Array Placement
Under the „Array Placement“ tab, it is possible to create terrain, surfaces, fields, as well as exclusion and requirement type areas, and place solar tables on them.
Array Placement is the central layout workspace for defining the physical placement structure of a PV ground-mounted project in Helios 3D. It connects terrain data, area definitions, fields, restrictions, row alignment, table placement, and shadow-relevant objects in one hierarchical structure. The placement tree helps users understand which CAD objects and layout objects belong to the current drawing and how they are used for the PV table layout.
Before arrays can be placed, the drawing must contain or reference the required placement structure. A terrain or DGM is the top-level object. Below it, surfaces or properties define the available planning areas. Fields are then created inside these surfaces and are used as the actual placement areas for the solar tables. Exclusion zones, requirement type zones, adjustment lines, split lines and start points refine the placement behavior within each field.
The top element in the hierarchy is the terrain (DGM). All other elements, referred to as surface definitions, are subordinate to this terrain. Directly beneath the terrain are the properties or surfaces. Within these surfaces, fields can be created, where the tables are then placed.
To organize the arrangement of table rows within a field, exclusion areas and requirement type areas (each as a collection), as well as an alignment line for the rows and a starting point, can be defined.
When placing, a collection of table rows is created, under which the individual rows are listed in order. Each row, in turn, contains a numbered list of the tables placed on it.
The following graphic shows the placement tab of the Helios palette with an example of the described structure.
In addition to the placement options, the tool also offers functions for calculating external shading. Shadow objects, meaning objects that cast shadows on the terrain and possibly on solar tables, can be inserted into the drawing. For each of these shadow objects, the shadow projection on the terrain can then be calculated. All shadow objects are organized into a collection and attached to the drawing, as illustrated in the following graphic.
Using the symbol in front of a shadow object, you have the option to thaw or freeze all calculated shadows with one click. Since multiple layers are grouped together, a mixed – symbol will be displayed if the status is not clearly defined.
Buttons of Structure List
A typical placement workflow starts with selecting or creating the terrain and the planning surfaces. After that, fields are created inside the surfaces. If required, exclusion zones, requirement type zones, adjustment lines, split lines and shadow objects are added. Once the field definition is complete, the placement command creates rows and places the solar tables according to the selected placement settings. The resulting hierarchy can then be reviewed in the placement tree.
The structure list is used to manage the placement objects that are registered in the Helios 3D database for the current drawing. It does not only display CAD geometry, but also the logical placement hierarchy used by Helios 3D. Selecting an entry in the tree makes it easier to edit, locate, label, reorder or delete the corresponding placement object.
New
Here you can add selected polylines or lines as area definition or draw one of them as an area definition like displayed below.
You can directly create areas, fields, exclusion zones, requirement zones, adjustment lines, or split lines by drawing them, or by adding an existing polyline or line (applicable only to start point adjustment lines) to the database. Additionally, you can register objects as shadow objects or insert predefined shadow objects such as „Tree,“ „Bush,“ „Trunk/Pillar,“ „Block,“ or „House.“
Delete Area Definition
Deleting an area definition removes the selected definition from the Helios 3D database. Depending on the confirmation in the following dialog, the corresponding CAD object may also be deleted from the drawing. Check carefully whether the object is still needed for documentation, layout comparison or later editing before deleting it from the drawing.
Deletes an area definition from the database and shows a request whether the object should also be deleted from the drawing.
Move Up/Down
Move entry upwards. This allows resorting the entries e.g., the order of displayed fields.
Move entry downwards. This allows resorting the entries e.g., the order of displayed fields.
Zoom to Object
Zooms into the drawing until the selected object completely fills the screen.
Insert Label
Label selected entry. By that, a text object with the entry name will be added to your mouse cursor for insertion into the drawing.
Select in Tree
When you select an object in the drawing it will automatically get selected (marked) in the structure tree.
Placement Tree Context Menu
The context menu of the structure list is shown below for two different situations. On the left, a field is selected, and on the right, a shadow object is selected. Please note that the commands listed in the menu may vary depending on the current selection.
Add & Draw
The submenus under these options are identical to those of the <Add Area Definition> button. They allow you to either add existing CAD objects to register them in Helios 3D or draw new objects, which are automatically registered.
Rename
Renames the selected entry.
Delete
Deletes all selected objects.
Apply “Project” sun date
Replaces the sun data of the selected fields with the settings specified on the “Project” page.
Sync. Group
The only addition is the synchronize fields in groups option, which allows array rows to seamlessly continue across all fields within the same group, treating them as one large field. The procedure for the command shown below is explained in Section „Synchronization Groups for Fields“.
Automated Placement
Automated Placement creates the initial row structure for the selected field. The placement result is stored as a collection of rows, and each row contains the placed tables in their placement order. The resulting layout should be checked visually in the drawing and structurally in the placement tree, especially when exclusion zones, requirement type zones, alignment lines or synchronization groups are used.
Automatically locates a starting point for the placement of the first row. The initial array is positioned at the southernmost edge of the field, with each row placed from left to right. This direction can be reversed by selecting the “Place Right-Aligned” option in the placement settings.
Reset Placement
Reset Placement removes the current placement configuration for the selected fields and prepares them for a new placement run. Use this function when the field geometry, placement direction, row alignment, exclusion zones or synchronization settings have changed and the existing layout should no longer be used.
Resets the placement configuration for all selected fields.
Refresh
Refreshes the structure list.
Synchronization Groups for Fields
Synchronization groups are useful when several fields should behave like one continuous placement area. This can be relevant when a large PV area is split into several field objects for editing, documentation or area management, but the table rows should continue consistently across the field boundaries. Before using synchronization groups, check that the fields use compatible placement settings and that their geometry supports a continuous row layout.
Multiple fields can be grouped by assigning them a group number, which is displayed in the “Sync. Group” column of the placement tree. The group number indicates which fields are linked, ensuring that placement commands consistently update the layout for all fields within the same group.
Certain placement options can still be customized for individual fields, provided they do not conflict with one another. You can add more fields to an existing synchronization group at any time or create a new group as needed.
When placement is initiated with a field from any synchronization group selected, the layouts of all fields within that group are updated automatically.
If no arrays are created, check whether a valid field is selected and whether the field is assigned to the correct terrain or surface. If rows stop unexpectedly, review exclusion zones, split lines, adjustment lines and requirement type zones. If shadow objects or calculated shadows are not visible, check the layer state and use the freeze/thaw symbol in the structure list. If synchronized fields do not update together, verify that all intended fields share the same synchronization group number.