Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan

Divide plot

Use the Divide Plot function to divide the array area requiring site leveling into one or more plots, and then perform site leveling on a plot-by-plot basis.Array pitch within the same plot should be consistent to facilitate setting the grid map size based on the array pitch.

Click the Divide plot button :

Auto : Automatically divide the site into multiple plots according to the parameters below.

Distance threshold : Arrays with a spacing less than this value will be grouped into the same plot.

Expansion distance : Distance between the plot boundary and the arrays.

Manual : Follow the prompts in the lower-left corner to draw vertical lines, align the X and Y axes, or import a layer for plot division

 

Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan

Before leveling the terrain, please create pile positions for the array in the "Export post coordinates" interface. If there is no accurate design value for the span between adjacent piles ("E-W distance D1"), a smaller value can be input. After leveling the terrain according to the smaller D1 value, even when D1 becomes larger, it can still meet the requirements of the pile length range to the maximum extent.

Before leveling, please generate pile positions for the arrays in the Export Post Coordinates interface.If no definitive design value is available for the span between adjacent piles (E‑W distance D₁), you may enter a smaller value initially.After performing terrain leveling using this smaller D₁, the pile length range requirements can still be satisfied to the greatest extent even if D₁ is increased later.

Click the Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan button, and select a tool from the following pop-up window (4 main functions in total) :

Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan : Adjust the racks according to the configured parameters and complete site leveling. The exported result files will be saved into a single folder.

Export data and view profile : Users can export the key site leveling result files mentioned above, and view the adjusted arrays and terrain profile.

Adjust the original terrain or import new terrain : Users can adjust the elevation of grid nodes manually or automatically. When some parameters fail to meet the specified requirements, use this tool to adjust the elevation of grid nodes, then re‑perform earthwork leveling. Site leveling can be iterated multiple times.

Replace terrain : Replace the original terrain with the graded terrain, or restore the original terrain.

 

Parameter setting

In the tool popup, select Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan. Right‑click to select a single plot, hold Ctrl to select multiple plots, or level all plots together.

After selecting the result folder save location, the following window will pop up:

Explanation of input setting parameters:

Min. pile height : Minimum height from the pile points on the arrays to the ground. Set according to the racking requirements.

Max. pile height : Maximum height from the pile points on the arrays to the ground. Set according to the racking requirements.

The difference between the maximum and minimum pile heights affects the site leveling results.

Max. height difference between adjacent arrays :This parameter refers to the height difference between the centers of the short sides of adjacent north‑south arrays in the same row (for fixed‑tilt arrays, adjacent east‑west arrays).When the set value is greater than (Max. pile height – Min. pile height), the final height difference may not exceed this range due to pile length limitations.This setting mainly considers the maximum slope requirements for adjacent array shading and cleaning robots.

Max. height difference between adjacent rows : The ground elevation difference between projected pile points of adjacent row arrays (for N‑S horizontal axis trackers: E‑W direction. for fixed‑tilt arrays: N‑S direction) within 1.2 times the row pitch. If set too small, calculation may fail. This value controls the E‑W slope of the leveled terrain (N‑S slope for fixed‑tilt arrays).

Pile max z offset : To minimize the site leveling volume, some piles may still fall outside the specified pile height range after leveling. This parameter controls the maximum allowable deviation for non‑compliant piles. The default value is generally 0m, and the software will prioritize meeting the maximum and minimum pile height requirements to the greatest extent possible.

Array max slope ratio : The angle between the array axis and the horizontal plane. The slope is 0 when the axis is horizontal. For N‑S horizontal axis trackers: facing south is positive, facing north is negative. For fixed‑tilt arrays: facing west is positive, facing east is negative. This parameter is set based on the racking requirements, with power generation taken into account.

Height adjustment range of arrays's endpoints : When adjusting the array slope, this parameter defines the vertical offset range of the array’s short-side center relative to its original position(the array slope remains unchanged. the overall vertical shift of the array is not controlled by this parameter).The default setting is Auto. If the allowable height difference between adjacent rows and the maximum allowable slope of the adjusted arrays are set to small values, and the software fails to generate a result in Auto mode, you may uncheck Auto, increase the setting value, and recalculate. A larger adjustment range will result in longer computation time.

Height adjustment step of arrays's endpoints : The smaller the set value, the more precise the adjustment and the slower the calculation speed, and vice versa. The default value is 0.1 m and is recommended for general use.

Ignore height : If the deviation between the design elevation and the natural elevation falls within this range, the software will not perform site leveling. A default value of 0.005 m is generally applicable.

Leveling range-Boundary of arrays expand : This parameter controls the range of the earthwork grid. After extending outward by a specified distance from the array outline, the earthwork grid within the expanded boundary (including only intersected grids) will be generated. The default value is generally 0 m.

