Focus on the electrical design

Automation is a professional electrical CAD software for documentation of automation, installation, pneumatics and hydraulics. The software enables you to use your resources as effectively as possible, which allows extra energy for other important tasks.

Focus on the electrical design

PCSCHEMATIC Automation is designed from the basic concept of setting you free to focus on the electrical design, while the software handles the practical side. Beyond the basic drawing functions, Automation offers you a comprehensive series of features specially designed for electrical projects.

Customized for electrical projects

Among these features you will find:

- For more details, please refer to our electrical CAD feature list.

You soon become confident with the software, and the program buttons and menus follows common Windows guidelines.

A project file can contain an infinite number of pages, each page containing up to 255 layers. You can also work in different elevations, and draw isometrically.

Plenty of Standard IEC/EN symbols

With the electrical CAD software you get the standard IEC/EN symbols for automation, installation, hydraulics/pneumatics and flow diagrams. Furthermore, you will find symbols for plc’s, sensors and transducers, intelligent building installation, computer and telecommunication, alarm installations, as well as symbols for ground plan drawings. You can easily create your own symbols, and have your symbol libraries documented automatically.

47 free component databases

In Automation you can create your own component databases. As an extra advantage, several leading component manufacturers have created their own free electrical CAD component databases for the software.

Beyond common component information - such as part number, descriptions, component vendor and prices - these databases contain both electrical and mechanical symbols for the individual components. Using these databases, you can therefore easily and safely create diagrams and mechanical drawings, and generate lists.

Along with the software you also get PCSCHEMATICs own database program. Automation can use Access databases directly, and is also open to other database systems supported by MDAC or ODBC. You can therefore use all major database systems in conjunction with Automation - such as MS-SQL and Oracle.

Therefore, the databases can become an integrated part of the database system of the company.

Automatic update of all lists

In Automation you can design your own parts lists (BOM), components lists, terminals lists, plc lists, cables lists, labels, connections lists and tables of contents. These lists are updated automatically by the program. Unit drawings can also be a part of the projects.

The lists can both be created as pages in the projects, and as user-defined files, which can easily be imported into other systems - for instance as order files.

Subdrawings with article data and automatic project generation

You can easily create subdrawings with article data for each individual symbol in the subdrawing. You can then drag the subdrawings directly into any of your projects. When dragging a subdrawing into a project, you can furthermore select which set of model data to attach to the symbols in the subdrawing. This is called Module and Model Based drag’n draw. Based on these subdrawings, you can generate electrical projects containing thousands of pages automatically.

Intelligent reference designations

In Automation you can automatically assign reference designations on project, page, area and symbol level. When placing a symbol on a page or in an area with reference designations, the symbol is automatically assigned the reference designations of the page or area (IEC/EN 61346/81346). Succeedingly, you can have lists filled out according to the applied reference designations automatically. When you change a reference designation, the program can alter this reference designation in the full project accordingly.

Intelligent chapters

You can further structure your projects by creating chapters. Tables of contents and lists can be created for both each individual chapter, and for the full project.

IEC/EN standards supported intelligently

In all parts of the software, structuring the documentation has been made as easy as possible. In Automation you can follow the present European / EU electrical design drawing standards, hardly without noticing it.

Import/export of DWG/DXF files

You can import DWG/DXF files, and export DWG/DXF files. Naturally, only elements known by both programs are exchanged.

Inserting OLE objects

Documents from for instance Word or Excel can be inserted directly on the project pages, because the software handles so-called OLE objects. If for instance you insert an AutoCAD document, you can draw on top of the inserted document in Automation.

Interfacing to plc tools

You can interface to plc tools and to dimensioning tools. During import from plc tools, the connected plc data are corrected directly in the diagrams - of course under strict control.

Networks

As a consequence of the many major customers, Automation has extended network facilities, such as extended file security and a flexible sharing of floating licences and administrator control.

Create your own applications

Automation is designed so openly, that you have the option of creating your own applications. If you miss a specific function in the software, you therefore have the option of creating it yourself.

Flexible licenses

When you purchase an Automation license, you receive a license key which you insert in a USB port. If you apply a net license key, you only need a single license key for your network. This also gives you the option of allowing others to tank licenses from the license key. You can therefore e.g. mail a license to a collegue abroad for a couple of weeks, if the collegue needs to update an electrical documentation.

Repetitive strain injuries

To reduce the use of the mouse, Automation has included the program Mouse Chasing System, for learning program shortcuts while working. Shortcuts in the program are predominantly single keys - such as „s“ for the „Symbols“ command.

Languages and character sets

You can easily install the English version of the software, including online manuals. Danish, Czech, Polish, Russian, Swedish and Chinese versions are also available.

The software includes a number of character sets - for instance Russian, Polish, Czech and Baltic characters. Furthermore, a program for translation of project texts is included. In this program you can add new languages when necessary.

The electrical CAD software PCSCHEMATIC Automation is used in more than 30 countries.

Useful links: