Overview
The PVX.AI web viewer draws the shadows of modules and other objects on the tables and the ground for any date and time. Use it to show a client or a reviewer how inter-row shading behaves through the day and across the year, with nothing more than a browser link.
The viewer shows shadows; it does not calculate shading losses. For a shading calculation on the design, use Shading Analysis in AutoCAD, and for energy figures use Assessment (PDF).
Prerequisites
A design published with Export > Design (Web). See Publishing a Design to the PVX.AI Web Viewer.
Step-by-Step Guide
1. Open the published design
In the Web Viewer Projects window, click … on the project row and choose View in Browser, or open a link copied with Copy URL in any browser.
2. Turn on Shadow Analysis
On the Scene tab of the tool panel, switch on Shadow Analysis (module and ground shadows). The time settings appear below it. While the switch is off, the panel shows Enable analysis for time settings.
3. Set the date and time
Pick a Date and a Time, or drag the time slider. +30 min steps the sun forward half an hour. The panel shows the sun’s altitude and azimuth for the chosen moment, so you can match a specific design condition such as the winter solstice at 9:00.
4. Play the day
Click Play to move the sun through the day and watch the shadows travel across the rows. Click Stop to hold a moment.
5. Show the sun path
Switch on Sun Path to draw the 3D solar arc with hour marks over the site. This helps explain why a row is shaded at a given hour.
Tips & Recommendations
- Check the shortest day of the year at the start and end of the production window. That is when inter-row shading is longest.
- On layered projects, switch off layers you do not need (cables, contours) in the Layers panel so the shadows are easier to read. On older projects, use the Terrain and Colors cards to hide the terrain points or change the surface and module colours.
- Trees, buildings and other shading objects placed in AutoCAD cast shadows in the viewer too.
- Record a video of the shadows moving with the Render tab. See Movie Render.