The differences between AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical

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AutoCAD is a general purpose computer-aided design

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software used across various industries like architecture,

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engineering,

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and manufacturing.

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AutoCAD also offers several specialized tool sets

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designed to streamline workflows

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and cater to specific industries.

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Each toolset includes libraries,

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automation tools,

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and functionality

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that extends the standardAutoCAD experience.

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With tool sets,

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you get access to pre-built components,

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industry standard symbols,

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and customized workflows.

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AutoCAD Electrical is one of the tool sets that provides

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specialist component

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and automation for wiring and circuit design.

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While AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical may sound similar,

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there are some key differences between them,

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especially when it

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comes to handling projects and workflows designed for electrical tasks.

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AutoCAD electrical organizes drawings within a project structure,

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allowing for multiple interconnected schematics,

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with cross referencing between components,

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something

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essential for managing complex electrical systems.

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In comparison,

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regular AutoCAD handles each drawing as a stand-alone file.

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AutoCAD Electrical comes with a comprehensive library of

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industry standard symbols

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for electrical schematics

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that includes NFPA and IEC standard symbols.

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However,

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each symbol must adhere to specific rules

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and include necessary tags

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or attributes

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to function as an

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electrical smart symbol,

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unlike in standard AutoCAD,

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where the block creation offers more flexibility and fewer constraints.

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AutoCAD Electrical is distinct from standard

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AutoCAD in its use of database-driven approach

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to enhance functionality.

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Projects are managed through a database

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that organizes

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and links multiple drawings,

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components,

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and symbols within a project.

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The catalog information,

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the PLC IO information from various manufacturers,

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the connection to footprint drawing with the catalog information

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is managed

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through database.

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AutoCAD Electrical uses the database

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to perform real-time error checkings for issues like duplicate tags

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or mismatch in catalog information.

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While working in AutoCAD Electrical,

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using electrical specific commands makes a big difference in the functionality.

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For example,

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if you delete a component using AutoCAD's standard arrays command,

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it removes the block,

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but it doesn't heal the wire connections.

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However,

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by using the delete component command in AutoCAD Electrical,

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the wire automatically heals itself,

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maintaining the continuity in the circuit.

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Similarly,

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the standard copy of paste combines in AutoCAD

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don't account for electrical connections,

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so wires won't be adjusted in maintaining the flow

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where you reposition your components.

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But in AutoCAD Electrical,

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using the copy command

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intelligently cuts,

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moves,

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and heals the wire connections,

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preserving the integrity of the design.

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This smart handling of components

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is what makes the AutoCAD electrical

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a little different from

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AutoCAD.

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If you're transitioning from AutoCAD to AutoCAD Electrical,

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you will notice some automation is running along with your workflows.

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For example,

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the soft automatically assigns via numbers

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based on predefined rules.

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The tool also automatically

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route wires and avoid the conflicts and also tags your components

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with unique identifiers.

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In our upcoming

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modules,

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we will go deeper into these topics,

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exploring exactly how these features work

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and the benefits they bring to electrical project design.