Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical (For AutoCAD Users)

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)

Tiffany Tucker – TATA Technologies

MD6033

If you are currently using AutoCAD® to develop controls drawings or if you have AutoCAD® Electrical

but you are still primarily using it as vanilla AutoCAD to complete your controls drawings, this is the class for you.

Learn key tips and tricks to get you quickly up and running with AutoCAD Electrical, so that you can start utilizing all

of its amazing automation! Hot Topics will include template development, support file step up, and user friendly

automated commands. This class will be electrifying and have you feeling the spark of love for ACADE!

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

• Understand the benefits of moving to AutoCAD Electrical

• Understand the basic concepts of starting an AutoCAD Electrical Project

• Understand the basic support files that can be made company-specific

• Understand the key items for converting AutoCAD templates to ACADE templates

About the Speaker

Tiffany has been an Autodesk Consultant for Tata Technologies for the last eight years. Her primary

focus is as a technical instructor/consultant for AutoCAD, AutoCAD Electrical, and Inventor. She, along

with two other consultants, has won awards for developing a full line of online live instructor-led training

classes for the Autodesk manufacturing products. Before becoming a consultant, she earned her

Bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University and she has worked in many different industries

gaining valuable CAD experience, including Electrical Engineering, Interior Design/Architecture,

Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering, and was part of MSU’s CAD development team. She

started on AutoCAD R10 and has carried a strong passion for Autodesk products ever since.

tiffany.tucker@tatatechnologies.com

Tiffany Tucker, ACI | Autodesk Consultant

41050 W. Eleven Mile Road | Novi, MI 48375-1302

p: +1 248.699.1988 | f: +1 248.426.8498

email: tiffany.tucker@tatatechnologies.com

website: www.tatatechnologies.com

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)

Table of Contents

Learning Objective 1: Benefits of Moving from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Electrical ............................................... 3

Learning Objective 2: The AutoCAD Electrical Project ................................................................................................ 4

Definition of an ACADE Project File ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Relative Drawing File Paths ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Guidelines for Project Files ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

Workflow: Creating a New Project ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Learning Objective 3: Customizing AutoCAD Electrical Support Files ................................................................... 8

Component Reference Files ..................................................................................................................................................... 8

Setting Up Automated Title Block Updating ....................................................................................................................10

Workflow: Creating a Title Block Mapping File .............................................................................................................16

Workflow: Updating a Title Block ......................................................................................................................................17

Learning Objective 4: Creating AutoCAD Electrical Templates from vanilla AutoCAD Templates ........... 19

Drawing Templates and CAD Standards (for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical) ................................................19

Preset Drawing Graphics .......................................................................................................................................................19

Example of Drawing Templates...........................................................................................................................................19

Template Properties and Settings ......................................................................................................................................20

AutoCAD Electrical Templates .............................................................................................................................................20

Storage Location of Drawing Templates ..........................................................................................................................20

Template Options Dialog Box ...............................................................................................................................................21

Workflow: Creating Drawing Templates ..........................................................................................................................22

Workflow: Creating Wire Types .........................................................................................................................................26

EXERCISE: Exploring the Basics of AutoCAD Electrical ..............................................................................................27

Deployment & Implementation Steps

........................................................................................................................

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

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Learning Objective 1: Benefits of Moving from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Electrical

1. AutoCAD® Electrical was specifically designed for electrical engineers who design industrial control

systems, but it can be used for many different electrical applications.

2. It is built right into the AutoCAD® environment, which makes for a very easy transition, with a task based

user interface of Electrical-specific commands that gives the user access to many industry specific tools that

automate the electrical design process, including Electrical symbol libraries for creating schematics, layouts,

and related reports faster and more accurately than doing it manually in AutoCAD software. A recent study

showed up to an 80 percent increase in productivity when moving to AutoCAD Electrical from AutoCAD.

3. Many different design workflows are supported in ACADE. For example, you can draw your schematics and

then extract a list of all of those components to create your layouts and the associations are automatically

made between the components, so you only have to edit in one spot. You could also start with a layout

(perhaps to choose and order components that require a long lead time) and then extract a footprint list from

the layout to design the schematics.

4. You can do ladder style schematics, or you can design schematics in a point-to-point style (direct connect),

placing components in empty areas of the drawing and then connecting the components with wires, or even

create drawings that are a composite of both styles.

