AutoCAD Electrical

AutoCAD Electrical - a product is a part of the solution using technology of digital prototypes and contains a full range of the CAD functions for design of electrical systems in addition to AutoCAD opportunities.

Screenshot of an application window of AutoCAD Electrical, 2013

List of opportunities of software

• In the program flexible opportunities of viewing the project are available. On the Arrangement tab it is possible to browse all devices in the project on functional group and location in the form of a tree. The unrolled panel of the Arrangement tab allows to browse and export data on separate devices and connections.

• Automatic formation of reports. Process of creation of reports is very simple and easily adapts. It is possible to receive several reports for one instruction fetch. Automatic reports cover all document types: specifications, lists of wires, input-outputs of a PLC, the table of connections, reports about cables and cross-references. Thanks to opportunities of sorting and data filtering only necessary information will be provided in reports. Reports are inserted into drawings of schemes in the form of intellectual tables which then are easily updated and can be saved in separate files.

• Joint work with the client and the supplier. Data exchange with clients and suppliers in the file DWG format. Electric circuits can be browsed and edited using any DWG compatible program, for example AutoCAD software for design and documentation release or the application for 2D - AutoCAD LT drawing. When editing schemes third parties in AutoCAD Electrical it is possible to create the report on the changes made to the drawing by other users.

• Organization of files and projects. In projects of electrical systems of management it is possible to create folders (including enclosed) and to place in them the DWG files. It is possible to create any number of folders and their levels. There is a possibility of project organization by any convenient method.

AutoCAD Electrical representation — for electrical engineers, 2014

• The flexible organization of files with a possibility of drag and drop. Files can be dragged easily in the project. Thanks to it the flexibility when changing a sequence of files, their distribution by folders and the organization of the enclosed folder structure is provided. Renaming of files and reassignment of outputs at the same time does not happen.

• The publication in PDF. Documentation in the form of the multipage PDF files of schematic circuits is improved using hyperlinks. Creation of multipage documents in the PDF format is available to the project. Functions of cross-references and navigation on devices are available in intellectual hyperlinks. Tabs reflect structure of the project. Search in the text of the drawing and attributes is possible.

Configuration of electric panels

• Intellectual drawings of configuration of mounting plates. The list of components for placement on drawings of configuration of mounting plates is taken from a schematic circuit. The user selects the location of a panel and specifies circuits for each device which is required to be inserted. At the same time communication between the device and its location is automatically created. Any changes in electric circuits or representation of panels cause updating of the elements which are not reflected in the scheme, for example cable trays.

• Design of terminal connections. Editing jumpers and jumpers and management of them allow to save time and to increase quality of projects of the electrical managing systems. The simplified interface of the editor of terminal strips is available. Reserve jumpers, changes as shift of the brought left and right wires are easily added. The graphics images of terminal strips based on a schematic circuit are created automatically and used on drawings of configuration of mounting plates and in tables of connections.

• The tracing menus for fast editing. The normal context menu opened with the right mouse button can be replaced with the tracing menu for commands. The tracing menus are context-dependent and are defined by type of the selected object. They provide quick access to the most often used functions for an object, including "Delete a component", "Edit a component", "Fast movement" and Alignment. It allows to accelerate process of editing and to optimize work with configurations of the electrical managing systems.

• Export and import of terminal strips. Data on terminal connections are exported to the XML file for the subsequent import to Wago ProServe or Phoenix Contact. The terminal strip, spare jumpers and auxiliary accessories of the terminal strip can be set in Wago ProServe Smart Designer or Phoenix Contact Clip Project. In Phoenix Contact the terminal strip can be saved in the form of file 3D STEP that then to place it in Inventor assembly.

Circuitry design

• The improved opportunities for work with wires. The property of the drawing and project for form's sake of sorting can be applied to the sequence of wires and also to an order of identifiers and wire numbers. This parameter creates the sequence of wires by default for networks of wires with several components.

• Automatic numbering of wires and task of position designations. All wires and components can appoint automatically numbers and position designations (consecutive or on the basis of links). AutoCAD Electrical appoints unique wire numbers and position designations of components in electric circuits of drawings on the basis of the selected configuration that reduces change tracking time in the project and quantity of errors. If near a wire or a component there is no empty seat, AutoCAD Electrical locates designation away from it and carries automatically out a callout.

