How to design in 3D

Summary:

This article walks you through the process of designing a solar project in 3D mode within OpenSolar. It covers selecting the design mode and imagery, adding and configuring hardware (panels, inverters, batteries), setting up pricing and incentives, managing views, and adding payment options. 

Selecting Design mode:

To begin:

• In the top-right corner of the design window, expand the Design Mode dropdown.

• Choose 3D from the available options (3D, 2D, Manual).

• Select your imagery provider.

• Click Select to confirm and switch to 3D mode.

Adding Your Hardware:

All hardware components are accessed via the left-hand menu, organized into tabs:

Adding your panel:

Click the Panel tab.

Use the panel dropdown to select your preferred panel. Use the search bar to locate components by name or code.

Click + Panel. A panel icon will attach to your cursor.

Click and drag to draw panel arrays on the roof. Click the + Panel button again to create additional arrays.

After placement:

• Click on a specific array to open its settings panel (the array will be highlighted yellow).

• Enter the following details:

  • Racking: Flush mount, single tilt, or dual tilt.

  • Azimuth: This will already be populated for you based on the panel placement. 

  • Slope: This data will already be added based on the panel placement. This is the roof’s angle (not the racking’s).

  • Relative Tilt: Appears with tilt racking options; this is the tilt angle of the racking.

  • Orientation: Portrait or landscape.

  • Ground Clearance: Distance from the roof to the bottom of the panel.

  • Shading: Expand the Shading section to review shading information. The shading will be automatically given in 3D and does not require manual input like 2D or manual mode. 

Adding an inverter:

• Go to the Inverter tab.

• Click + Inverter.

• Use the dropdown and search bar to select your inverter.

Stringing the inverter:

After selecting the inverter, click + String to begin assigning strings.

Add MPPTs and assign strings by selecting a string and dragging across panels to connect them.

Adding a Battery:

• Navigate to the Battery tab.

• Click + Battery.

• Use the dropdown and search bar to select your battery.

Once added, configure:

• Connection Type: AC or DC.

• Battery Control Scheme: Predefined options are available, or you can create your own scheme.

• Battery inverter - If the battery has an AC inverter, rather than a hybrid inverter, select it here. This option only shows when the battery is set to AC connected.

• Battery end-of-life option: Select what happens to the battery once it reaches its end of life. The following options are available:

  • Remove - This means the battery will be removed from the home and will no longer assist in the savings.

  • Replace - This means the homeowner will replace the battery to ensure they continue receiving savings.

  • Extend beyond warranty - The battery will not expire by the warranty but will be extended instead. 

• Battery Accessories - Select any other accessories for the battery

• Battery price in proposal - If the price of the battery is already included in the price you've set please select this button and add the price. The proposal will show your current total price that was set in the pricing tab and a line to show the price of the battery. Please note that the price entered here does not get added on top of the price set in the pricing tab. 

Note: If you don’t see the component you need, send a ticket with the specifications, and the team will add it.

Configuring Pricing:

Open the Pricing tab.

Select your Pricing Scheme from the dropdown.

If using markup or margin calculation, select a Cost Scheme from:

Use the Non-Solar Amount Included field to enter amounts (e.g., roofing) that shouldn’t count toward ITC.

To add costs or discounts:

• Click + Adder/Discount.

• Choose from preconfigured adders or create one manually.

At the bottom of the section, a breakdown will show:

• Cost: Installation cost to your company.

• Price: Customer-facing system price.

Note: Pricing scheme and cost scheme must be created in the control > Pricing and Payment section for it to appear in the design

Adding incentives:

Click the Incentives tab.

Any default auto-applied incentives will be shown.

To modify, click Override Default Incentives and choose from available options.

Adding Views for the customer: 

3D mode automatically generates the 3D view for your customer. To add more:

Scroll to the bottom and click + View.

If panel positions shift across views:

• Click the Align button.

• Move grayed-out panels into place.

• Click Align again to confirm changes.

Remember to save the design once complete.

Adding payment options:

Navigate to the Payments tab.

Any default payment options will already be added.

Click + Add Payment Option to include additional ones.

Use the ellipsis (⋮) icon on the top right of any payment option to remove it.