5. Creating electrical controls designs with generic software (i.e. doing everything manually) can be quite

tedious, time-consuming, and can be far more prone to errors, and those errors are often not caught before

the designs hit the shop floor and could cause even more delays.

6. The manual creation of reports can also cause a lot of time-consuming extra work and delays, especially

with an inaccurate bill of materials (BOM).

7. Reusing designs in future projects or even just working on a project with other people in your organization

can be very cumbersome, error-prone, and the use of design standards can become quite inconsistent.

Top 10 Reasons to Move from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Electrical

1. Comprehensive symbol libraries

2. Automatic wire numbering and component tagging

3. Automatic project reports

4. Real-time error checking

5. Real-time coil and contact cross-referencing (Parent-Child

relationships)

6. Smart panel layout drawings

7. Electrical-specific drafting features

8. Ability to automatically create PLC I/O drawings from

spreadsheets

9. Ability to share drawings with customers and suppliers and track

their changes

10. Reuse existing drawings to easily find and reuse designs

The AutoCAD Electrical Productivity Study compares the time required to complete 10 tasks in both basic AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical. The conclusion: switching to AutoCAD

Electrical can help increase your productivity by as much as 80 percent. To learn more, visit www.autodesk.com/autocadelectrical-whitepapers.

Execrpt from the ACADE_JIC_Overview_broch_us.pdf

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Learning Objective 2: The AutoCAD Electrical Project

AutoCAD Electrical uses a project-based system to manage the multiple drawings and inter-drawing relationships

contained in most electrical projects. Understanding how this system works is essential to increasing your efficiency

and creating accurate electrical designs.

Definition of an ACADE Project File

A project file is an ASCII text file with a .wdp extension that stores information about a project. A project file contains

some of the following information:

 Project description lines (most commonly used for automatically updating all title blocks)

 Project default settings (design standards)

 Project drawing list, including: Complete path information, Drawing description lines, Section and subsection

assignments

 Other miscellaneous catalog and symbol library settings

 Folder structure of the project drawings

To ensure consistency throughout the project drawings, the project settings you store in the project file are

referenced when you create or add new drawings to a project. A single project file can find an unlimited number of

drawings located in many different directories (though this is not a best practice).

By default, project files are stored in the directory pointed to by the WD_PROJ setting in your environment file

(defined during installation), but the project files can be stored in any subdirectory. The location of the project file is

used early in the file search path. Custom drawing files, symbol libraries, and other reference files can be stored in

the project directory so that you can easily change configurations for different project needs.

Relative Drawing File Paths

Relative path information is used to save the drawing file location. If the drawing is stored in the same directory as

the project file, only the file name is stored in the project file. If the drawing is stored in a different directory than the

project file, the drawing name information includes both the file name and complete relative path information.

Note: Absolute or fixed paths to drawing files can also be used. To use an absolute path to a drawing file, you must

manually edit the project file using any text editor. You cannot enter a fixed path using the project manager.

Guidelines for Project Files

Follow these guidelines when working with project files:

 A single project file can have drawings located in many different directories. There is no limit to the number

of drawings in a project.

• The recommended location for the project file is in the same directory as the project drawing files.

Although this is not required, it allows the project to be moved to different directories or entered into

file management programs, such as Autodesk® Vault, with little or no management of file paths.

 Although you can use any text editor to edit a project file, in most cases it is recommended that you use the

Project Manager to make changes.

 When archiving or backing up the project drawing files, it is important to include the project file.

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

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This is an example of a typical ACADE project file:

Lines starting with "*[n]" are project description lines.

Lines starting with "+[n]" are project-wide settings.

Lines starting with "?[n]" are drawing default settings.

Lines starting with "=" are drawing section labels.

Lines starting with "= =" are drawing subsection

labels.

Lines starting with "= = =" are drawing description

lines.

Lines without a prefix are project drawing files.

A project drawing file that is stored in the same

directory as the project file. Only the drawing file name is

listed.

TIPS:

 A project file is not needed if the project consists of a single drawing.

 For more details on what is contained in a project file, go to AutoCAD Electrical Help > Projects and

Drawings

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Creating a New Project Workflow:

1. In the

Project Manager

, click

New Project

2. For Name, enter the name for the new project.

3. Select the Create Folder with Project Name

check box to create a new folder for the project with the same

name that you entered for the project. The folder is created in the path that is specified in Location. The

location is also the path where the project file is saved. If left empty, AutoCAD Electrical uses the path to

the wd.env file.

