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Five free programs that make life easier for the designer

 

Each designer secretly dreams that robots quickly, accurately and accurately make drawings, and a person receives a fabulous salary for this. Such automation is still a long way off, but it’s quite possible to ease your work by reducing the time spent on preparing projects and related documentation. Four useful programs and one smartphone app to help!


SmartLine 1.9

SmartLine 1.9

Advantages: helps to implement the 0.4 kV overhead line project in accordance with applicable norms and rules; Databases are regularly updated and available in the absence of the Internet.


Disadvantages: not compatible with AutoCad LT.


Description: The SmartLine 1.9 plugin is an AutoCad palette with sample projects. An engineer drags the necessary supports to the drawing, or they are placed automatically along the line route. In addition, the program calculates intersections with engineering structures, creates lists of supports, trenches and works, as well as cable logs.

Documentation can be exported to Excel and Writer, which facilitates the work of not only the designer, but also the estimator.

The composition of all nodes is based on a ready-made database of drawings and standard solutions for the most popular fittings for self-supporting insulated wires - IEK® (SmartLine also has bases from other manufacturers). If any element suddenly was not in the selection, you can create it and make it available for other designers. Any standard solution proposed by the program can be replaced with its own unique node, specifying specific components.

The utility makes the most of the functionality of AutoCad, which eliminates compatibility issues and simplifies the exchange of documentation with colleagues.


Electrician 7.8

Electrician 7.8

Advantages: not demanding on resources; allows you to quickly carry out small electrical calculations.


Disadvantages: too simple an interface, due to which there is a distrust in the results of work; the latest version is 8.6, but only 7.8 can be found for downloading (despite the assurances of the headers).


Description: The program is like a simple electric calculator. However, after the first calculation, it becomes unclear how the designer or installer could do without it. Especially the program helps out when conducting operational and small-scale calculations.

Suppose, when you need to imagine what kind of current will be in a certain internal network, and choose the right wire and switching device. By setting the initial parameters, for example, voltage, power and others, you can calculate:

  • current in the circuit;

  • short circuit current;

  • current distribution by groups of machines;

  • voltage and power losses, including for 3-10 kV lines;

  • grounding

  • lightning protection and much, much more.

A great help when performing the calculations is the built-in reference book, which shows the characteristics of the transformers, the main properties of the metal wires, the specific gravity of the cable core, power factors of various equipment and power consumers, etc.

The program provides a visual editor that offers a choice of four optimal layout of electrical components in the designed rooms and helps to calculate the cost of all materials for the implementation of the selected solution.


IEK Metal Shell Configurator

IEK Metal Shell Configurator

Advantages: works online, no need to download and install anything; equipment drawings can be exported in dwg format and used in work.


Disadvantages: there is no way to compare multiple cabinets.


Description: Today, the market offers a huge assortment of electrical products, including boxes for switching devices and accessories for them. Variety, of course, pleases, but at the same time, it is not easy to select elements.It is necessary to find the most reliable and easy-to-install product with the required characteristics and, importantly, with the optimal price-quality ratio.

As a rule, already at this stage, designers have to surf endlessly on the Internet, while installers, in search of the perfect solution, sometimes even go around all possible points of sale. But you still need to correctly choose accessories for installation ...

A special shell configurator from IEK GROUP greatly facilitates this process, the entire range of metal cabinets and their characteristics are presented here. It allows you to choose a metal box for installing switching equipment for a specific set of characteristics in a minute - for example, dimensions, climate performance and degree of protection. After filling in the necessary fields, the program will select a metal box.

It is possible to design inlet switchgears, collapsible metal cases, cabinets with mounting panels, lighting panels and boxes for fire equipment. The user is also available photo, description and 3D-model. After the designer has decided on the shell, the configurator helps to choose accessories.

Trays 3.0

Advantages: not demanding on computer resources; There is a built-in instruction for using the program.


Disadvantages: the online version of Trays 3.0 is not provided. Before starting work, the program needs to be downloaded.


Description: a useful program from the company IEK GROUP, which helps to calculate cable routes based on metal trays and select fasteners and accessories for them. After the launch of “Trays 3.0”, an instruction will appear on the screen, which clearly explains how to fully use the program’s functionality.

The software package allows you to calculate the filling of the tray and the load depending on the number and type of cable, select the types of fasteners, sets of accessories. All selected products are automatically included in the specification after clicking on the “Add to CO” button, which reduces the time required to prepare documentation and avoid inaccuracies and errors.

The program implements the ability to create several sections of the route. For all elements there are descriptions and photos. The specification is uploaded in spreadsheet or pdf format. The program includes a database of metal trays for the most common CAD systems: Revit, NanoCAD, AutoCAD.

In general, “Trays 3.0” is an easy and useful tool not only for designers, but also for trading companies, which will be much easier to calculate the required number of trays, accessories and hardware.


Lighting Calculations v 4.1.4 (or Lightning Calculations)

Lighting Calculations v 4.1.4 (or Lightning Calculations)

Advantages: installs on a smartphone.


Disadvantages: Android only the functionality of the free version is limited.


Description: The application is installed on a smartphone or tablet and allows you to easily and quickly carry out calculations related to lighting. It is available in two versions - free and paid (Pro version).

The free version has many interesting functions - for example, you can determine the number of fixtures by parameters, transfer physical quantities from one unit of measurement to another, perform some electrical calculations, etc. However, the calculation of the total flux, light meter, light on the floor, the selection of lamp fixtures and some others Formulas are available only in the Pro version.

The application will be an invaluable tool in the design of lighting, especially when you need to calculate something on the spot, but there is no computer with powerful software - the smartphone is always with you. It is installed easily, it works smartly, it consumes few resources of the gadget.

The article provides only a few examples. In fact, there are a great many useful programs, online services, utilities, and applications for a smartphone for a designer. Choose the most suitable, create your own tools, increasing your productivity and efficiency.

See also at i.electricianexp.com:

  • Programs for electricians: a brief overview of the most popular programs
  • Programs for drawing electrical circuits
  • AutoCAD Electrical CAD System
  • “Do it right!”, Or how to mount fire-resistant cable lines
  • Examples of simple PLC programs in CodeSys in ladder language

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    Comments:

    # 1 wrote: Oleksandr | [quote]

     
     

    Electrician 7.8 - carrying out calculations for electricians and designers - after installing the bootloader - loading did not start automatically !!!!!!

     
    Comments:

    # 2 wrote: Evgeny | [quote]

     
     

    All programs for electricians ... other designers apparently do not exist ...