Creating cable networks

Tool	Workspace: Tool set
Cable Route	Design Suite, Spotlight: ConnectCAD Cable Route ConnectCAD: Cable Route

The Cable Route tool creates networks of cable path objects, laying out the physical location of the cable network and connecting equipment items and drop points. Lay out the planned main cable routes, and then use the same tool to connect drop points, equipment items, or equipment functioning as a drop point.

The tool creates cable path objects, similar to the Cable Path tool in Vectorworks Spotlight, but with additional parameters that are useful for ConnectCAD. See Spotlight and ConnectCAD terminology.

You can also use the Cable tool from the Cable Route tool set to override the shortest path assigned to a circuit in the cable network. Place a Spotlight cable object and assign it to the circuit in question; the length and routing of the cable object is used instead of the automatically calculated route. Provide a Run ID in the cable's Object Info palette. On a schematic layer, select the circuit to be assigned, and in the circuit's Object Info palette, select the same Cable from the list to assign the cable to the circuit.

Mode	Description
XY Insertion	Draws the cable path constrained to the XY plane (horizontally), at the elevation specified in the Cable Height list
Z Insertion	Draws the cable path constrained to the Z axis, which is useful when, for example, you need to follow the slope of a theater seating, or to create detailed vertical shifts around model geometry
Working Plane	Draws the cable path along the working plane, such as when drawing cables on a wall. The Set Working Plane tool is available from the Cable Route tool set for convenience.
Join to Existing Routes	Toggles between allowing the new cable path to join existing cable paths, which creates a network, or to draw an individual cable path segment that is not connected
Cable Height (XY mode required)	Specifies the elevation of the cable path when drawing on the XY plane. Select an elevation preset, or open the Edit Cable Route Heights dialog box to specify a custom height. While drawing cable path segments, if a different elevation is specified, a vertical connecting segment is automatically added. Press the mode key (Shift + the mode key to reverse the order) for Cable Height mode (see Modifying special shortcuts) to cycle through the cable path heights while drawing.

To draw a cable path, optionally connecting it to other cable paths to form a network:

Click the tool and mode. While drawing cable path segments, you will likely need to switch among the modes as you create various segments of the cable path or require varying heights.

In Top/Plan or Top view, use XY Insertion mode and set the elevation of the cable path by selecting a height from Cable Height on the Tool bar. If the height you need is not available, manage the list of available heights by selecting Edit Cable Route Heights from the Cable Heights list. In the Edit Cable Route Heights dialog box, click on a height value to edit it. Click Add to add an additional height, or Delete to remove a selected height entry.

In a 3D view, use Z Insertion mode to draw the cable path at the desired elevations.

If the cable path needs to be constrained to the working plane, use Working Plane mode.

Normally, enable Join to Existing Routes mode to create a network of cable path objects.

Alternatively, convert a custom shape into a generic cable path with the Modify > Create Objects from Shapes command. Customize the cable path later by connecting it to the cable network and adding information in the Object Info palette.

Use the snap loupe to draw cable paths around detailed geometry or to connect to an equipment item's snap point. See Using the snap loupe.

Click to place the start of the cable path, and draw the path polyline, clicking at each vertex. Either click on a connectable object (drop point, equipment item, or other cable path), or double-click to finish drawing the path.

If Join to Existing Routes mode is on, valid cable path objects are highlighted as you draw and can be connected to. When one end of the path is placed on another path, they are connected, and the existing path is split into two.

Editing cable networks

The cable path properties can be edited from the Object Info palette.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Move the handle on a cable segment to move the entire network of connected cables in the cable path.

A connected cable path object can be disconnected from the network. Select Detach from Cable Route Network from the drop-down context menu.

Editing the cable path

Use the Reshape tool to change the route of the cable path; double-click on the cable path to activate the Reshape tool, or right-click on the object and select Edit Path. Connectivity of the cable network is maintained while moving or reshaping cables.

The available Reshape tool modes are identical to those for the NURBS curve (see Reshaping NURBS curves), plus additional sub-modes for the Vertex Move, Add Vertex, and Move Edges Parallel modes. These constraint sub-modes make it easy to reshape the cable path along existing geometry.

Mode	Description
Unconstrained (Vertex Move and Add Vertex)	Allows the new or moved vertex to be moved freely in a plane defined by the previous and next points; press the Shift key to snap to the vertical or horizontal plane
Constrain Along Edges (Vertex Move and Add Vertex)	Constrains the new or moved vertex. The direction of the mouse movement determines whether the vertex is constrained along the line defined by the current and previous points, or constrained along the line defined by the current and next point. Press the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Cmd key (Mac) to toggle to the other constraint if the automatically selected constraint is not what you need.
Unconstrained  (Move Edges Parallel)	Allows the edge to be moved freely in a plane defined by the next and previous edge, moving the edge around the selected line; press the Shift key to snap to the vertical or horizontal plane
Constrain in Plane of Edges (Move Edges Parallel)	Constrains the moved edge. The direction of the mouse movement determines whether the edge is constrained along the direction of previous edge or constrained along the direction of the next edge. Press the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Cmd key (Mac) to toggle to the other constraint if the automatically selected constraint is not what you need.
Auto Heal Paths	When reshaping a cable path with Auto Heal Paths toggled on, moving the end of one cable path to the end of another cable path merges the cable paths into a single object. The cable paths will only auto heal when both cable ends are not connected to anything else. When Auto Heal Paths is toggled off, joining the ends of two cable path objects keeps them as separate objects in the cable path network.

Editing the cable path profile

You can edit the profile shape of one or more selected cable paths. For example, you may want to change the path shape from round to rectangular.

To edit the cable path profile:

Select one or more cable paths.

Right-click and select Edit Profile from the context menu.

The profile displays in object editing mode (see Object editing mode).

Modify the profile shape.

Click Exit Profile.

Workflow: Cable routing with ConnectCAD

Placing equipment

Adding drop points

Creating a cabling sheet

Creating a riser sheet

Pre-cabling the model

Analyzing cable paths

Changing cable route assignments

Spotlight and ConnectCAD terminology