4. If you want to copy project settings from an existing project, click Browse to select the existing project file.

5. Click Descriptions to enter project information that can be included in report headers and title blocks.

(Described later in this document)

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6. Click

Properties

to create the new project, the

Project Properties

dialog box will open.

Note:

This is

where you can make changes to the project settings if needed.

7. Click OK to create the new project without making changes to the settings.

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

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Learning Objective 3: Customizing AutoCAD Electrical Support Files

Various reference files are supported by AutoCAD Electrical to help annotate your drawings. ASCII text files are used

as reference files for many different purposes. Only a few of the more frequently used files are briefly explained here.

Knowledge of these files, how they are used, and how they can be made project-specific can help make tasks, such

as changing drawing descriptions or mapping title block attributes, easier to understand and complete and when they

are customized to your company’s needs, they set the foundation for everyone creating these drawings to follow the

same standards.

Component Reference Files

Description (wd_desc.wdd), installation (default.inst), and location (default.loc) files are generic ASCII text files

that contain either common values or your company's standard nomenclature for these fields. Instead of reentering

values for each field, you can select the entry from a list.

You can use wizards in the software, or any external text editor, such as Notepad, to edit these files.

 Component Description file (wd_desc.wdd)

• Used for defining standard descriptions for components

• Can be accessed and edited via the Insert/Edit Component dialog box or can be edited via

external text editor

Out-of-the-box component reference file wd_desc.wdd

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 Location (default.loc) and Installation (default.inst) files

• Used for defining standard Location/Installation codes for components

• Accessed via the Insert/Edit Component dialog box and checking marking Include external list in

the All Locations - Project dialog box or All Installations – Project dialog box

• Edited via external text editor

Multiple versions of these files can exist. You can make the files project-specific by replacing wd_desc or default with

the project name. For example, wd_desc.wdd can also be labeled <projectname>.wdd or default.loc can be labeled

<projectname>.loc.

Multiple versions can exist because of the how ACADE searches for these files. First, the project directory, where the

project's WDP file is stored, is searched for a file with the same name as the project. If a project-named file is not

found, the software searches the project directory for the default file. If a project default file is not found, then the

software searches for a default file in the support directory (defined at installation).

Example Use of Project Specific Files

You work for a company that completes schematic designs and builds panels for many different companies. Your

clients use different nomenclature, and in some cases, different languages for the component descriptions and

labels.

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You create project-specific reference files for each client containing the data specified by the client. You store these

files in the same directory as the project file. As you move between projects, the different reference files for each

customer are automatically referenced.

Setting Up Automated Title Block Updating

 Define Project Line Labels (default_wdtitle.wdl).

• Project line description label mappings are stored in a project reference WDL file. These values

replace the generic Line 1, Line 2, and so forth, values used in the Project Description dialog box.

An unlimited number of lines can be stored in the file.

• Typically, these values are changed to match the attribute values of the drawing title block, making

the title block mappings much easier. They can also be used for many other purposes, including

revisions, drawing descriptions, and report information.

Generic line labels: Custom line labels:

• Either a project-based mapping file or a default mapping file can be used for this purpose. You name

these files <projectname>_wdtitle.wdl or default_wdtitle.wdl, respectively. The software searches

first for a file that matches the current project name. If a file is not found, the default file is used.

• A wizard is not provided to edit this file; therefore, you must create the file manually, using any ASCII

text editor. The entries do not have to be in order and line numbers may be skipped. The file should

contain one line per label in the format LINEx=label as shown in the following examples:

 LINE1=Title 1:

 LINE2=Title 2:

 LINE4=Job Number:

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 Title Block Mapping

• Before updating title blocks in your project, you must define how the project and drawing data is

mapped to the matching title block attributes. To accomplish this task, you need to understand the

formatting involved when using the internal attribute or the external ASCII file.

• You can map project and drawing information to attributes in your title block in several ways. You

can use the following:

 Any text editor to create an external ASCII-formatted mapping file with a WDT extension.

 The Title Block Setup wizard to create an external ASCII-formatted mapping file with a

WDT extension.

 The Title Block Setup wizard to store the mapping on your title block in an invisible WD_TB

attribute.

• When you use the Title Block Setup wizard all mapping formats are maintained

automatically whether you use the internal or external mapping methods.

