{"id":16190,"date":"2015-08-17T15:25:49","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T19:25:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/?p=16190"},"modified":"2022-04-30T11:01:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-30T15:01:00","slug":"why-are-you-using-autocad-for-electrical-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/why-are-you-using-autocad-for-electrical-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are you using AutoCAD or Microsoft Visio for Electrical Design?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The price of anything in monetary terms is what we typically believe the cost is as well. For the longest time we believed the cost of oil and gas to be what we paid for it; the cost of a cigarette is what you paid to buy it. It took us decades but we figured out that the cost of cigarettes and burning fossil fuels is far reaching &#8211; not only does it affect your life but the overall society at large is affected.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16197\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16197\" class=\"wp-image-16197 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/reading-electrical-design.jpg\" alt=\"Why are you using AutoCAD or Microsoft Visio for Electrical Design?\" width=\"1000\" height=\"788\" title=\"\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-16197\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16197 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/reading-electrical-design.jpg\" alt=\"Why are you using AutoCAD or Microsoft Visio for Electrical Design?\" width=\"1000\" height=\"788\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/reading-electrical-design.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/reading-electrical-design-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/reading-electrical-design-640x504.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/noscript> Using Electrical Design<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Similarly, the cost of using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/autocad\/overview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">AutoCAD<\/a>\u00ae or <a href=\"https:\/\/products.office.com\/en-ca\/Visio\/flowchart-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Microsoft Visio<\/a>\u00ae\u00a0for electrical design will linger far longer and is much larger than companies realize, not only is there <strong>no intelligence in the lines and circles<\/strong>, these non-intelligent items somehow become an integral part of the thinking and DNA of the design team. \u00a0I have seen Engineers, Designers and Technicians alike cling to these 2D CAD tools while automating production lines!<\/p>\n<p>It is baffling &#8211; making\/designing automation equipment using the most manual method possible \u2026 irony at its best.\u00a0So why are you using AutoCAD or Microsoft Visio for Electrical Design?<\/p>\n<h3>I need AutoCAD for my DWG files?!<\/h3>\n<p>There are companies that use these tools with the excuse that their customers work in DWG (which is a file format and not tied to specific software) not knowing that automated software solutions like <strong>SOLIDWORKS Electrical can produce and edit DWGs very effectively<\/strong>. Here is a demo video to show you how SOLIDWORKS Electrical works with\u00a0DWG files:<\/p>\n<div class=\"oembed\"><iframe title=\"SolidWorks Electrical - Working with DWG&#039;s\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PQvSzJx5kkQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>I don&#8217;t want an Automated Design Solution?!<\/h3>\n<p>If I were to list all the manual electrical design tasks that can be automated, I would probably lose my mind! So as a matter of self-preservation I have a small list that shows the Grand Canyon between AutoCAD and an automated solution like SOLIDWORKS Electrical.<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Manual Task (AutoCAD\/Visio)<\/th>\n<th>Automated Task (SOLIDWORKS Electrical)<\/th>\n<th>Time Saved with SOLIDWORKS Electrical<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Device Tags (Just Text)<\/td>\n<td>Automated Device Tags based on Standards<\/td>\n<td><strong>80% Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wire Numbering (Start Counting)<\/td>\n<td>Automated Wire Numbering based on Standards<\/td>\n<td><strong>90%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Electrical Symbols and Standards<\/td>\n<td>Ready to go out of the Box<\/td>\n<td><strong>50 &#8211; 70%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Wire and Cables (Lines and more lines)<\/td>\n<td>Electrical Aware Wires and Cables<\/td>\n<td><strong>50%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Page References (Just Text)<\/td>\n<td>Intelligent References \u2013 Live updates and Links<\/td>\n<td><strong>80%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bill of Materials (Start Counting!)