AutoCAD Electrical

AutoCAD Electrical 2017 - Released

If you haven't heard by now, AutoCAD Electrical 2017 has been released. We are very excited about the features that are part of this release, especially since the features were all customer requests. If you are a subscription customer, you may have seen some of these updates in the AutoCAD Electrical 2016 Subscription Advantage packs.

Optional SQL Server Support

You can now choose to use SQL Server for the catalog and footprint lookup databases. The databases are supplied in Access format as in previous releases. But, you can use the Content Migration Utility provided to migrate the content to your SQL Server setup. Then you can choose to configure your SQL Server instance when you are creating your AutoCAD Electrical 2017 deployment, or installing AutoCAD Electrical 2017. Once AutoCAD Electrical is installed you can even set up your SQL Server from within the product.

Improvements to Electromechanical Workflows

• You can now create a combined Bill of Material report that takes into account your AutoCAD Electrical project and the linked Inventor assembly. Just run either the Schematic or Panel Bill of Material report in AutoCAD Electrical and check to Include Inventor Parts.
• The Location View tab has a new top node so you can view and export the entire project.
• To make it easier to link components between your AutoCAD Electrical drawing and Inventor assembly, you can now select both components right in the Location View. The option has been added to the Location View on the right-click menu.
• You can now insert parametric connectors in AutoCAD Electrical if your Inventor assembly contains parts defined as connectors. This option has been added to the Location View shortcut menu. You can right-click on the Installation or Location nodes to insert multiple connectors.

Electrical Audit

Some "errors" reported by Electrical Audit may not actually be errors or need to be corrected. For example, a ground wire with no wire number or a component with unconnected wire connections. Once you have determined an issue is not something that you need to fix, you can set the issue's status to Ignored and then hide all ignored issues. Unhide them at any time. Ignored issues are indicated in the new Status column. The status is remembered each time you run the audit and across sessions of AutoCAD Electrical.

Resequence Item Numbers

A new version of the Resequence Item Numbers is used in 2017.

• Drawings are no longer opened for processing. This provides a huge improvement in performance especially for large projects.
• The manufacturers are sorted across the project, not per drawing.
• The entire project is always processed, keeping item numbers in sync for components with the same catalog.
• The project property, Reset with each Drawing, has been removed and is no longer valid.

Note: Use the AEITEMRESEQUENCEMODE system variable to return to the pre-2017 item number resequencing method.

Balloon Update

If you change your item balloon style using the Panel Configuration you can now apply those changes to existing balloons on the active drawing. Depending on how different the new style is from the existing balloons, you may need to manually adjust the existing balloon or leader.

Security Updates

Security continues to be a major focus for both AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical. To minimize the possibility of loading and executing malicious code, some files previously installed in the public folder, C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Acade {version}\Support\{language code}, are now installed in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD {version}\Acade\Support\{language code}\Shared\.

These files include the sample user post .lsp and .dcl files, and a few other support files. To modify these files you may need to move them to another folder and add that folder to the TRUSTEDPATHS system variable setting.

Any files in the Program Files folder tree that are under the operating system's UAC protection are now trusted. This trust is indicated by displaying the implicitly trusted paths in Trusted Paths UI and graying them out. Also, the AutoCAD code itself continues to be hardened against more sophisticated attacks.

Miscellaneous

• When you insert panel footprints from a schematic list, the sort settings are now saved across sessions.
• You can now sort the terminal strips in the Terminal Strip Table Generator by clicking the column header. The terminal strips are generated in the sorted order.
• When you add or edit signal arrows, related source and destination arrows are updated automatically, even if they are on other drawings.
• The product now supports Installation, Location, and Tag values of up to 255 characters each. Where Installation, Location, and Tag values are concatenated, the concatenated string allows a maximum of 255 characters.

AutoCAD 2017 New Features

There are some new AutoCAD features you might be interested in also. You can see the Help topic, AutoCAD 2017 New Feature Summary, for details.

Enjoy.

Pat Murnen

Table Styles in AutoCAD Electrical

AutoCAD Electrical uses table styles in cross-referencing (table format), terminal strip editor, and reports. Table styles control the text style, size, and alignment, cell margins, fill color, and borders.

When you set up your cross-referencing style, insert a terminal strip or report table, the dialogs all allow you to pick a table style.

Recently, I had someone ask me where this list of table styles come from. He wanted to remove the ones he didn't use and add the ones he did.