 Typically all drawings in a project share the same title block that contains basically the same

information. With the Title Block Update utility, you can automatically update title block

attributes with mapped information at any time. You can update the current drawing or

selected drawings project-wide.

• Mapping File Options

 You have the option to store the mapping information in an external file or in an invisible

attribute in the title block.

 Each method of storing mapping information has advantages and disadvantages:

• External File

o Advantage:

 External files are easy to edit and change, especially when working

with client title blocks, because no changes to the title block are

necessary. You can edit these files at any time with any ASCII

editor or the Title Block Setup utility. This method is used more

frequently when you work with a variety of title blocks from different

companies.

o Disadvantage:

 External files must be in the project search path. Because the data

is not contained in the drawing itself, it is not necessarily transferred

when the drawing is moved.

• Internal Attribute

o Advantage:

 Because the invisible attribute WD_TB is embedded in the title

block definition, the mapping information goes wherever the title

block goes. This mapping information is seldom lost and is more

difficult to change unintentionally.

o Disadvantage:

 Because internal attributes are stored in title block definitions, title

blocks must be exploded to edit these attributes' mappings with the

Title Block Setup utility. You can manually edit the mappings,

without exploding the block, using an attribute editing command.

This method is used more frequently with internal title blocks that

change less frequently.

 Tip: You can also use a combination of both methods. If available on a title block, an internal

attribute is used first. If the internal attribute is not found, the default search path is used to

locate an external mapping file.

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• External File Options

 When using an external title block update mapping file, you have three file options to choose

from:

• <Projectname>.wdt: Has the same name as the active project and is stored in the

active project directory. Used only for the project title blocks.

• Default.wdt: Stored in the current project directory. If a project-specific file

(<projectname>.wdt) is not available, this file is used for any project in the same

directory.

• Default.wdt: Final option, located in the search path. Used if either the

<projectname>.wdt or default.wdp file cannot be located in the active project

directory.

 External File Mapping Format

• The external WDT file has a single line that defines each attribute's mapping. The

first line defines the block name where the attributes are found as shown in the

following example:

o BLOCK=TITLE

o PROJ_TITLE=LINE1

o DRAW_TITLE=LINE2

• As with most configuration files, a project-specific file can be used. The software first

searches for a file extension matching the current project name, for example,

<PROJECTNAME>.wdt. If the WDT file with the project name is not found, the

default.wdt file is used.

Example of external project specific WDT file

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• Internal Attribute Format

 If the internal attribute is used, it must be named WD_TB. The attribute must be a part of the

block definition itself. If the title block consists of nested blocks, the attribute must be located

on the first sublevel; it cannot be a part of a nested block definition.

Note: The location of the WD_TB attribute within the title block is not important for the

function of the software, but it is recommended to keep the attribute within or very near to

the title block border. This helps if the title block is exploded and you are looking for the

attribute.

 When manually entering mapping information using an attribute editor, the following format

is used:

• Attribute Name = Project or Drawing Variable

• Each mapping entry is separated by a semicolon, as shown in this example.

• Title Block Setup Tool

 The Title Block Setup tool automates the formatting of the mapping data and makes the

mapping process easier by listing the available project and drawing data as well as the

available block attributes.

 Command Access:

Title Block Setup

Ribbon: Project tab > Other Tools panel > Title Block Setup

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 Enter Block Name

o After you select the mapping method in the Setup Title Block Update dialog

box, the Enter Block Name dialog box is displayed. You use this dialog box to

enter the title block names to search for attributes to map information to. You

can select only a single drawing using the Pick Block button, but you can

manually enter several names. For example, your company may use different

title blocks for different-sized drawings, such as Title A, Title B, and Title C. As

long as all three use the same attribute names, the same mapping can be used

for all three title blocks.

o In the Block Name field, enter Title A, Title B, Title C. Each time the title block is

updated, the drawing is searched for all entered title blocks. Any that are found

are updated with the mapped values. You can also use this feature for other

blocks that you want to update, such as revision blocks.

o You use the Project Values, Drawing Values, and User Defined buttons to move

between dialog boxes in the Title Block Setup tool. Each dialog box is specific to

the type of data being mapped to the block attributes.

 Project Values

o The Title Block Setup - Project Values dialog box is used to map project

description lines to the title block attributes. The Attribute list displays all

available attributes in the selected title blocks. Select an attribute from the list to

map it to the project description value.

o You use Pick to select the attribute in the drawing on the title block itself.

