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Task Guide: Measuring and Annotating a Solar Rooftop Structural Inspection

These instructions describe the checked PdfCraft foundation as of 14 October 2026. XiPDF Alpha is free; public installer availability and XiKey integration are not yet verified.

Scenario

You are a renewable-energy structural engineer reviewing a multi-part rooftop photovoltaic installation packet. You need to combine the CAD roof plan PDF with site photographs, calibrate the drawing scale against a known parapet dimension, measure conduit runs and solar array footprint areas, add callout annotations for ballast blocks, and export the measurement log as a CSV file.

Step-by-Step Workflow

1. Combine the Roof Plan and Site Photographs

  1. Open the command palette (Ctrl+K / Cmd+K) and choose Combine files…, or select this option in File.
  2. Convert the inspection photographs to PDF pages with Create PDF from images, then combine this PDF with the roof plan.
  3. In the left Pages thumbnail pane, drag thumbnails to place the drone overview immediately after Sheet S-101, and rotate any landscape sheets so all drawings read upright.

2. Calibrate the Drawing Scale and Measure Conduit & Array Areas

  1. Navigate to Sheet S-101, open the command palette (Ctrl+K / Cmd+K), and choose Set measurement scale.
  2. Set the measurement scale using a known 12 m dimension, then verify it with a second known dimension. Enable Measurement snapping where useful.
  3. Select Measure distance to trace the DC conduit run from the combiner box to the roof penetration, then switch to Measure area and click around the perimeter of Array Subfield B to calculate its square-meter footprint.

3. Add Structural Callouts and Export Measurements to CSV

  1. Choose Draw a cloud to circle the mechanical skylight clearance zone, then select Add a callout to label the required ballast weight per corner.
  2. Run Export measurements as CSV from the palette or measurement bar to save all recorded distances, perimeters, and areas into a spreadsheet-ready .csv table, then press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S) to save the annotated inspection packet.

Sources