• Design and reuse of chains. Chains of electric management form dynamically on the basis of a rule set, belonging to components, connections, ratings and catalog data. The designer of chains provides all information necessary for acceptance optimal and effective in terms of energy consumption and environmental standards of solutions. Circuitry design of electric circuits is executed on the basis of a material type of wires, ambient temperature, the maximum voltage drop and other indicators. For more productive work to users once is recommended to create standard chains, to save them and to use then in future projects.

• Libraries of graphic images for electric circuits. In AutoCAD Electrical it is available to several hundred thousands of standard graphic images to electric circuits. The simple system of an insert of devices on the basis of the menu allows to create quickly projects of electrical systems of management on the basis of standards, including pneumatic and hydraulic projects.

• Check in real time. Identification and elimination of expensive errors prior to the beginning of a creation stage. AutoCAD Electrical constantly checks the made changes for compliance to the project in general and warns users about potential errors. The repeating wire numbers and position designations of components are marked with a checkbox. The program allows to avoid the errors connected with the absent or incorrect wire number. The output of warnings helps to increase quality of project works before transfer of electric circuits in production.

• More user-friendly interface. Are available expanded subjects, styles of tables, the intellectual commands "Cut", "Copy" and "Insert" and also the references "Find". It is possible to select a dark or light subject. Styles of tables determine the text size, style and fields in reports. The intellectual command of cutting and copying places the selected objects in a clipboard, and the command of an insert places the selected elements, automatically updating designations and wire numbers. The references "Find" available in the reference documentation, are specified on a certain icon in the appendix and by that help the user to find the necessary command.

Design of electrical systems of management

• Interaction with Autodesk Inventor. Thanks to electromechanical workflows for AutoCAD Electrical and Inventor free project integration of electrical systems with mechanical assembly is executed that provides associativity, management and updating between products in real time. Permanent synchronization of data between programs allows to avoid errors at project integration and to perform exact trace, connection and measurement of length of cables and wires at the expense of the general interface in these programs.

• Binding of the coil and its contacts in real time. AutoCAD Electrical reduces risk of purpose of the relay of too large number of contacts and minimizes time expenditure on tracking of their communications manually. AutoCAD Electrical sets parent and child communications between coils and contacts. The number of the contacts appointed to each coil or the multicontact device is monitored, and when exceeding permissible value warning is issued.

• Drawings of devices of input-output of a PLC on the basis of tabular data. Having specified purposes of input-output of the project in the form of the spreadsheet, it is possible to create a full range of drawings of input-output of a PLC. Objects and modules of devices of input-output on the drawing are automatically complemented with multilink schemes and fields of the description. Besides, graphic images of components and jumpers are added to each device of input-output. Programming of a PLC can be executed on the basis of the exported report. Again it is not necessary to create drawings for this transaction.

• Libraries on the basis of standards. For creation of electrotechnical projects according to state standards there are libraries of components provided by the leading industry suppliers. They contain more than 650 thousand components and graphic images: switches, buttons, the relay, contacts, jumpers, etc. Besides, components it is possible to select from extensive library of air, hydraulic devices and schemes of pipelines and KIP.

• Print preview and insert of elements in the observer of directories. At an insert of components the data appointed by him according to the directory are also added to the scheme. Search of elements in the directory and an insert of components can be performed directly in the observer of directories. Besides, the preview feature of block representations of a part is available. The observer of directories it is possible to fix or leave floating that he always was in the public eye in the course of work.

• Editing parts in the observer of directories. Convenient adding or editing elements of the directory and purpose of graphic images and 3D - parts in the database of the directory. The uniform, convenient tabular interface in use allows to edit, add and delete entries in the database of the directory. Components can appoint several graphic images and also 3D - a part for ensuring interaction with 3D-SAPR of Inventor.

• Integration of parts of Inventor. The observer of directories of Electrical it is possible to add during installation 3D-SAPR of Inventor 2015 for access to 3D - to parts of electrical circuits. This improvement provides support of the mekhatronny systems. Insert 3D - parts of electrical circuits into assembly of Inventor from the same directory at design of electrical systems for execution of the solution on the basis of technology of digital prototypes.