feet. Cable sizes are calculated to IEC in mm²; in a feet drawing the nearest AWG or kcmil size is shown beside each one, for example 6 mm² (~10 AWG). The single line diagram shows wire lengths in feet.
6. Check cross-sections and piles
Cross-sections and road profiles are labelled with stations in 100 ft format (for example STA 12+50). Piles (XLS) writes pile lengths in feet, with steel weight in lb/ft, lb and short tons, and a default stock-length step of 2 ft.
7. Export
The BoQ shows lengths in feet, areas in acres and volumes in cubic yards. Design (KML) converts feet coordinates correctly. Design (PVC) and Design (PVC 2.0) are always written in metres, as the PVCollada format requires.
Tips & Recommendations
- To convert an existing drawing between metres and feet, use AutoCAD’s -DWGUNITS command and answer Yes to scale objects. Changing the Units setting in PVX.AI does not rescale a drawing that already has PVX.AI content.
- If you graded a feet drawing with a version older than 2.10.0, run grading again. Older drawings repair their contours and graded zone on the next run.
- If you imported a PVcase design or terrain into a feet drawing with a version older than 2.11.0, import it again. Some lengths and object sizes were wrong in older versions.
- For point files (TXT/CSV) and drone data in survey feet, check after import that the terrain sits at the right coordinates and elevations before you lay out.
- Some values stay metric everywhere: module dimensions (mm), cable cross-sections (mm²), BESS enclosure catalog dimensions and the PVCollada exports.