Power patching the electrical system
Power patching is the process of connecting electrical devices to convey power through a system. In Spotlight, "electrical devices" include the distributor and lighting device symbols in the Vectorworks libraries, as well as custom devices created with the Electrical Component tool (see Creating custom electrical devices for details).
Once the electrical devices you need are created or chosen from the available content, place them in the drawing and proceed with power patching. There are several ways to power patch devices from the drawing or the Power Planning palette.
The power requirements of the electrical system are calculated automatically. The electrical workload for the entire drawing can be viewed and edited from the Power Overview tab on the Power Planning palette.
Power patching with the Cable tool
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Tool |
Tool set |
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Cable
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Lighting |
The Cable tool connects electrical devices by drawing cables between them.
To power patch with the Cable tool, see Drawing cables, Single cable connection, Multi cable connections, and Daisy chain connections.
Power patching from the Object Info palette
Power Information parameters display on the Object Info palette of electrical devices, including the distributor and lighting device symbols in the Vectorworks libraries and any custom devices created by inserting electrical components. The parameters depend on the device's components. For example, a distributor that functions as a power source has a single power source component, which generates one output field. By contrast, a distributor that functions as a plugbox with 16 output components has 16 has output fields and one input field.
You can edit the power information for seven components at a time. Choose which set of components to display from the Edit Range list on the Object Info palette. The sets are numbered according to the component stacking order.
Each electrical device, and each electrical component within it, has a unique ID. This ID is used globally for power patching. The distributor ID is set by the ID field; the lighting device ID is set by the Channel field; and the electrical component ID is set by the Name field on the Object Info palette. Power patch the electrical system by selecting the appropriate object ID for the input and output connections in the Power Information. A list of the available connections displays for each input and output.
If you are an advanced user who creates custom electrical devices, you can specify the internal component connections from the Object Info palette of an electrical component. Otherwise, all electrical devices can be power patched from their Object Info palette.
To automatically draw cables between the patched devices, the option to Automatically create cables between connected devices must be selected in the Cable Preferences; see Setting cable preferences. The cables will follow existing cable paths and truss paths if the option to Automatically follow paths when a cable is drawn is selected.
Device connections
Connect electrical devices from the Power Information parameters on a device's Object Info palette. The available parameters depend on the number and type of electrical components in the device symbol.
To power patch devices from the Object Info palette:
Select an electrical device in the drawing.
In the Object Info palette, do one of the following:
If the selected device will receive power, an Input field displays with a list of the connection options. Select the desired output socket for the input connection; the corresponding Output field is updated on the source device.
If the selected device will supply power, an Output field displays with a list of the connection options. Select the desired input socket for the output connection; the corresponding Input field is updated on the target device.
An X displays next to the connection name that are currently in use. If the connection you selected is already in use, an alert opens; click Yes to confirm that you want to override the existing connection.
If cables were automatically inserted, they may need to be edited; see Editing cables.
Component connections
For advanced users who create custom electrical devices, several of the internal components can be power patched from their Object Info palette. These include the input, output, and overcurrent protector components. See Creating custom electrical devices for information about inserting electrical components in custom devices. The following steps take place when editing the 2D or 3D components of a custom device symbol definition.
To power patch electrical components from the Object Info palette:
Select an input, output, or overcurrent protector component.
Do one of the following:
For an input component, select the output socket for each connection; see Placing an input component.
For an output component, select the input socket for each connection; see Placing an output component.
For an overcurrent protector component, select the sockets for the input and output connections; see Placing an overcurrent protector component.
If the connected components are on different electrical devices, cables can be automatically inserted to connect the devices. To edit the cables, see Editing cables.
Power patching by command
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Command |
Path |
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Power Patch Selected Objects Power Patch Position |
Spotlight > Cables and Power Planning |
Connect electrical devices by command:
Power Patch Selected Objects patches all the selected electrical devices.
Power Patch Position patches all the electrical devices on the selected rigging object or lighting position.
The following rules apply when power patching by command:
The order in which the devices were placed in the drawing determines the patching order.
Only one connection per output is possible.
Only connections with compatible connectors are possible.
Outputs and inputs that are already in use are ignored.
To automatically draw cables between the patched devices, the option to Automatically create cables between connected devices must be selected in the Cable Preferences; see Setting cable preferences. The cables will follow existing cable paths and truss paths if the option to Automatically follow paths when a cable is drawn is selected.
To power patch devices by command:
Do one of the following:
Select the electrical devices to patch, and select Power Patch Selected Objects.
Select a rigging object to patch the attached devices, and select Power Patch Position.
Cables are automatically inserted to connect the devices. To edit the cables, see Editing cables.
Power patching with the Power Planning palette
There are multiple ways to patch the electrical system from the Power Planning palette:
Use the Device Graph to view and edit the electrical device connections.
Use the Power Patch Table to patch devices using a spreadsheet type of workflow.