Grid map size : The edge length of the grid in the earthwork grid map. It is recommended to set it equal to the array pitch. 

Overall earthwork balance of selected plots : After checking this option, each plot will be leveled according to the set parameters. Ef ratio will be adjusted to ensure that the total net volume of the selected plot meets the specified value.

Limit total net earthwork : Negative values indicate excessive excavation.

Internal calculation param : This parameter can be set as default or customized.

When selecting custom internal calculation parameters, please click on Grading weight coefficient button:

Ef ratio : This parameter does not represent the actual cut-to-fill ratio.A value greater than 1 gives priority to cut, while a value less than 1 gives priority to fill. The typical range is 1 to 1.4. the larger the value, the more cutting is performed. For example, to achieve balanced earthwork, if cutting exceeds filling when calculated at 1.2, you may lower the setting and recalculate the earthwork leveling, and vice versa.

Other parameters can use the default values.

 

Output results

After clicking the OK button in the Grading Limits window, the arrays will be adjusted and the site will be leveled according to the set parameters. Once the calculation is completed, the main result files will be saved in a folder, including the following:

Earthwork_results_statistics.xlsx

This file includes: Excavation ratio, Excavation volume, Filling volume, Pure volume, Excavation area, Filling area, Statistics on the number of pile lengths (absolute values) that do not meet the requirements, and The number of Array that the elevation difference between adjacent row nodes do not meet the requirements.

 

SKP file after leveling : Save the flattened results in a folder according to the current "*.SKP" file name.

 

Draw-array-section_plot1. dat

Please use the draw_array_section command in CAD, then select the file to generate a front section view of the arrays.

 

Site-leveling-data_plot1. json

Please use the leveling_plan command in CAD and select the file to generate a site plan.

 

Site-leveling-data-and-array-section_plot1. json

Please use the leveling_plan_section command in CAD and select the file to generate a site plan and an array section view.

 

Terrain-data(by-grid-nodes)_plot1.txt

This file stores the XYZ coordinate data of the earthwork grid nodes. To iterate and optimize based on the terrain after the previous leveling, select this file using the Adjust Original Terrain or Import New Terrain tool.

 

Check leveling effect

Main Results

For the same row in the N‑S direction: Original arrays (Section), Current arrays (section), Original terrain (section), Terrain after leveling (section), Original terrain and Terrain after leveling. Arrays that do not meet the Max. height difference between adjacent arrays requirement will be selected automatically.

• 1: Original terrain (Terrain layer)
• 2: Terrain after leveling
• 3: Terrain after leveling (only the leveled part)

 

Other results :

To view the earthwork grid, enable the layer named EarthWork_PV site leveling general plan_Plot1 in SketchUp. This grid matches the earthwork mesh generated in CAD.

 

The user may turn on the annotation layer EarthWork_Marking of low-lying areas in SU. Where the design elevation after leveling is lower than that of adjacent grid points, yellow text will be used to label how much lower this point is than the average elevation of its four adjacent grid points.

 

Users can enable the annotation layer EarthWork_Marking of piles exceeding the length range in SU.

• -0.02 means 0.02 m below the minimum pile height.
• +0.02 means 0.02 m above the maximum pile height.

 

Right click menu after leveling

Users can right-click to open the function menu after leveling:

Export result file : Users can right-click to export the earthwork grid, array sections, and leveled terrain (resampled) for a local plot or all plots.

Check the height difiference of terrain in adjacent rows of this plot

Users can right-click to check the ground elevation difference between adjacent rows for either a local plot or all plots, and the system will automatically select arrays that do not comply with the Max. height difference between adjacent arrays requirement. The default height difference limit is the value configured in the terrain leveling limit conditions interface.

 

Export local plot leveling result statistics table : Export "Earthwork_results_statistics.xlsx".

View terrain profile : Draw a section line manually to display the terrain profile in any direction, both before and after leveling.

 

Adjust the original terrain or import new terrain: This button can switch to the corresponding functional tool.

Measure the length and slope beween the specified cwo points : This function measures the length and slope of the inclined line between two points in the section view. The measured values are displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen.

 

Exportdata and view profiles

For plots that have completed Adjust arrays and generate site leveling general plan, you can view the leveling results.

This function is identical to the Right-click menu after leveling.

 

Adjust the original terrain or import new terrain

Select terrain grid types

Users may select one of the three terrain data display modes shown in the figure below as the basis for adjusting grid point elevations, then re-perform earthwork leveling.

 

Original terrain grid : The elevation of the earthwork grid nodes corresponds to the natural ground elevation (i.e., original terrain elevation), and the nodes are displayed in green.

