Overview

Import a DXF or DWG file into SunDAT as your starting point for a new PV layout design.  


Table of Contents


Importing a DXF or DWG with no Terrain

  1. Open the Project Setup panel by clicking Project icon in the menu bars
  2. In the Project Setup inputs, add the project information.   Press the Create button to finish the Project Setup.
  3. After all the Project Setup inputs have been filled, press the Import KMZ/KML/DXF/DWG button and select the DXF or DWG file to import.
  4. Select the DXF or DWG file and press Open button.  
  5. In the new window, specify the layer in the DXF or DWG that will be used for the boundary .  If the incorrect layer is selected, press the "X" symbol next to the layer name.
  6. [Optional] Add the keepout layers by selecting and typing in the Keepout layer in the DXF/DWG file.  If the incorrect layer is selected, press the "X" symbol next to the layer name. 
  7. Next, select the import Drawing Units.  This should match with the drawing units in the DXF or DWG to avoid any unnecessary conversion.
  8. After selecting the layers, Press the Import button to begin the importing process.
  9. If the import is successful, the window will close and you will see the line work in the SunDAT model.  Keepout area is the area defined as the keepout area.


Importing a DXF or DWG with Terrain

NOTE: SunDAT can only import DXF or DWG with contour lines at different elevations (Z-axis)

  1. Open the Project Setup panel by clicking Project icon in the menu bars
  2. In the Project Setup inputs, add the project information.   Press the Create button to finish the Project Setup.
  3. After all the Project Setup inputs have been filled, press the Import KMZ/KML/DXF/DWG button and select the DXF or DWG file to import
  4. Select the DXF or DWG and press Open button. 
  5. In the new window, specify the layer in the DXF or DWG that will be used for the boundary .  If the incorrect layer is selected, press the "X" symbol next to the layer name.
  6. [Optional] Add the keepout layers by selecting and typing in the keepout layer in the DXF/DWG file.  If the incorrect layer is selected, press the "X" symbol next to the layer name.
  7. In the Select Contour Layers drop-down, select the layers or type in the layer that the contour lines are on.  If the DXF or DWG has major and minor contour lines, select both layers.  If the incorrect layer is selected, press the "X" symbol next to the layer name. If the DXF or DWG import detects there are contour lines in the file, you will see information of how many polylines are there in the file and the total number vertices in the polylines.
  8. Next, select the import Drawing Units.  This should match with the drawing units in the DXF or DWG to avoid any unnecessary conversion.
  9. [Optional] In Elevation Filter, choose to import all the contour lines or every other contour line.  Use this option if there are a lot of contour lines, which can affect process performance in the SunDAT model.
  10. After selecting the layers, Press the Import button to begin the importing process.
  11. If the import is successful, the window will close.  In the SunDAT model, the linework for the boundary layer and keepout layer will be visible.  Below the linework, the imported contour lines will be converted to a terrain surface. To see the terrain surface, turn on Follow Terrain in the Render Menu. 


Assigning region

  1. After importing the DXF or DWG file, regions will have to be manually added (as opposed to importing KMZ/KML which will automatically assign regions).  In the toolbar on the right, select the Select tool. 
  2. Select the boundary linework in the SunDAT model (yellow box will appear when the boundary linework has been selected).
  3. In the Project Setup panel, go to the Regions tab.  
  4. In the Regions tab, choose Ground mount for layout type then enter the region name or use the default name.  Optional to add notes about the region.  
  5. Press the Create button and if the region is successfully added, the region will be added to the list of regions and see red text inside the boundary with the region name.
  6. Now the region is ready for PV layout runs.


Remove an imported DXF or DWG

  1. Open the Project Setup panel by clicking Project icon in the menu bars
  2. Press the Remove DXF/DWG Import button to remove all line work and terrain surfaces created from the imported DXF/DWG.


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FAQ

Can I import more than one DXF or DWG file into SunDAT?

No.  If you have multiple DXF or DWG file, combine them into a single DXF/DWG.


Can SunDAT import TINN surfaces?

No, SunDAT cannot import TINN surfaces.  TINN surfaces will need to be converted to polylines.



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Troubleshooting

No terrain surface is created when importing contour lines

Check the DXF or DWG has contour lines that are varies elevations.  The contour lines cannot be flat nor can it be a TINN Surface.


Error Message: UNABLE TO IMPORT THE UNCLOSED BOUNDARY POLYLINE

Double check the polylines in the DWG/DXF are closed boundary lines.  Even though a polyline may look closed inside the DWG/DXF, the polyline property needs to be set to 'Closed'.  

  1. This can be done in AutoCAD by select the polyline(s)
  2. Type in PROPERTIES to bring up the properties dialog window.  Find the Closed field and change to 'Yes'.  
  3. Save the file and then try importing the DWG/DXF file. 


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See also

Starting a Project with a KMZ/KML


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