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Adding Custom Site Images & Design Files
Adding Custom Site Images & Design Files

How to add custom files to your permit package

Nate Phillips avatar
Written by Nate Phillips
Updated over a week ago

SolarDesignTool allows the upload of custom site-specific and design-specific documentation for your permit package. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to:

  • Upload custom site images (such as parcel maps)

  • Upload custom design files

  • Add custom site images and design files to your permit package

Site Images

When starting a new project, you'll first notice the "Site Images" tab in the Define Installation Areas portion of the Tool.

Once you've defined an abstract installation area, traced out an installation area over aerial imagery, or imported a 3D XML model, you can optionally upload a new parcel map or site images from this tab.

Custom Parcel Maps

Upload your own custom image to replace the default Parcel Map image by clicking "Replace Image" underneath the parcel image.

After replacing the default parcel image, the parcel map on PV-1 will be replaced with your custom image when you generate your permit package.

Other Custom Site Images

Site images are images that apply to the site location, but not to a specific design, such as the roof structure, roof surface, equipment elevation, electrical panel, or utility meter. If your AHJ requires submittal of this sort of imagery, you'll be able to add them to the permit package here.

Click the "Add New Image" button to upload a custom site image.

In the permit package, they will be displayed on an additional page.

Design Files

Design files are documents such as equipment elevation drawings, array elevation drawings/details, foundation plans for ground-mounted arrays, load calculations, panel upgrade details, equipment datasheets, or other certifications. These files are design-specific and will only appear in the design to which you upload them.

To upload design files, you'll first need to build a system and specify the balance of system components. Then navigate to the "Design Files" tab.

Click the "Add File" button to upload a custom design file. Each design file can consist of the following:

  • One 17x11" page. This will fill one full page of the permit package.

  • Two 8.5x11" pages. These will be displayed side-by-side and fill one full page of the permit package. If the file uploaded includes more than two pages, only the first two pages will be displayed.

Note: Design files must be uploaded in PDF format.

Adding Site Images & Design Files to Your Permit Package

After you've designed the system to your liking and uploaded your custom files, you have some options about how they will be displayed in your permit package. To begin, go to the "Permit Packages" tab for your design.

For site images, select "yes" to include an image or "no" to exclude an image from the permit package. For design files, you can either include it as a sheet or as an appendix, or leave it out of the permit package.

The configuration above will be displayed as shown below.

Site images will be grouped together on a page labeled "site images". Design files will be displayed in different parts of the package depending on whether it is a sheet or an appendix.

Design File Sheets

Design files designated as a sheet will be displayed with a title block and page number, as shown in the example below. The name of the file will be included in the title block.

Design File Appendices

Design files designated as an appendix will be displayed at the end of the permit package without a title block.

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