Autocad and NEC

[JohnDS]

Hello all,

Can anyone tell me if autocad takes the NEC into consideration in creating electrical plans for a big job? Thank you

 

[Karl H]

AutoCAD doesn't do anything until a operator tells it what to do.

 

[JohnDS]

AutoCAD doesn't do anything until a operator tells it what to do.

I'm not really familiar with the program at all and I understand it is not dummy proof, but in preparing electrical plans, does it follow NEC at all? I guess what I am trying to ask is if a draftsman that is not familiar with the NEC, but good knowledge of electrical, can they get a good set of plans drawn up that meet code?

 

[ohmhead]

Hello all,

Can anyone tell me if autocad takes the NEC into consideration in creating electrical plans for a big job? Thank you

Well our company uses auto cad we have a staff of cad people who spend all day designing layouts as far a electrical construction of electrical rooms raceways underground and overhead MEP core issues with other trades they do it in BIM 3D and we use Trimble to layout our work we make our own prints with plotters.

We do not use any electrical auto cad our people design and input Square D GE Siemens westinghouse ect ect into auto cad but we use there sizes of panels & transformers & equipment and input that to our layouts with a auto cad program .

From what i see at work the only electrical auto cad program is a schematic or control program to make control panels or electrical circuits which we do not totally use but for special stuff on large perfab junction boxs or panels to cut out holes and we have our boxs made at a metal shop you can send a pdf drawning to shop and work starts .

Just go to auto cad online they can really help you with your question its going to be the future of our industry so learn it now as its the only way to commmunicate with other trades and plan your work on bigg jobs today .

The milar blue print days are gone and the smell of it .

 

[JohnDS]

I thank you guys for your quick responses and I appreciate all the help I can get. Does it or does it not consider NEC at all, or is that something that the user has to know?

 

[Smart $]

I thank you guys for your quick responses and I appreciate all the help I can get. Does it or does it not consider NEC at all, or is that something that the user has to know?

Basic AutoCAD is just a CAD application. It draws what the operator "instructs" it to draw.

AutoCAD Electrical is geared for industrial process control: PLC's, relays, metering equipment, etc. and inter connection thereof. I have no experience with this "flavor" of AutoCAD, so cannot comment further.

AutoCAD MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Piping systems) was formerly Architectural Buildings Systems, which I have a basic knowledge of. The following is based on that experience and may be outdated or inaccurate information...

The electrical portion is geared more towards power distribution and field wiring. It has some built in NEC parameters, but relies heavily on user input. For example, it will indicate if a branch circuit is overloaded, but the user has to input load parameters by which the application makes that determination. For instance, the user must "tag" a load into a continuous or non-continuous load category before the application can make a determination and indicate an overload condition.

I don't recall whether the application will make any determinations regarding conduit size, wire fill, or derating.

IMO, without any task-specific add-on application, the user will have to be familiar with the NEC regardless of how much the application provides assistance.

 

[John Paul]

I'm not really familiar with the program at all and I understand it is not dummy proof, but in preparing electrical plans, does it follow NEC at all? I guess what I am trying to ask is if a draftsman that is not familiar with the NEC, but good knowledge of electrical, can they get a good set of plans drawn up that meet code?

No. Without careful consideration of the pertinent NEC applicable in your locality you would not design a good set of plans.

 

[ptrip]

I thank you guys for your quick responses and I appreciate all the help I can get. Does it or does it not consider NEC at all, or is that something that the user has to know?

AutoCAD is a program that draws lines. The user has to know where to put the lines and what they mean. AutoCAD does not take NEC into account.

Even fancy BIM programs require educated user input.

Garbage in ... garbage out.