This list comes from the active drawing and TABLESTYLE.DWG. The default location for TABLESTYLE.DWG is C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD Electrical {version}\{release number}\{country code}\Support\.

If you want to add or remove table styles from the list, all you have to do is open this drawing and update the table styles. Once you save the TABLESTYLE.DWG, the next time you go into any of the dialogs that use this list, you will see your table styles.

I added two new styles to my TABLESTYLE.DWG, one for cross-referencing and one for terminal strip editor. So my drop-down list now includes those.

I got a little fancy with my styles. I added some fill colors, changed some of the text properties, and defined some double borders. Now when I use these styles, I automatically get the look I want.

Make sure when you set up your table styles, you set the sizes based on whether you are working in metric or inches. And don't forget to set the cell margins so the text doesn't end up right on the border lines.

- Pat Murnen

AutoCAD Electrical Subscription Advantage Pack 2

The Subscription Advantage Pack is a collection of value-added features available to subscription based users. As of November 15th, the Subscription Advantage Pack 2 (SAP2) is ready to be downloaded.

Here's a sneak peek at what's packed in this release:

Include Autodesk Inventor Parts in Panel Bill Of Material

In Electromechanical projects, if AutoCAD Electrical parts are linked to their corresponding Autodesk Inventor Parts, you can generate a combined Bill of Material Report. A new option is now available in the Panel Bill of Material report to include the Inventor Parts in the report. A “Source” column has been added in the report to distinguish Electrical parts, Inventor parts, and/or Linked parts from each other.

 

Linking AutoCAD Electrical components and Inventor parts in Location View Tab

If you’re working on an Electromechanical project, you can now link the AutoCAD Electrical component(s) to Inventor part(s) right from the Location View tab. Follow these simple steps:

1. On the Location View tab, right click on the component you want to link.

2. Select the “Assign to Existing in Component Tree”.

3. Find the corresponding component that you want to link to and select it.

The components are now linked.

Item Number Balloon update

In an active drawing, any modifications to balloon configurations can be applied to not only new balloons, but also already existing ones. The process is simple:

1. Open the Panel Drawing Configuration dialog.

2. Modify the balloon properties in the Balloon setup.

3. On selecting “Apply to all balloons in active drawing”, the properties are updated. 

 

Want to know more?

Please go through these links to know more about the new feature enhancements!

http://help.autodesk.com/view/ACAD_E/2016/ENU/?guid=GUID-E575CF90-629B-4554-B019-B7A357BC633C 

Please check out the following video:

 

Are you on subscription? Do you want these features?

Download from the Autodesk Subscription Center. If you need help on how to download, then please watch this tutorial.

We at Autodesk, value the ideas you post on the AutoCAD Electrical Ideastation which helps us understand the problems you face. We want to thank each one of you who took out the time to post new ideas and promote other valuable ideas. We encourage users to post new ideas & enhancement suggestions on this forum and give kudos to others’ ideas that they support which in turn helps us filter the most valued ideas.

Thanks,

AutoCAD Electrical Ideastation team

 

 

 

Adding Content – Inserting the Symbols

This article is part 4, the final installment in my series on adding content to AutoCAD Electrical.

1. Create your set of symbols
2. Add the data to the catalog database
3. Add your symbol to the icon menu and Catalog Browser
4. Insert the symbol

In the previous article I looked at adding the symbols to the icon menu and Catalog Browser. So now we are ready to insert the symbol.

Insert Symbol from Icon Menu

1. Open the Icon Menu, Schematic tab > Insert Components pane > Icon Menu.
2. Locate and select your symbol.
   
3. Your symbol is attached to your cursor, making it easy to insert.
   
4. Once you select the location, the appropriate Insert\Edit dialog opens. The Tag is automatically assigned based on the Drawing Properties settings.
5. Click Lookup and assign the catalog value as needed.
6. Click OK. If everything goes as expected, wires break as needed.
   

Insert Symbol from Catalog Browser

1. If the Catalog Browser isn't open, click Schematic tab > Insert Components panel > Catalog Browser.
   You may need to expand the Icon Menu drop-down to find this command. The Catalog Browser can remain open all the time if you use it often. You can use other commands while it is open.
2. Search for your catalog value.
3. Click the record in the browser. The menu with any associated symbols displays.
   

   If you associated multiple symbols, the menu shows them all.

4. Click the symbol and select the location.
5. The symbols is inserted and the Insert\Edit dialog opens. The catalog value is already assigned since it was inserted from the Catalog Browser.
   
