Managing cable parts
Command |
Path |
Manage Cable Parts |
Spotlight > Cables and Power Planning |
The Manage Cable Parts dialog box provides information about the cable inventory in the Vectorworks library and any user or workgroup files. Select which parts can be used in the drawing, and edit their properties if needed. The cable parts selected for the current inventory are used to create cable runs and build cable configurations.
Use caution when editing any cable part that is currently used in the drawing; you may need to reconfigure the existing cable runs that use this part.
To view and manage the cable inventory:
Select the command.
The Manage Cable Parts dialog box opens.
Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.
Parameter |
Description |
Cable Parts List |
Displays the properties of the cable parts |
Use |
Select which cable parts can be used in the drawing. A check mark indicates that the part is available for use. Click in the Use column to add or remove the check mark. |
Count |
Indicates how many of that cable part are present in the drawing |
Name |
Displays the cable part name |
Short Name |
Displays the shortened cable part name, for use in the drawing and in labels where space is limited |
Symbol |
Displays the name of the cable part symbol |
Length/Diameter/Cross Section/Weight |
Displays various cable dimensions |
Set Name |
Indicates the set to which the cable belongs |
Connection Start/End |
Specifies the connection type at either end of the cable; available options are from the GDTF standard |
Electrical Gauge |
Displays the electrical cross section area of the cable's conduction wires in mm². If Preset AWG is set to Custom, enter the custom value here. |
Preset AWG |
Select a standard AWG size, or select Custom to specify the Electrical Gauge |
Material Rating |
Specifies the insulation material used by the cable |
Filter Text |
Enter text to filter the list by name |
Filter Type |
Filters the parts list by the selected part types. Select the check boxes to toggle the selections, or click All to display all part types. |
Preview |
Displays the symbol of the cable part selected from the list |
Opens the Columns dialog box, to toggle the display of columns in the cable parts list |
|
Update |
Traverses the symbols in the Cable Tools folder, updating the cable parts list |
To edit the properties of an item in the cable parts list, do one of the following:
Directly edit the list item; see List box functionality to learn more about direct editing.
Double-click on the row item. The Edit Cable Part dialog box opens. To create a new cable set, enter its Set Name; the new set becomes available for selection in the Cable Preferences. Enter a current Set Name to add the cable to that set. Edit the properties as needed, and click OK.
Create sets for cables with particular specifications (such as imperial or metric cable sets) or for particular regions for shows in global venues.
Advanced users can edit, add, or remove items from the cable parts list. Edit the symbols in the Cable Tools folder in the [User]\Libraries\Defaults folder. Click Update in the Manage Cable Parts dialog box to refresh the cable parts list.
Click OK to update the cable inventory and to rebuild the cable runs in the drawing with the updated parts.