It would be nice to see a 3D function however that isn't essential.
Being an AutoCAD system it is great for 2D panel design and you can place used components from the schematic components list with ease. What I do find a little annoying with ACADE is, correct me if I'm wrong, you can't seem to have keyboard shortcuts, you need to type into the command bar at the bottom small thing I know but it really slows down the process. For people with experience in Inventor you will find the right click menu very similar and that works great. There's a Parent and child system that will link symbols from the same component allowing you to place contacts from a coil on a different page and you can 'surf' between them. The symbol editor is great and easy to use making all those oddball parts that companies use easy to create and add to the parts library. For instance it took me a while to find a contactor not knowing it was under the sub folder for motor control. It can be tricky to navigate as they are grouped into folders. Its simple to place components using the ICON menu which is populated well. The design process is simple you can lay down multiple bus lines, define spacing in between and turn 90 degrees. It definitely surprised me in the way it handles projects now, no more opening single pages, you have a project management window and its easy to define and structure pages. You’ll find all the same functionalities with the added electrical commands and features. The user friendliness is very good and its definitely easier to just ‘pick up and go’ especially with so many engineers coming from an AutoCAD background in the first place. ACADE I find would be a lot more beneficial to smaller companies whose projects don’t really exceed 100 pages.
Eplan software cost update#
You will need to update your software each year and pay a yearly support fee even after you've purchased the software.īefore I get into my ACADE thoughts I will stress I only did an introductory course and although I seemed to excel with it there will be many functions I haven't used yet. If you want to have single line drawings that's an add on, Fluid drawings is an add on, Automatic revision is an add on. The main thing that lets EPLAN down is everything is an add on, you don't simply purchase the package and have all the functionalities. You will definitely fall into bad habits and once you find the error management function you will pull your hair out. It does take a lot of fiddling and there are so many settings to look at rather than simply designing so I will say I think you need training to grasp all of its features simply purchasing it and working it out as you go won't really cut it. I find myself typing easy a lot when describing EPLAN and when used correctly that is definitely what it is. The creation of report pages and being able to template them all up to apply to different projects is handy. The symbol library is huge however I feel you still need a symbol creator to personalize for the odd components. On top of that you can create your own parts and assign a created macro to suit. The extensive data portal finding parts and manufacture data is excellent and having it constantly update is a great feature. Little things like having your 3 phase potential align on the same X & Y axis from page to page happens with ease. When designing the automatic wiring is very handy it makes for faster creation of pages and shows you have everything aligned on the grid.
Eplan software cost professional#
Giving out a personal and professional look. It's easy to create report pages, adding in customer logos and specific information they require on plot frames. The whole project structure and usability once it is set up properly just makes designing more fluid. All of these involve control panel designs and then they vary into conveyor lines, robot cells and various machine handling systems.Įplan for me comes in to its own on larger projects.
I have worked on a variety of projects ranging from Crossrail, Airbus, and plenty of automation for OEM & Tier 1 companies. I thought it beneficial to write a brief comparison between EPLAN and ACADE I’ll keep it short and sweet as I’m no writer and the human attention span isn't that long!Ī little about me and my experience, I've been in the electrical industry now for 12 years and turned my head to design over 4 years ago since then I have been using EPLAN day in day out so I'm pretty familiar with the software.