Lightning protection design

From building sketch to air terminals.

Draw or import your building, run an IEC 62305 rolling-sphere exposure analysis for its lightning protection class, and place air terminals exactly where the strike points are. Then issue a PDF report. Nothing to install.

Exposed points 0.25, 1 and 3 m air terminals Classes I–IV · R = 20 / 30 / 45 / 60 m Free up to 40 vertices
Shown: Asymmetric Towers benchmark · Class-1 analysis with nearby buildings and 10 air terminals
How it works

Three tabs, one workflow

Each step feeds the next, so the building you draw is the building you analyse and protect.

01

Draw geometry

Build the structure from boxes, cylinders, domes and sketched outlines, then join or cut them. Variables keep dimensions editable. Or type a building file by hand.

02

Exposure analysis

Pick the protection class. LPCAD rolls the sphere over the building and marks the exposed points: where a strike can land.

03

Design air termination

Click on the building to place 0.25, 1 or 3 m rods, then re-run the analysis. Red points the rods now protect disappear, so you can see what is still exposed.

Features

Built for the way protection is designed

Lightning protection design software built around the IEC 62305-3 rolling-sphere method, not a general CAD package.

Parametric drawing

Shapes, cuts, joins, moves and repeats as an editable list of steps. Change a variable and the building updates.

Plain text or AutoCAD

Type a building as a readable .txt file, or (Pro) import AutoCAD 3-D geometry as DXF, STL or OBJ. Layers become the main building or nearby buildings.

Rolling sphere by class

IEC 62305-3 protection classes I to IV with R = 20, 30, 45 or 60 m. Nearby buildings shield the structure; the sample spacing is yours to set.

Air terminal placement

Vertical rods of 0.25, 1, 3 m or a custom height (9.5 mm diameter). Place, drag or type exact positions, re-run, and see which rods take the strikes.

PDF reports

One click gives an A4 report with the settings, exposed points, the air-terminal schedule, a 3-D view, plan and elevations.

Nothing to install

Open lpcad.app in any modern browser on Windows, Mac or Linux and start designing. No downloads, no licence keys, always the latest version.

Pricing

Free for smaller buildings

Every design feature is in both plans. Pro takes larger buildings (counted in vertices, the corner points), imports CAD geometry and gives reports without the LPCAD watermark.

Free
USD 0

For simple and benchmark buildings.

  • Buildings up to 40 vertices
  • Drawing, exposure analysis and air terminal design
  • Includes the Asymmetric Towers benchmark (40 vertices)
  • Save up to 3 projects in your account; export building files
  • PDF reports carry an LPCAD watermark
Pro
USD 20 / month

For real projects of any complexity.

  • Complex building geometries: above 40 vertices, up to the 5,000-vertex analysis limit
  • Smoother curved surfaces: round towers, domes and cones drawn with many more sides, plus detailed roofs
  • Import AutoCAD 3-D geometry (DXF, STL, OBJ), converted automatically for the analysis
  • Protected volume view: see the space no rolling sphere can reach, around the building and your air terminals
  • Save up to 50 projects in your account
  • PDF reports without the watermark, each with a report ID your clients can check at lpcad.app/verify
  • Everything in Free
  • Cancel any time

No card needed. Trial reports carry a TRIAL watermark; subscribe for clean reports. One trial per person.

Watch LPCAD in action. The video loads from YouTube when you press play. Open on YouTube

Start your first design

LPCAD demo · draw, analyse, place air terminals, import CAD

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