<\/td>\n<td>Automatic Bill of Materials based on Design<\/td>\n<td><strong>80%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Separate pages for drawings (No Co-relation)<\/td>\n<td>Projects with Drawings and Title Blocks in sync with each other<\/td>\n<td><strong>30%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Manual Entry of Title Block Information<\/td>\n<td>Automatic Update of Title Blocks<\/td>\n<td><strong>80%\u00a0Savings<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h6>Table: AutoCAD vs. SOLIDWORKS Electrical for common electrical design tasks<\/h6>\n<p>If you need more convincing then take a look at the video below to learn how\u00a0SOLIDWORKS Electrical\u00a0automates the design process and saves you time:<\/p>\n<div class=\"oembed\"><iframe title=\"SolidWorks Electrical - First Look\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3UC5W9W8iY0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h3>I\u00a0want to incur more costs by\u00a0using AutoCAD?!<\/h3>\n<p>The biggest issue with using AutoCAD or Microsoft Visio for electrical design is the extra time it takes\u00a0to carry out\u00a0the manual tasks as opposed to an\u00a0automated solution. A conservative calculation of time utilization by the majority of designers for a typical project yields some startling results. \u00a0<strong>The time and cost savings that can be achieved\u00a0with SOLIDWORKS Electrical are quite substantial\u00a0<\/strong>as shown in the\u00a0table below:<\/p>\n<table border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Project Size<\/th>\n<th>Savings from Design<br \/>\n(Requires 60% of project time)<\/th>\n<th>Savings on Reports<br \/>\n(Requires 25% of\u00a0 Project Time)<\/th>\n<th>Error Reduction and streamlining<br \/>\n(Requires 10% of Project Time)<\/th>\n<th>Time\u00a0Savings<\/th>\n<th>Total $ Savings<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Small (50 Hours)<\/td>\n<td>18 Hours<\/td>\n<td>10 Hours<\/td>\n<td>4 Hours<\/td>\n<td><strong>32 Hours<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>$1,600<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Medium (100 Hours)<\/td>\n<td>30 Hours<\/td>\n<td>18 Hours<\/td>\n<td>7 Hours<\/td>\n<td><strong>45 Hours<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>$2,250<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Large (500 Hours)<\/td>\n<td>100 Hours<\/td>\n<td>80 Hours<\/td>\n<td>30 Hours<\/td>\n<td><strong>210 Hours<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>$10,500<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h6>Table: SOLIDWORKS Electrical time &amp; cost savings example; (labour cost [loaded]\u00a0at $50\/hour)<\/h6>\n<h3>In Summary<\/h3>\n<p>Using software that was specifically designed for automated electrical design is going to be better for your business than relying on 2D CAD software that has manual\u00a0tools and is designed for\u00a0every industry. But if you need even more convincing then please download the white paper below to learn about the advantages of using SOLIDWORKS Electrical over\u00a0AutoCAD.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fl-builder-content fl-builder-content-34503 fl-builder-template fl-builder-module-template fl-builder-global-templates-locked\" data-post-id=\"34503\"><div class=\"fl-module fl-module-html fl-node-5a831a29affc4\" data-node=\"5a831a29affc4\">\n\t<div class=\"fl-module-content fl-node-content\">\n\t\t<div class=\"fl-html\">\n\t<!-- Resize iFrame in Parent -->\n<script src=\"https:\/\/trimech.com\/wp-content\/themes\/bb-theme-child\/scripts\/parentcode.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n<p style=\"padding:20px;border:1px solid #ccc;background:#f9f9f9;color:#666;\">\n  <strong>Admin Note:<\/strong>\n  Please add a Pardot Form URL to the ACF field\n  <em>'pardot_form'<\/em> to display the form here.