6. Add any other values needed and click OK.

-Pat Murnen

Adding Content - Add Symbols to the Icon Menu and Catalog Browser

This article is part 3 in my series on adding content to AutoCAD Electrical.

1. Create your set of symbols
2. Add the data to the catalog database
3. Add your symbol to the icon menu and Catalog Browser
4. Insert the symbol

Adding a Symbol to the Icon Menu

Note: If you always insert your symbols from the Catalog Browser you do not need to do this.

Use the Icon Menu Wizard to add new pages and components to the Icon Menu.

I know I eventually will add a family of symbols, so first I'll add a new submenu page.

Since I created an image when making my symbol (earlier post), I can use that for the page image.

After clicking OK I can see my new page at the end.

Now I need to add the individual symbol(s).

1. Double-click the new icon so it opens the new blank page.
2. Select Component on the Add drop-down menu.
   
3. Then enter the name, icon, and symbol on the dialog.
4. Repeat adding Components for any other symbols that you want to include on this same page. You don't need to add both the horizontal and vertical versions.
5. Once you OK out of the Icon Menu Wizard and open the actual Icon Menu, you'll see that your new submenu and components are there.
   

For more information see the Help topic, To Work With the Icon Menu Wizard.

Adding Symbols to the Catalog Browser

There are a couple of ways to add symbols to the Catalog Browser so that when you pick a catalog value you are presented with the symbols for insertion. Both methods require that the record be visible in the browser. So make sure you do a search on the browser so the catalog record is available.

Method 1: Symbol is on the Icon Menu

1. When you click a catalog record the menu displays. Since no symbols are associated to the record it looks like this –

   

2. Click the button that opens the Icon Menu from the browser.
3. Navigate to the symbol you want to associate to the catalog record and select it.
4. Select to map the symbol.
   
5. Next time you select this record on the browser, the symbol can be inserted without going into the icon menu.
   

Method 2: Edit Catalog Database to Add Symbol

1. Go into Edit Mode on the browser.
2. Scroll over to the SYMBOL2D column.
3. Click once in the field and click the browse button that displays.
4. Enter the symbol names for each symbol you want to associate to the catalog. If you created both the horizontal and vertical versions, make sure to add both. Once you OK, the values are added in the syntax needed for the Catalog Browser.
5. If you are also using Inventor, you can add a 3D part in the SYMBOL3D field. Then, when you use the Catalog Browser in Inventor you can insert your electrical part.
6. Click to save your changes.

-Pat Murnen

Adding Content to AutoCAD Electrical – Catalog Database

This article is part 2 in my series on adding content to AutoCAD Electrical, covering adding content to the catalog database.

1. Create your set of symbols
2. Add the data to the catalog database
3. Add your symbol to the icon menu and Catalog Browser
4. Insert the symbol

Adding a Table to the Catalog Database

The command to add a new table to the catalog database is kind of hidden on the ribbon. Probably because it isn't something you do every day. To find it, expand the Other Tools panel on the Project tab.

Select your catalog database .mdb file. The default catalog database is called default_cat.mdb. I am going to add a symbol category of FC to stand for Fictional Category.

After clicking OK, the table is added to the database with all the correct fields, including field order, length, and type. The table name and description are also added to the _FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table in the catalog database. The _FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table is used by the Catalog Browser and Symbol Builder to show the description for a catalog table\symbol category.

For Catalog Browser to display your new table you need to exit and restart AutoCAD Electrical. Once I restart, my new category shows up in the Catalog Browser and I can add catalog data to the table.

Select the table and click . This starts the edit mode.

There are only a few fields that are required. If you try and save the changes while any of these fields are blank, you will see an alert similar to this –

Press Enter to add a new line so you can add as many records as you need.

Most information is pretty easy to understand and enter. Just click in the box and start typing. The next sections cover the fields that need a little more explanation.

ASSEMBLYCODE, ASSEMBLYLIST, ASSEMBLYQUANTITY

You can set up sub-assemblies in the catalog so that when you assign the main catalog value, extra parts are included when you run a Bill of Material report. There is a pretty good section in the help topic, To Work With Editing the Catalog Database Records, on setting up assemblies in the catalog. I have copied it here.

