Branch vs Aurora Solar
Aurora Solar helps win residential jobs with proposals and shading analysis. Branch automates construction document drafting in AutoCAD for commercial and industrial projects. Different stage, different user, different output.
Different Tools, Different Jobs
Aurora Solar
- Cloud-based proposal platform
- Shading analysis and energy modeling
- Customer-facing proposals and financing
- Primarily residential market
- Used by sales teams and project managers
- Output: proposals, energy estimates, basic permit sets
Branch
- AutoCAD plugin for drafting automation
- Stringing, homerun routing, circuit lengths, tags
- Construction document production
- Commercial and industrial market
- Used by CAD-savvy engineers
- Output: construction-document-ready AutoCAD drawings
Aurora's "Plan Sets" feature produces basic permit output for simple residential projects, but lacks the conduit routing and construction-level detail that commercial and industrial projects require. For those projects, engineers bring layouts into AutoCAD and use tools like Branch.
The Aurora + Branch Workflow
Many solar companies use both tools at different stages of the same project.
Win the project with Aurora
Use Aurora for site assessment, shading analysis, energy modeling, and customer proposals. Aurora excels at this stage.
Export the panel layout
Export your Aurora layout to DWG format and open it in AutoCAD, or bring your own layout from any source.
Automate drafting with Branch
Branch places strings with voltage window compliance, routes homeruns with K-means optimization, exports circuit lengths, and generates tags. About 3 minutes per project.
Deliver construction documents
Your engineers add their engineering judgment, review, and stamp the documents. Branch handled the drafting; they handle the engineering.
What Branch Adds to Your Workflow
Branch picks up where proposal tools leave off. Once the project is won, Branch automates the construction document drafting that engineers currently do by hand.
Panel Stringing
Automated string placement with voltage window compliance across your panel layout
Homerun Routing
K-means optimized path routing from string endpoints to electrical equipment
Circuit Length Export
Cable and circuit lengths calculated from drawn paths and exported to CSV
Tag Generation
Automated labels and tags placed directly on your construction drawings
SolarEdge PDF Import
Import SolarEdge Designer PDFs directly into AutoCAD-ready format
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Branch an alternative to Aurora Solar?
Branch and Aurora Solar serve different stages of the solar project lifecycle. Aurora is a cloud-based proposal platform for residential sales — shading analysis, energy modeling, and customer proposals. Branch is an AutoCAD plugin that automates construction document drafting (stringing, homerun routing, circuit lengths) for commercial and industrial projects. Many companies use both: Aurora to win the project, Branch to build it.
Can I use Aurora Solar and Branch together?
Yes — this is the most common workflow we see from commercial EPCs. Use Aurora for site assessment and proposals, export the panel layout to DWG, open in AutoCAD, and run Branch for stringing and homerun routing. Branch produces construction-document-ready output in about 3 minutes per project.
Does Aurora Solar work for construction documents?
Aurora's Plan Sets feature produces basic permit output for simple residential projects, but it lacks the conduit routing and construction-level detail that commercial and industrial projects require. For projects that need full construction documents in AutoCAD, engineers use tools like Branch after the proposal stage.
How does Aurora's AutoStringer compare to Branch?
Aurora's AutoStringer operates within Aurora's cloud platform for residential proposals. Branch operates inside AutoCAD for commercial construction documents. Branch uses reinforcement learning for string optimization with NEC voltage window compliance, K-means optimization for homerun routing, and exports circuit lengths to CSV — capabilities designed for construction document production, not proposals.
Ready to Automate Your Construction Document Drafting?
14-day free trial. No credit card required. $299/user/month after trial.