Looking for a PVcase alternative? The question is whether you stay inside CAD

PVcase is a plugin that runs inside AutoCAD, known for terrain-aware layouts on ground-mount sites and a natural choice for engineering teams who want to stay in a CAD environment. SolarSimPro takes a different route: the design is done in the browser and carried into CAD as a DXF export. The distinction is not in a capability list but in where your team works.

Try it free How does it work?

✓ No CAD licence needed✓ Setting-out DXF✓ Rooftop and ground-mount

What determines how many modules fit?

Working environment

PVcase lives inside AutoCAD and requires a CAD licence and a desktop installation. SolarSimPro runs in the browser and needs neither installation nor a licence key.

CAD output

Designing in the browser and taking the setting-out plan as DXF lets team members who do not use CAD take part in the design, while the drawing still opens in a CAD environment.

Topography

Slope, aspect and contour analysis, inter-row shading distance and tables following ground elevation are all part of the SolarSimPro ground-mount workflow.

The rooftop side

Six roof types, parapet and chimney obstacles, a real layout and near-shading analysis are in the same program, using the same feasibility model as the ground-mount side.

When is staying inside CAD the right call?

If your team already works in AutoCAD, your drawing standards are baked into CAD layers and your deliverable is the CAD file itself, the plugin approach fits your workflow; the tools specialised in that area are strong.

Where the person doing the design and the person using CAD are different, however, or where site and office need to look at the same file, a workflow that does not depend on a CAD licence is faster.

Is a DXF export enough?

The setting-out plan is produced as DXF, coordinate lists as CSV and the 3D model as KMZ. These files open and can be edited in AutoCAD and equivalent programs.

So you are not giving up the CAD environment; only the design step happens outside it, and the result is carried back in.

The steps SolarSimPro covers

Roof drawing, or land from a registry parcel lookup
Terrain analysis: slope, aspect, contours
Automatic module layout (rooftop and ground-mount)
Ray-traced near-shading analysis
8,760-hour energy yield simulation with P50/P90
Bill of materials, cost and feasibility
Setting-out plan DXF, coordinate CSV and KMZ

How to run the comparison

The fastest route is to rebuild a project you have delivered and compare the resulting DXF against your own drawing standard.

Pick a delivered projectA completed site whose CAD output you already know is the best basis for comparison.
Rebuild the siteFetch the parcel or draw the roof outline; keep the obstacles and module model identical.
Test the layout and topographyCheck whether slope, row spacing and elevation tracking give the result you expect.
Export the DXFDownload the setting-out plan and open it in AutoCAD or an equivalent program.
Compare against your drawing standardJudge whether layer structure, coordinate lists and scaling are sufficient for delivery.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need AutoCAD to use SolarSimPro?

No. The design is done in the browser. AutoCAD is only needed if you want to open and edit the exported DXF; it is not required for the design step.

In what format does the setting-out plan arrive?

As DXF. Coordinate lists come as CSV and the 3D model as KMZ; a satellite base image and a terrain analysis sheet can also be included in the package.

Is topography taken into account on ground-mount sites?

It is. Slope and aspect analysis is performed, row spacing is set from the shading calculation, and the tables follow the ground elevation, sitting at their true levels in the 3D output.

Are rooftop projects covered too?

Yes. Six roof types, parapet and chimney obstacles, a real layout and near-shading analysis are all part of the rooftop workflow.

See the DXF for yourself

Rebuild a site, download the setting-out plan and compare it against your own drawing standard.

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