1. Locate the catalog record for the main catalog item.
2. Click the ASSEMBLYCODE cell.
3. Select an existing value from the drop-down list or enter a new value. Spaces are allowed. Use multiple codes to link to multiple subassembly items.
   Note: Use a semi-colon, ";", to separate multiple codes. For example, NOBLOCK;NCBLOCK.
4. Enter a number in the ASSEMBLYQUANTITY field to define the quantity of these subassembly items to include with the main catalog value. A blank value is the same as a 1.
   Note: to define a quantity for each subassembly when multiple ASSEMBLYCODE values are assigned, prefix the ASSEMBLYCODE value code with the quantity followed by a comma, ",". For example,2,NOBLOCK;3,NCBLOCK.
5. Locate the catalog record for the subassembly item.
6. Click the ASSEMBLYLIST cell.
7. Select the ASSEMBLYCODE value for the main catalog from the drop-down list.
8. Enter a number in the ASSEMBLYQUANTITY field to define the quantity to include with this ASSEMBLYCODE.

Note: Subassembly catalog items must be in the same database table as the main catalog item.

TEXTVALUE

You can use the TEXTVALUE field to assign values to attributes when the catalog is assigned to a component. Here is some information from the Help topic, About the Catalog Database Structure.

The format for the text data in this field is:

<attribute tag name1>=<text value>;<attribute tag name2>=<text value>

For example, a catalog entry that annotates the attributes RATING1 and RATING2 with "ON DELAY" and "5-30 sec" respectively, contains the following TEXTVALUE:

RATING1=ON DELAY;RATING2=5-30 sec

These values are assigned to the component when the catalog is assigned. If you edit the catalog record and want to update existing components, run Project tab > Other Tools panel > Component Update from Catalog.

COILPINS, PINLIST

The information you enter in these fields is used to populate the terminal pin values on the parent (COILPINS) and child (PINLIST) symbols. When you edit these values in the Catalog Browser, the information is written back to the correct _PINLIST table in the catalog database. There is a pretty good section in the help topic, To Work With Editing the Catalog Database Records, on entering pin values. I have copied it here.

1. Locate the catalog value.
2. Click twice in the COILPINS cell.
3.  Click to open the Coil Pins dialog box where you define the pins for the parent symbol.
4. If the parent symbol has a contact state, for example a normally open pushbutton, select the contact type. If the parent symbol does not have a contact state, for example a relay coil, leave it as an undefined type.
5. Enter the list of pins separated by a comma. The pin values are assigned in the order listed to the TERM# attributes on the component.
   
   For example, if the value is "K1,K2", "K1" is assigned to the TERM01 attribute, and "K2" is assigned to the TERM02 attribute.

If this device can have child symbols define a PINLIST value.

1. Click twice in the PINLIST cell.
2.  Click to open the Pin List dialog box where you define the pins for the child symbols.
   
3. Select the pin type from the available list.
4. Enter the pin values separated by a comma or space.
   Note: Rows are added as you add pin values.
5. Add an optional comment.
6. Repeat for each set of pins associated with this catalog value.
   
   The pinlist is written to the database in the format required by the program, for example:1,A1X,A1Y;2,A2X,A2Y;1,A3X,A3Y;1,A4X,A4Y;1,B1X,B1Y;1,B2X,B2Y;1,B3X,B3Y;1,B4X,B4Y.
7. If the catalog value can have two parent symbols, for example forward and reversing starters, repeat the steps for the PEERCOILPINS and PEERPINLIST fields.

Note: If an _PINLIST table for the manufacturer does not exist, it is created.

WEBLINK, WDBLKNAM

I would recommend looking at the Help topic, About the Catalog Database Structure, to get more information on these fields.

SYMBOL2D, SYMBOL3D

These fields tell AutoCAD Electrical what symbols are associated to this catalog record. SYMBOL2D is used in AutoCAD Electrical. SYMBOL3D is used when inserting parts in Inventor when your project is linked to an Inventor assembly.

I will cover these fields more in my next article, Adding the Symbols to the Icon Menu and Catalog Browser.

-Pat Murnen

Adding Content to AutoCAD Electrical

I recently wrote a post about adding your own attribute templates for Symbol Builder. Based on that post a customer asked me to write about the larger workflow of adding content to AutoCAD Electrical. This is really a series of steps, which can include the following:

1. Create your set of symbols
2. Add the data to the catalog database
3. Add your symbol to the icon menu and Catalog Browser
4. Insert the symbol

In this post I will write about creating the symbols. In follow up posts I will cover the other steps.

Creating a Symbol Set

Creating symbols is tough to cover in an article because there are lots of options and variations. To keep it simple, I am just going to cover the basics.

