It's far from perfect but I've managed to make some pretty decent 3D models and just wanted to show off

[Jimmy]

Satellite image for reference

 

 

[Jimmy]

And here is the model when I've determined and restricted mounting surfaces and used the "cover function" (can't share too many pictures because of file size limitations on the forum)

 

 

[Jimmy]

And here's a picture of the shade frequency for the most shaded building

 

And that's it folks, I'm at the max data limit for how much I can share on a post. 

[developer_mh]

Hi Jimmy,

this really is astonishing! I especially like the quality of the edges of the buildings. Also the roof areas seem to be really plane and homogeneous! I guess a lot of our users would be very interested in your work flow there, and the data sources that you used.

Kind regards,

Martin

[Jimmy]

Hi Martin,

Thank you for the praise. I would love to share my workflow and methods but unfortunately I intend to sell models like these as a service to other businessess since I believe that they're basically among the best in the world and can add great value for certain projects.

I can disclose that the data is drone footage and that I've spent well over 500 hours developing a reliable method to make these models work with PVSOL. I've experimented with more than 20 different softwares and changing the settings over and over in each to try to produce the best models. I've had to read through probably thousands of pages of documentation, user manuals and forums until I finally arrived at software, settings and workflow which accomplishes the desired results.

There's a lot of manual work that goes into this and creating the above model takes me about 3 days. But it is photo-realistic and with an accuracy of a few centimeters for the roof dimensions and roof objects.

Another thing that I really like about it is the ability to make odd shapes that aren't possible in PVSOL and hard to do in SketchUp. It's not in this project but I'm particularity proud of the ability to accurately capture trees with complex shapes, something that is otherwise very hard to model.

If no one else figures it out and shares it now that I've shown that it's possible I'll share my methods in 2023, I just need to recuperate my investment first.

[developer_mh]

Hi Jimmy,

thanks for your explanation. A service for high quality drone models, ready to be used in PV*SOL, that is one big business idea! We know that there are a lot of people out there experimenting with this work flow as you did, trying to get drone models well prepared to be used in PV*SOL. And we are aware that this involves a very high amount of manual effort at the moment, and I guess there are just few planners that can afford putting all the time into it. So I there surely is a business case there! We wish you all the best for that enterprise and please let us know how it advances.

In addition an idea could be to offer paid courses, on platforms like udemy or so, where you can pass the knwoledge to other people and still get financially rewarded.

Kind regards,

Martin

[Jordn]

Hi Jimmy, nice work! I can imagine these illustrations are most needed in investor/board meetings and for public relations too. Capturing drone images, processing them into 3d models and using them in PVSol forecasts, that is world class!! I can imagine as the 3D models are already made, they can be imported into software like Lumion to make high resolution images/motions, in an effort to visualise the project at a less virtual level. For example, I've noticed someone's portfolio to visualise solar parks, as close as you can get to a real picture using software like Lumion etc.

 

Best of luck!

Yours,

Jordan

[Pradyuman]

Hi Jimmy, Wonderful work! I can understand the time and effort you have poured into developing a flawless workflow to create great 3d models that can be easily imported I am currently working myself on this topic. Hope you are now ready to share your workflow here on the forum or if not, I am happy to pay a small amount to learn it from you. Thanks.