I need to render a solar field including the aerial map view

[Anonymous]

I am looking to generate a promotional render for my company. I have generated a 3D polyline block references layout using a 3rd party software to layout the solar field. I currently have the geolocation with aerial map turned on. I would like to render the image but include the aerial map to represent what the installation would look like. Does anyone know how to do this?

[pendean]

What are "3D polyline block references" if I may ask?
Do they have unique or custom materials/finishes that need to be shown and that AutoCAD can use in rendering?
What 3rd party software is the source from? Or is this just an image you are bringing into AutoCAD?

Are you only using plain AutoCAD? or the more geomap centric variants like Map3D and Civil3D?

[leeminardi]

Are you looking to create a plan view image of the solar field superimposed on a satellite image of the area that is a good approximation of a "top view" project or a perspective camera like image taken from a camera at a low altitude? 

If the former you can use AutoCAD.  If the latter I would recommend the perspective match feature found in 3ds Max.

[Anonymous]

Third Party software is an autocad add in called PV Case that is specific for usage in the solar industry. It generates 3d models of the panel specifics with 3d Polylines that are created as block elements when inserted into AutoCad. As of now I am able to export a "2d" KMZ file that overlays google maps by exploding those elements and breaking all block relationships into polylines. What I would like to be able to do is generate a promotional image that is rendered to show what the installed product would look like ie:

[Anonymous]

Perhaps perspective match is an option for this? 

[Anonymous]

I forgot to mention that I would like to apply materials properties to these layers (glass, sand, etc) in the rendering to make as realistic as possible. This has already been done via materials tab in visualize. Sorry I am not an Autocad expert by any means we use these tools for financial modeling and output generation. 

[Anonymous]

Thus far I have rendered the site I am working on to look like the following but would like to include the aerial view and mapping. 

[pendean]

@Anonymous Plain AutoCAD has no ability to do much of that with built-in geomaps features: sorry.

The promo image you attached look to be photoshopped judging by the treeline shadows (a compliment, it is well done) or they used a different program like 3DSMax as noted by others.

[leeminardi]

@Anonymous   if your goal is to get an excellent quality rendering then 3ds Max is the way to go.  AutoCAD's features for lighting, material mapping, and rendering options are very limited compared to Max.

You mentioned that you have "3D polyline block references ".  It's not clear what is in the block reference.  To apply material to objects in AutoCAD they must be surfaces (faces, plane, meshes, etc.) or solids.  Polyline (2D or 3D) cannot accept materials.  Can you post a sample of one of the solar panels?

If you wanted to give AutoCAD a go then you could define a material of that references the aerial map and apply it to the surface you have in AutoCAD that represent the terrain. Using identifiable point in the aerial map that correspond to points in the terrain surface I have found that you can do a fairly good job at scaling and aligning the image to the terrain.  It then a matter of positioning the solar panels.

The kmz file (I  prefer working with a KML file) can be used to superimpose CAD geometry in Google Earth. But you will  have limited ability to add materials to the geometry to create a realistic image.  BY editing a KML file you can define the elevation of the geometry or specify that it should lie on the surface in GE.

Can you also post the aerial image and the AutoCAD terrain model you created?  Seeing what you have will enable better recommendations. 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response. I am attaching both the Overhead aerial view with the terrain mesh layer turned on and off so you can see what the layout looks like and the block reference (there are a few blocks but all similar) of which I have applied the materials. The 3rd party software creates each object within the solar field as a layer and I have applied materials by layer to the appropriate material. Again, we use this 3d model to export to another software package that utilizes the geospatial location of the fields and tracks solar irradiance to calculate expected output of the systems. I currently send kmz files to clients to give them an idea of what the field layout will look like. The above would be for our media releases once the project would move forward, and its the last part I can seem to crack. 

[leeminardi]

Please provide the .dwg file and if possible, an unedited aerial image.  I assume the AutoCAD file will have  surface for the terrain.  I'm not sure what would be included in a "solar field".  I would hope there are 3D model of the solar panels and their supporting structure.

[Anonymous]

Please find the attached dwg. Hoping this helps 

[Anonymous]

The aerial image comes from the google maps geolocation embedded within autocad

[leeminardi]

Is your goal to generate an image similar to the one below?  That is, an aerial "photo: of the solar field. The image is a screen capture of a randomly chosen existing solar field as displayed in Google Earth.

If so,  I would clip an overhead aerial section of the terrain from Google Earth (or Bing).  The area that is to contain the solar field (your crosshatched area I assume) should be modified in a paint program to approximate the ground in the area of the solar panel.

Rather than create a box for each panel I would just just create a long flat surface and assign a tiled material to it. For example, several of the panel assemblies in your AutoCAD file have 26 boxes in a row.  This would be more efficiently modeled as a long plane with the bit mapped material of a single panel but tiled 26 times in u and once in v.

[CodeDing]

@Anonymous ,

Do you have any AutoLISP experience?

If you put enough time into it, you could be able to take your 3D blocks & custom images of your choosing to create a custom KMZ that will display a cool representation of your panels into Google Earth.

See this Google Earth documentation about Models:

https://developers.google.com/kml/documentation/models 

Since KML files are just text files, and KMZ files are folders with files you choose, you can create this product with some knowledge of AutoLISP.

I believe that would be a better approach to get to the goal you ultimately desire.

Best,

~DD

[Tomislav.Golubovic]

Use InfraWorks, it won't be the best render, but you can insert your 3D model in the right spot with the terrain and imagery

[ChicagoLooper]

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@Anonymous wrote:

<<.... I am able to export a "2d" KMZ file that overlays google maps by exploding those elements ....>>

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OK, so you have uploaded screen grabs of your monitor. Can you upload the KMZ itself?

[Anonymous]

KMZ files are not a supported upload file. 

[pendean]

@Anonymous ZIP the file , or use a cloud service to share a link to it: there are so many options out there, use one.

HTH

[ChicagoLooper]

Correct, it's not supported but you can still upload it. To attach the kmz/kml:

Right-click the individual file in Windows folder=>Send to=>Compressed (zipped) folder

You can 'attach' the zipped folder that contains the kmz/kml.

Refer to 'attached' zipped folder containing a kmz that you may open in Google Earth Pro.