Normally, I would create a new symbol by starting with an existing, similar symbol. But, for this post I am going to start with a rectangle drawn before starting Symbol Builder. You can draw the graphics for the symbol either before you start Symbol Builder, or while in the Symbol Builder environment. 

Start Symbol Builder.

Since my symbol graphics already exist, I need to select them and define the symbol insertion point. If you are going to draw your graphics in the Symbol Builder environment, you can skip these steps.

1. Click Select Objects.
2. The dialog temporarily closes and you can select the objects that make up the symbol graphics. Once you press Enter the dialog displays again.
3. Click Pick Point.
4. Click the location you want to be the origin of the symbol based on your graphics. In my example, I would select in the center of my rectangle. Using a grid when you draw the graphics and select the origin can help get the exact size and location. The origin I select here becomes 0,0 in the Symbol Builder environment.
   

Select the appropriate attribute template for your symbol. You will probably want to create at least a horizontal and a vertical parent. This way you can control the location and orientation of the attributes when the symbol is inserted on a horizontal or vertical wire. Otherwise, if you only create the horizontal version AutoCAD Electrical rotates the symbol, including the attributes, when inserted on a vertical wire. For my example, I am just going to select the Horizontal Parent, Generic.

Once you click OK, you are in the Symbol Builder environment where only the objects that are part of your symbol are visible. If you don't see the Symbol Builder Attribute Editor palette you may need to turn it on.

Now you are ready for the main tasks when creating a symbol; adding the attributes and wire connections.

Adding Attributes

The attributes required for the symbol type you selected are in the top section and optional attributes are in the bottom section. You can add the attributes one at a time or pick multiple attributes from the list to add. Select the ones you want to add and click Insert Attribute.

The attributes are inserted with the properties as defined on the attribute template. For example, the MFG, CAT, and ASSYCODE attributes are set as invisible on the attribute template. I can change the properties before I insert them on my symbol, , or use the PROPERTIES command after inserting.

Look at the Help topic, About Schematic Attributes, to understand the many attributes used by AutoCAD Electrical.

Adding Wire Connections

AutoCAD Electrical uses attributes to define wire connections. When inserting these you can select from various styles which may include graphics. You may need to scroll down on the palette to see the Wire Connection section. Select the drop-down to see the default type.

The style labeled None includes just the wire connection attributes. The other styles include some terminal graphics along with the attributes. Click Others to see more options for inserting the wire connections.

Select a style and an orientation. Depending on the orientation you select, you will get multiple sets of wire connection attributes when you insert them.

    

You can select to insert multiple wire connections.

So now my symbol is starting to take shape.

It can look a little messy if the attribute names overlap. But, since the attribute names are longer than the values they will eventually hold, I am not going to worry about that.

Save the Symbol

The symbol is now ready to save. Click Done.

Some things to look at on this busy dialog:

Symbol name: A default symbol name is supplied, but it is a good idea to review this and see if you want to change it. See the help topic, About Symbol Naming Conventions, to see how the symbol name can affect the functionality. Since my symbol is the horizontal parent for the FC family (I will use this when I add the catalog data), I will use HFC1 for the symbol name.

Base point: You also might need to set the base point. This is the insertion base point for the symbol. It is normally set for the 0,0,0 of the symbol based on its location in the Symbol Builder environment.

Icon image: If you are going to add your symbol to the icon menu later, go ahead and let it create the icon image. This is not necessary if you are going to insert your symbol from the Catalog Browser. The Catalog Browser creates its own images directly from the symbol.

Errors: Finally, take notice if there are any errors found on your symbol. If so, click Details to see if those errors need to be corrected. Errors can include duplicate or missing attributes, wire connection attributes out of alignment for the symbol type, etc.

After clicking OK, I get the option to insert the symbol on my drawing. Once I insert it, I can see that is behaves like other symbols; it breaks wires that cross the wire connection attributes, it assigns a tag, and the dialog box comes up where I can fill in values for my other attributes. Success!

You will want to repeat this to build the vertical version of your symbol and any child symbols needed.

To see more about building your own symbols, see the Symbol Builder Tutorial.

In my next article I will talk about adding content to the Catalog Database as the next step in adding content in AutoCAD Electrical.

-Pat Murnen

AutoCAD Electrical Symbol Builder – Attribute Templates

Recently I had a few questions from customers about the Symbol Builder and how the attribute templates work. They were trying to add a new category of symbols and running into a few problems.