 

Last leveled terrain grid : The elevation of the earthwork grid nodes refers to the design elevation (terrain elevation after leveling). A yellow node indicates the design elevation differs from the natural elevation, while a green node indicates they are identical.

 

Manually adjusted terrain grid : The displayed grid nodes have been adjusted manually. Adjusted nodes are shown in yellow, while original terrain nodes are green.

 

Right click menu

• Fitting direction : This parameter allows you to select the direction for height difference control as needed.
  To control Max. height difference between adjacent rows:
  For N-S horizontal axis trackers, select the E-W direction.
  For fixed tilted arrays, select the N-S direction.
• Fitting order : The default setting is Auto. In this mode, the software uses a fitting scheme that minimizes the total adjustment of all node elevations. Users may also manually select the order.
• Fitting accuracy : This parameter refers to the height difference accuracy between nodes.
• Limit of elevation difference of nodes : The height difference between adjacent nodes along the fitting direction.

Selected nodes - Adjust elevation difference between adjacent nodes to the set value : Adjust the elevation of the selected nodes according to the parameters shown in the figure below to meet the height difference requirement between adjacent nodes.

• Adjustment direction : This parameter allows you to select the direction for height difference control as required. To control the height difference between adjacent rows :
  Select the E‑W direction for N‑S axis trackers.
  Select the N‑S direction for fixed tilt arrays.
• Fitting order : The default setting is Auto. In this mode, the software uses a fitting scheme that minimizes the total adjustment of all node elevations. Users may also manually select the order.
• Limit of elevation difference of nodes : Height difference between adjacent nodes along the adjustment direction.

All nodes of the plot-Restore to elevation in original terrein : The local plot nodes are restored to the original terrain elevation.

All nodes of the plot-Restore to elevaton in last leveled terrain : The local plot nodes are restored to the elevation after the most recent leveling.

All nodes of the plot-lmport terrain data from txt file : Select the grid node data after a previous leveling operation.

 

Remove nodes outside the arrays : This parameter controls the display range of nodes by setting an outward expansion distance from the array outline. During plane fitting or automatic node elevation adjustment, this function defines the range of nodes to be processed.

 

Check the modes elevatlon difference between adjacent rows : This parameter identifies and selects nodes that do not satisfy the height difference between adjacent rows.

Measure the length and slope between the specified two poinas : This parameter can measure the length and slope between two points on  a line charta, with the results shown in the lower-left corner of the screen.

 

Adjustment Methods for Non-Compliant Parameters

Adjustment Methods for Water Accumulation in the Plot

Use the ↑↓←→ keys to control the terrain (yellow, composed of grid nodes) and the horizontal plane (blue, with adjustable elevation). This allows you to check for water accumulation after leveling, identify low-lying areas, manually adjust grid node elevations, and then re‑perform earthwork leveling.

Specific steps:

1. Right‑click All nodes of the plot-Restore to elevaton in last leveled terrain. Or Right‑click All nodes of the plot-lmport terrain data from txt file and select a txt file containing grid node data exported after leveling.
2. Manually turn off the Terrain layer.
3. Use the 1 and 2 keys to control the terrain display : 1-the surface formed by all nodes (yellow) , 2- the horizontal plane (blue).
4. Use the ↑↓←→ keys to adjust the elevation of the horizontal plane.
5. Check for flooded areas (blue regions enclosed by yellow).
6. Select the grid nodes within a specified expanded range around the flooded area and adjust the grid nodes to elevations above the water surface.
7. Keep existing parameters and select Manually adjusted terrain grid. Then re-perform site leveling.
8. Perform water accumulation inspection on the regenerated terrain.

Note : The new earthwork grid is also calculated based on the excavation volume of the original terrain. Therefore, the new earthwork grid shall be used as the final output result.

 

Adjustment Methods for pile length not meeting requirements

When the pile length fails to meet the requirements, it is indicated as follows: piles that are too long are shown in green, and those that are too short are shown in red (see diagram below).

The grid node elevation shall be adjusted based on the original terrain elevation. For piles that are too short, select the grid points around the pile locations, right‑click to lower the grid node elevations. the reverse applies for piles that are too long. When adjusting grid nodes, you may apply an overall offset or set them to a uniform elevation, and the adjustment range should be appropriately expanded.

Specific steps:

1. Open the tool Adjust the original terrain or import new terrain, and select Original terrain grid.
2. Adjust the elevations of grid nodes around piles that do not meet the length range.
3. Keep existing parameters and select Manually adjusted terrain grid. Then re-perform site leveling.
4. Check the pile lengths after re-leveling.
5. If the requirements cannot be met after re-leveling, multiple iterations can be performed.