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 Drawing Values

o Use the Title Block Setup - Drawing Values dialog box to map information

from the individual drawings to the title block attributes. This information

changes for each drawing. The title block is updated with information only from

the same drawing that the title block is located in.

o Some information in the dialog box is generated automatically. For example,

Sheet Maximum is the total number of drawings listed as part of the project in

the Project Manager.

 User-Defined Values

o You use the Title Block Setup - User-Defined dialog box to map custom

information to title block attributes. You can enter a fixed value, such as your

name, or you can enter LISP expressions to generate calculated values.

o In this example, you enter your name in the Text Constant box, mapping it to

the DrawnBy attribute. Whenever you run the Title Block Update command

your name is automatically mapped to the attribute.

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Workflow: Creating a Title Block Mapping File

1. On the

Project

tab of the Ribbon,

Other Tools

panel, click

Title Block Setup

2. In the

Setup Title Block Update

dialog box, click a mapping option.

3. If an external mapping file exists, the .WDT File Exists dialog box is displayed. Choose the desired option.

4. In the

Enter Block Name

dialog box, enter or select the title block files to be referenced.

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Workflow: Updating a Title Block

1. Start the Title Block Update command.

2. In the Update Title Block dialog box, select the information values you want to use to update the title block attributes.

Only the selected mappings are updated.

If you select values that are blank, or if the appropriate attribute is not found on the title block, the mapping for that item is

ignored.

TIPS: In the Update Title Block dialog box, click Save to save your update selections as the default for the next time

the dialog box is opened.

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3. Click OK Active Drawing Only to update title block attributes on the active drawing title block. (The command ends.)

4. Click OK Project-Wide to update title block attributes on multiple drawings in the active project.

5. In the Select Drawings to Process dialog box, select the drawings you want to update and add them to the

Drawings to Process list or click Do All. Click OK. The title block is updated in each selected drawing in the

background and the drawing is saved. When all drawings are processed, the command prompt is blank.

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

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Learning Objective 4: Creating AutoCAD Electrical Templates from vanilla AutoCAD

Templates

Drawing templates are extremely helpful in situations where you need to create your drawings with predefined

drawing standards, such as layers and drawing properties. Using drawing templates enables you to save the time

that you would have to otherwise spend in setting the required standards every time you begin a drawing. In

organizations, CAD managers create template drawings and make them available for their team.

Definition of Drawing Templates (for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical)

A drawing template is a collection of standard predefined settings, such as units, title blocks, layers, text styles, and

dimension styles, which you can use for creating many drawings. Drawing template files have a .dwt file extension.

Drawing Templates and CAD Standards (for AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical)

When you work in a project in which many people are involved in creating a design, you must ensure that all team

members consistently follow the same drawing settings. Therefore, to maintain consistency across drawings, you

can establish CAD standards by sharing and using DWT files.

For creating a DWT file, you define the required drawing settings and save the file as a drawing template. You can

also save a DWT file as a drawing standard (DWS) file. You can then use a DWS file to check and map a drawing

with a drawing template for any violation of the set standards

Preset Drawing Graphics

Templates can also include partially completed or preset drawings. These are useful when a drawing or part of the

drawing is a standard component that is frequently used in your company design projects.

Note: After creating a drawing that is based on a DWT file, if you modify the new drawing, the changes do not affect

the DWT file.

Example of Drawing Templates

The following images show various examples of electrical drawing templates.

An electrical drawing template that includes title block and two ladders.

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An electrical drawing template with a title block, basic circuits, and a ladder.

When creating drawing templates, you can save all or some of the template properties and settings based on the

type of drawings that you can create with a new template. You can modify these properties later, if required.

Template Properties and Settings

You use drawing templates to provide a starting point for all the new drawings that you create. In most design

environments, your drawings share some common properties and settings. When you save a drawing template, you

can save

all the drawing commonalities, thereby eliminating the need to create or adjust properties and settings each

time you create a new drawing.

AutoCAD Electrical Templates

For templates created for use with AutoCAD® Electrical, it is recommended that you have the wd_m.dwg block

inserted and the drawing properties set to match the template purpose.

You can include wire layers, ladders, partial circuits, symbols, and other graphical information to provide a preset

starting drawing that matches company standards or commonly used designs.

