connectCAD

Setting up connectCAD

1) Install connectCAD following the instructions in the ReadMe file.

 2) Run Vectorworks®.

3) Close the new document that opens by default. 4 

 Press OK and a new connectCAD drawing file will open.

Now go to the Tools/Workspaces menu and select the connectCADworkspace. Some new tool palettes will appear on the top and left of the drawing, and a new connectCAD menu will be added.

 Go to the Window / Palettes sub-menu and make sure that the items Basic and Tools Sets are activated. You can drag these palettes into convenient positions or dock them at the sides of the screen.

The new file that you just made will show you a blank work area with a grid of blue lines and dots. The dots are the snap points of the Vectorworks drawing grid. This is set in the standard template at 4mm.

 In schematics it’s best to draw everything on the grid, so you should set up the Constraints Palette with only Snap-to-Grid activated now.

Creating Devices

Devices in connectCAD are simply Groups of sockets that contain a device label symbol and whatever graphics you want to depict the device and its function. Let's create a basic device now.

 Select the Vectorworks Rectangle Tool and draw a rectangle – about 32x24 mm for example.
Then use the Socket Toolsto add some inputs and outputs. For the moment it’s not necessary to fill in all the details of the sockets. The result should be something like this:

 Select all the elements of your device, and use the Make Device command in the connectCAD / Drawing menu to create a device.

The Device Setup dialog box comes up so that you can fill in the details. It isn’t vital to do enter all  this information now, but you do need to give the device a name. Press OK when you’re done to put the finished device on the drawing.

new device

Devices don’t have to be dull – let your imagination roam a little. Try using clip art and manufacturers graphics to make your drawings more interesting.

The device is also stored in the Resource Palette as a symbol in the User Devices folder. To create another copy of the device just drag and drop it onto your drawing from the Resource Palette.

Making Connections

Now we’ve got some devices let’s connect them up.

 Select the Connect tool and click on one of the output sockets. As you move the mouse away from the socket you will see a blue line extending to join the mouse location back to the socket. This is the circuit path preview.

 Move the mouse around to see how it behaves. Now try clicking the mouse in a blank area of the drawing and move the mouse again. Each time you click you add an intermediate point to the path allowing you to route the line around obstacles.  Now move the mouse over an input. The cursor gets larger to show you that you this is a point you can connect to. Click here to finalise the circuit. The line turns black to indicate that the circuit is now complete.

These are the basics - the next step is to attempt a small project and build a real schematic. In the process you'll get the chance to try all the connectCAD schematic tools and understand the workflow. This is a good time to leaf through the Reference Section to get an idea of the other tools and menus that make up connectCAD and try things out.

Rack Elevations

The process of creating a rack elevation usually begins when the schematic is fairly advanced. At this point you execute the Put Devices On Layout menu command, which creates a layout layer, and adds an Equip Item object for each device on the schematic.

You can then add racks using the Rack tool, and drag and drop the various equip items into their locations in the rack. If you are using modular devices, you will need to create Rack Frames. Modular devices are represented on the layout as Equip Item objects which have the Fit To Slot property checked. These adjust themselves to fit when you drag them over a Rack Frame slot.

Once the layout is complete you should go back to the schematic layer and execute Update Location Info to update the schematic with these changes. The cycle of Put Devices On Layout, edit layout, Update Location Info, can be done at any time during the design process to make and apply changes to the physical layout.