How to Build a Symbol in SOLIDWORKS Electrical

Using an intelligent tool makes your design process more efficient. With SolidWorks Electrical in a few simple steps, you can build your very own symbol. The article below answers the question of “How do I build a Symbol?”

1) Open the symbol into your symbol editor. Check and make sure that the top left pin is on the origin.

Symbol

2) Click on the Add circuits button and select and appropriate circuit type to apply.

Since this is a fuse, a “Fuse, Disconnector” circuit type was placed. This circuit information is going to determine what circuits to place on your manufacturing part.

Circuit Information

Once you placed your Circuit type you can add your connection points.

3) Right click on the circuit and add a  new connection point. Symbols can be set to use the incoming or outgoing connection points to determine the flow of information for your circuit.

Add connection points

Since this is a fuse, the connection point can be set as incoming/outgoing.

Note: Pin spacing on symbols within the library is set to increments of 0.25. The snap size is set to 0.125. This is used to maintain consistency and to allow for proper alignment of the pins.

Once you placed the connection points it will look like this.

Connection points added

You can add attributes to display more information about your symbol.

4) Right click the Attribute folder and click insert attribute.

Insert Attribute

This will open up the attribute manager.

Attribute Management

5) Check/Select the boxes of the attributes that you want to place and click OK.

6) Close the symbol and save the changes you have made.

Changes applied

7) The Symbol is now ready to be used in your Project.

Symbol Completed

Vince Murugananthan regularly contributes to the documentation for our Electrical Team here at Javelin Technologies. This article is a useful section from his work.