The following are some of the properties and settings that you should save in a drawing template:

 Drawing properties settings for electrical configuration

 WD_M Block

 Wire Layers, colors, and names

 Snap and grid mode settings

 Dimension, text, and table styles

 Title blocks and borders

The following are some of the other items that you can save in a drawing template:

 Blocks, such as symbols or other objects that you commonly use in your drawings

 Ladders, circuits, and other graphical entities

Storage Location of Drawing Templates

Before you create your drawing templates, you need to specify their storage location.

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You specify the path to the DWT files on the

Files

tab of the

Options

dialog box. A path on the local hard drive may

work if you are working in a single user environment. However, if you are working as a part of a design team, you

should set the path to a network location where all project drawing templates are consolidated.

The path that you specify as the file location of drawing templates controls the default location that appears when

you select the Drawing Template (*.dwt) format in the Files of Type list in the Save Drawing As, Select Template

and the Select File dialog boxes.

Template Options Dialog Box

By using the Template Options dialog box, you can set the drawing units to either imperial or metric, provide a

description for the template, and control new layer notification.

To access the Template Options dialog box, you select the AutoCAD Drawing Template (*.dwt) option from the

Files of Type list in the Save As dialog box.

Command Access

Save As

Application menu: Save As > AutoCAD Drawing Template

Command line: SAVEAS

The following image shows the Template Options dialog box.

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Description: Specifies a description for the DWT file.

Measurement: Determines whether drawings based on this template use English or Metric units.

New Layer Notification: Saves all layers as unreconciled or reconciled. When you save a DWT

file with unreconciled layers, the layer baseline is not created; therefore, the new layer notification is not

displayed. When you save a template with reconciled layers, a layer baseline is created; therefore the

software notifies you of any new layers in the drawing.

Note: All the layers in a DWT file are saved as unreconciled by default.

Creating Drawing Templates Workflow

1. Create a new drawing by using an existing template or by using the no template options.

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2. Modify the drawing to include the required layers (see Create Wire Types workflow below), styles,

layout settings, title blocks, and set drawing properties. Starting any AutoCAD® Electrical command,

such as Drawing Properties, automatically inserts the wd_m.dwg block.

3. Adjust the

Drawing Template File Location

path in the

Options

dialog box, if required.

4. On the

Application menu

, click

Save As

AutoCAD Drawing Template

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5. In the

Save Drawing As

dialog box, verify that

AutoCAD Drawing Template

(*.dwt

) is selected from

the Files of Type list.

6. In the

Template Description

dialog box, enter a description, select the measurement unit, and

specify the new layer notification.

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7. Open the newly created template and verify that the drawing contains the settings that you

created.

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Creating Wire Types

Workflow

1. Start the

Create/Edit Wire Type

command.

2. Enter the desired layer name format.

Note: You must change the format before creating a new layer if you want it to affect the

layer name.

3. Enter data for the new wire type in the grid.

4. Change the layer properties for the selected layer(s) as desired.

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EXERCISE: Exploring the Basics of AutoCAD Electrical

Objective: This exercise will take you through all of the basics of creating schematic drawings. You will

complete the following:

■ Insert ladder rungs and a relay coil component.

■ Insert push-button components and add part-catalog information.

■ Add wire branches and relay coil and child contacts.

■ Add wire numbers and generate a Bill of Material report.

Instructions

1: If the

Project Manager

is not displayed, on the

Project

tab,

Project Tools

panel, click

Manager

2: In the

Project

Manager

, click

Open Project

3: Browse to where you saved the project files from the AU website. Select AU_2014_NFPA.wdp

. Click

Open.

4: In the

Project Manager

, click the expansion node to the left of AU_2014_NFPA to expand the

drawing list.

5: Double-click AU_2014_NFPA _04.dwg to open the drawing.

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6: To begin you will insert Ladder Rungs and a Relay Coil:

Zoom in to the upper-left corner of the drawing to rungs 403-404. Make sure both the hot and neutral

vertical wires are displayed.

7: On the

Schematic

tab,

Edit Wires/Wire Numbers

panel, click

Add Rung

8: Select insertion points for two rungs at rung references 403 and 404.

Note: Be sure to click anywhere between the vertical buses, not on the bus.

9: Notice that the rung automatically snaps to the nearest rung reference, and connection symbols are

added as necessary.

10: On the

Schematic

tab,

Insert Components

panel, click

Icon Menu

to insert the first component, a

relay coil.