When you first start Symbol Builder you get a dialog box with lots of options. The ones I want to talk about today are the Symbol and Type drop-down lists.

What you pick on these 2 drop-downs control which attributes are available, and some default values, when you get into the Symbol Builder environment.

You can always add attributes and change values, but starting with a good attribute template can save a lot of time when creating new symbols.

But, how does it do this and how do I add my own values to these drop-down lists?

AutoCAD Electrical uses a set of library symbols, that I will call attribute templates, to accomplish this. Each library symbol has the default attributes for a certain type of symbol. For example, if it is an attribute template for a schematic parent, it will have the TAG1, while an attribute template for a schematic child will have TAG2.

Attribute templates follow the naming convention, AT_{symbol}_{type}.

The {symbol} value appears in the Symbol drop-down list.

Certain codes are recognized by Symbol Builder, such as HP for Horizontal Parent or HC for Horizontal Child. Or you can use the full text, such as "Horizontal Parent".

For example, if you wanted to add some attribute templates for pre-built PLC modules, you could have a group of attribute template symbols that started with AT_PLC_. As soon as I add a library symbol (in my project's schematic library path) using this naming convention, it shows up in the drop-down.

The {type} value from the symbol name appears in the Type drop-down list.

The values in the Type drop-down are filtered by what you select in the Symbol drop-down. In this example I selected Horizontal Parent, so the drop-down includes symbols named AT_HP_*. You can see how the list of library symbols matches up with what is shown in the list. I will talk in a minute about where the descriptions comes from. But, first let's add a Type entry for our new PLC symbol category.

Let's say I want to add a template for a PLC symbol with 4 I/O points. I could name it AT_PLC_4IO. As soon as I create the symbol and restart Symbol Builder, it shows up in the Type drop-down.

If I add more AT_PLC_* templates, they also show up.

But, notice they don't have descriptions like the others. To have a description show up here, you need to map each Type abbreviation (4IO, 6IO, 8IO) in the _FAMILY_DESCRIPTION table of the catalog database, i.e. default_cat.mdb.

Then, the descriptions show up in the drop-down.

Of course, for this to be useful you need to add the appropriate attributes and default values to your attribute templates. Knowing what attributes need to be on a certain symbol type is a topic for another day. Until then, you can start with the Help topic, About Schematic Attributes, to get information about the various types of schematic attributes. And to learn more about Symbol Builder attribute templates, see the Help topic To Create a Symbol Builder Attribute Template.

- Pat Murnen

AutoCAD Electrical Quick Reference Guide

It has been a while since this guide was posted so I thought it might be nice to re-post. The guide is in PDF format so is can be printed.

AutoCAD Electrical uses a lot of different files. Some of the files include:

• Library symbols for the different standards
• Icon menu files
• Catalog database
• Circuit Builder spreadsheet
• Miscellaneous text files that make it easier to assign description, location, and installation values
• And more …

It can be hard to keep track of the files and find them when you need to make a change. The attached .pdf file provides a quick view into the main files used by AutoCAD Electrical and the default locations.

In addition to the files, the guide includes some other important basic information:

• Symbol naming convention
• Replaceable parameters used when defining the tagging format for components, wire numbers, and cross-referencing
• Family codes used by AutoCAD Electrical for symbols and catalog tables

Download AutoCAD Electrical Quick Reference Guide

- Pat Murnen

Ladder Orientation and Wire Sequence

This post is last in a series on wire sequencing in AutoCAD Electrical 2016.

My first article introduced this high level flow chart, and covered the first diamond: Edit Wire Sequence.

The second article talked about the second diamond: Angle Tees.

The third article covered the third and fourth diamonds: Wire Sequence Drawing and Project Properties.

So, if there is no wire sequence defined, angle tees aren't used, and the drawing and project properties have no default order, AutoCAD Electrical checks the drawing's default ladder setting. Even if there are no ladders inserted or your drawing is set for X-Y Grid or X-Zones, there is still a ladder default. Go to Drawing Properties > Drawing Format to see the default ladder orientation.

Looking at the same wire network used in an earlier post, 

here is how the wire sequence would be interpreted for a Wire From\To report depending on the drawing property for ladder orientation.

Horizontal Ladder Default – top to bottom, moving right

Vertical Ladder Default – left to right, moving down

This concludes the series covering wire sequencing in AutoCAD Electrical 2016.

-Pat Murnen