\n<\/p>\n[\/wpbb-else]\n\n\n<script>\n(function () {\n\n  const IFRAME_ID = \"pardotform\";\n  let lastIframeUrl = \"\";\n\n  const storageKeys = [\n    \"utm_source\", \"utm_campaign\", \"utm_medium\",\n    \"utm_term\", \"utm_content\",\n    \"gclid\",\n    \"landing_page\", \"referrer\",\n    \"product\", \"service\",\n    \"Lead_Product_Category\",\n    \"Lead_Product_of_Interest\"\n  ];\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Capture URL params early\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);\n  storageKeys.forEach(key => {\n    if (params.has(key)) {\n      sessionStorage.setItem(key, params.get(key));\n    }\n  });\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Cookie helpers\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  function getCookie(name) {\n    const match = document.cookie.match(\n      new RegExp('(^|;)\\\\s*' + name + '\\\\s*=\\\\s*([^;]+)')\n    );\n    return match ? decodeURIComponent(match[2]) : null;\n  }\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     FIXED: Handles partial \/ granular cookie consent\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  function getCookieScriptConsent() {\n    const raw = getCookie(\"CookieScriptConsent\");\n    if (!raw) return \"Declined\";\n\n    try {\n      const consent = JSON.parse(raw);\n      \n      \/\/ 1. Full acceptance\n      if (consent.action === \"accept\") return \"Accepted\";\n      \n      \/\/ 2. Full rejection\n      if (consent.action === \"reject\") return \"Declined\";\n      \n      \/\/ 3. Granular selection: Check if targeting\/marketing is checked\n      if (consent.categories && consent.categories.indexOf(\"targeting\") > -1) {\n        return \"Accepted\";\n      }\n      \n      return \"Declined\";\n    } catch {\n      return \"Declined\";\n    }\n  }\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Storage + fallbacks\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  function getStoredValue(name) {\n    let value =\n      sessionStorage.getItem(name) ||\n      localStorage.getItem(name) ||\n      getCookie(name);\n\n    if (!value) {\n      if (name === \"landing_page\") {\n        value = location.origin + location.pathname;\n      }\n\n      if (name === \"referrer\" && document.referrer) {\n        try {\n          const ref = new URL(document.referrer);\n          if (ref.hostname !== location.hostname) {\n            value = ref.hostname.replace(\/^www\\.\/, \"\");\n          }\n        } catch {}\n      }\n    }\n    return value || \"\";\n  }\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Build Pardot URL (With Native Privacy Control)\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  function buildPardotUrl(baseUrl) {\n    let url;\n    try {\n      url = new URL(baseUrl);\n    } catch {\n      console.warn(\"Invalid Pardot form URL:\", baseUrl);\n      return null;\n    }\n\n    const consentState = getCookieScriptConsent(); \/\/ Returns \"Accepted\" or \"Declined\"\n\n    url.searchParams.set(\"WebPage\", \"\");\n    \n    \/\/ 1. Controls your custom script firewall loop inside the iframe\n    url.searchParams.set(\"cookie\", consentState);\n    \n    \/\/ 2. NATIVE PARDOT PRIVACY CONTROL: Tells Pardot natively whether to track\n    url.searchParams.set(\"pi_opt_in\", consentState === \"Accepted\" ? \"true\" : \"false\");\n\n    storageKeys.forEach(key => {\n      const val = getStoredValue(key);\n      if (val) {\n        url.searchParams.set(key, val);\n      }\n    });\n\n    return url.toString();\n  }\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Init \/ update iframe\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  function updateIframe() {\n    const iframe = document.getElementById(IFRAME_ID);\n    if (!iframe) return;\n\n    const baseUrl = \"\";\n    if (!baseUrl) return;\n\n    const finalUrl = buildPardotUrl(baseUrl);\n    if (!finalUrl || finalUrl === lastIframeUrl) return;\n\n    lastIframeUrl = finalUrl;\n    iframe.src = finalUrl;\n  }\n\n  document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", updateIframe);\n\n  \/* ----------------------------\n     Re-run once after consent action\n  -----------------------------*\/\n  [\n    \"CookieScriptAcceptAll\",\n    \"CookieScriptAcceptSelected\",\n    \"CookieScriptRejectAll\"\n  ].forEach(event =>\n    window.addEventListener(event, updateIframe, { once: true })\n  );\n\n})();\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The price of anything in monetary terms is what we typically believe the cost is as well. For the longest time we believed the cost of oil and gas to be what we paid for it; the cost of a cigarette is what you paid to buy it. It took us decades but we figured&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":16197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[192],"tags":[61,523,145,75,157,1643,369,260,1309],"class_list":["post-16190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solidworks-electrical","tag-autocad-dwg","tag-autocad-electrical","tag-autocad","tag-drawing","tag-dwg","tag-microsoft-visio","tag-solidworks-download","tag-solidworks-drawing","tag-solidworks-electrical"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.javelin-tech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}