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11: In the

Insert Component

dialog box, click

Relays/Contacts

12: In the

NFPA: Relays and Contacts

window, click

Relay Coil

13: Select the insertion point for the relay coil on rung 403, near the right side, directly above

CR407

14: Now you annotate the component, adding description and catalog information. You can manually

type the desired information, but many tools are provided for typing the information from various

reference files automatically. Do the following:

■ Notice the tag name is automatically assigned CR403.

■ In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under the Description area, click Defaults.

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15: In the

Descriptions

dialog box, select

Master Control|Relay

. Click

16: In the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box, under

Catalog Data

, click

Lookup

17: In the

Catalog Browser

dialog box, browse the parts catalog database to find the desired part

number. You filter the available options using search bar at the top of the dialog box.

■ Type 700-P2* in the Search field.

■ Select part number 700-P200A1 then click OK.

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18: Notice that the information is transferred to the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box.

19: Notice that the selected part number also contains pin-number information, which is automatically

entered in the Pins area of the Insert/Edit Component dialog box.

Click OK.

20: Notice that the information is transferred to attributes on the inserted component.

This completes the insertion of the relay coil. This basic process is repeated for most component

insertions.

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21: This next section inserts push buttons and adds part catalog information:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to add a push button to reset the

circuit.

22: In the

Insert Component

dialog box, click

Push Buttons

23: In the Symbol preview window, click

Push Button NO

24: Select the insertion point on rung

403

, near the left side.

25: Notice that the tag name is automatically entered as

PB403

26: In the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box, under

Descriptions

, click

Defaults

27: In the

Descriptions

dialog box, click

System| Reset

. Click

28: Under

Catalog Data

, click

Project

29: In the

Find: Catalog Assignments

dialog box, click

Active Project

. Click

30: In the

Qsave

dialog box, click

Always QSave

Note: AutoCAD Electrical always stores and works with the data that is saved in the drawings

themselves. To ensure that the data is up to date, you are requested to save the current drawing.

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31: All drawings in the current project are searched, and any push buttons found are listed in the

HPB11/VPB11 Catalog Values (this project) dialog box. Select AB, 800EP-F2.

32: Click

. The catalog data, including subassembly information, is transferred to the

Insert/Edit

Component dialog box.

Note: You seldom need to type information more than once. In this project's dataset, push buttons are

already used elsewhere in this project. You want to search for and use the same part numbers that

have been selected.

33: Click

. This completes the push-button insertion.

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34: On the

Schematic

tab,

Insert Components

panel, click

Icon Menu

to add an emergency stop

push button.

35: In the

Insert Component

dialog box, click

Push Buttons

36: In the Symbol preview window, click

Mushro

om Head NC

37: Select the insertion point approximately in the middle of rung

403

38: Notice the tag name is automatically entered as

PB403A

. Because this is the second push button

on the 403 rung, the tag receives an A as a suffix.

39: In the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box, under

Descriptions

, click

Defaults

40: In the

Descriptions

dialog box, select

Emergency|Stop

. Click

41: In the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box, in the

Catalog Data

area, click

Lookup

42: In the

Catalog Browser

dialog box:

■ Type 800T* in the Search field.

■ Select part number 800T-D6A then click OK.

■ If the Different Item Numbers Found for this Type dialog box pops up, select an Item Number from

the list then click OK.

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43: In the

nsert/Edit Component

dialog box, click

■ If asked to Update other drawings? Click OK.

■ If a Mismatched Item Number warning pops up, click OK.

This completes the push-button insertion.

44: In the next section you will add Wire Branches and Relay Coil Child Contacts:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Wires/Wire Numbers panel, click Wire to add two wires that create

connecting branches for the circuit.

45: For the wire start point, select a point on rung

403

between

PB403

and

PB403A

46: Select the wire endpoint on rung

404

directly below the wire start point.

47: Notice that connecting dots are added automatically.

48: For the second wire branch, select the wire start point on rung

403

between

PB403A

and

CR403

49: Select the wire endpoint on rung

404

directly below the wire start point. Press

ENTER

to end the

command.

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50: On the

Schematic

tab,

Edit Wires/Wire Numbers

panel, click

Trim Wire

to trim the wire on rung

404 between the two wire branches that you added.

51: Select a point on rung

404

between the two wire branches that you added. Press

ENTER

to end

the command.

52:

Notice that the selected wire is removed. If the connecting dots are no longer needed, they are also

removed.

53: On the

Schematic

tab,

Insert Components

panel, click

Icon Menu

to add a contact from

CR403

to latch the circuit after CR403 is activated.

54: In the

Insert Component

dialog box, click

Relays/Contacts

55: In the Symbol preview window, click

Relay NO Contact

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56: Select the insertion point on rung

404

directly below

PB403

This is a child contact of the parent coil.

57: In the

Insert/Edit Child Component

dialog box, under

Component

Tag

, click

Parent/Sibling

select the parent coil and transfer data from the parent to the child.

58: Select a point anywhere on

CR403

Note: Anywhere on the text works best.

59: In the

Insert/Edit Child Component

dialog box, click

to transfer data, such as tag, description,

and pin numbers, to the child component from the parent.

60: The remaining steps will add Wire Numbers and Generate a BOM Report:

On the Schematic tab, Insert Components panel, click Icon Menu to insert a red light to signal when

the circuit is engaged.

61: In the

Insert Component

dialog box, click

Pilot Lights

62: In the Symbol preview window, click

Red Standard

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63: Select the insertion point on rung 404 directly below CR403.

64: Instead of using the description defaults, you can manually type the description:

In the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, under Description:

■ For Line 1, type POWER

■ For Line 2, type ON

65: Under

Catalog Data

, click

Drawing

66: In the

HLT1R/VLT1R Catalog Values

dialog box, select

800H

PR16R

. Click

67: In the

Insert/Edit Component

dialog box, click

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68: On the

Schematic

tab,

Insert Wires/Wire Numbers

panel, click

Wire Numbers

to add wire

numbers.

69: In the

Wire Tagging

dialog box, click

Drawing

Wide

The drawing is searched for wire networks. A wire number is placed on each network found.

70: The last step is to extract a Bill of Material report from the components in the drawing. On the

Reports tab, Schematic panel, click Reports.

71: In the

Schematic Reports

dialog box, under

Report Name

, select

Bill of Material

72: In the

Bill of Material

area, click

Active Drawing

. Click

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73: Notice the Bill of Material report is generated from component data within the drawing. You can

save the report to any of five different file formats, or place it on the drawing in the form of a table.

74: In the

Report Generator

dialog box, click

This completes the exercise.

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)

AutoCAD Electrical

Installation Guide

Deployment & Implementation Prerequisites

For this implementation to be successful, you must have:

 Working knowledge of AutoCAD

 A background in electrical design.

 Have taken an AutoCAD

Electrical Essentials course at an Autodesk Authorized Training Center

Deployment & Implementation Steps

Deployment (see images below)

 Configure Deployment

• Decide on which Symbol Libraries and Manufacturers to include from the lists provided

• Decide which Symbol Library will be the Default

• Decide on Installation and Search Paths for your ACADE Support Files (Network location

vs. Local)

 Create Deployment

 Install on users’ machines

Implementation

 Create Drawing Template(s)

• Create/Define Wire Types

• Define Standard Drawing Properties

• Make sure your title block is in Paper Space

 Create Project Template(s)

• Define Standard Project Properties

 Decide what ACADE Support Files to utilize and create

• Examples

 Project Line Descriptions: default_wdtitle.wdl

 Title Block Setup: default.wdt

 Default Descriptions: wd_desc.wdd

 Installation/Location Code External Files: default.inst, default.loc

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)

 Create a complete Standard Project(s) to be used as a template for all future projects

• Creation of custom schematic symbols, as needed

 Add symbols to the Icon Menu, as needed

• Creation of custom panel footprints, as needed

 Update the Footprint Database, as needed

• Create new part numbers in the Part Catalog Database, as needed

• If you use your own company part numbers in association with Manufacturer catalog

numbers, fill in the User Fields in the Part Catalog Database

TIPS:

 Try to work as “out of the box” as you can with ACADE. It will make your implementation much

smoother. (Even if it means, changing the way some of your symbols look, etc.)

 Although your project files can access drawings from many different folders, it is a best practice to

keep the project file, all of its drawings, and project-specific support files in the same place.

Implementation Steps for a Vaulted Environment

 Step 1: AutoCAD Electrical Essentials Training

 Step 2: AutoCAD Electrical Implementation

 Step 3: Vault Implementation

 Step 4: Vault Basic Training

 Step 5: Vault inside of AutoCAD Electrical Training

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)

Feeling the Spark for AutoCAD Electrical

(For AutoCAD Users)