Software for Lighting&Socket Layout / Plan / Circuit Sizing / LoadFlow / SLD ..?

[vagojr]

Dears,

I am about to initiate a new lighting&socket project after Dialux calculations already done.

Just to try to optimize the time for drawings (fist option for output would be autocad), I am investigating to find a comprehensive and intuitive software to perform the following tasks that are very usual in a lighting and socket designers:

• Layout and plans
• Circuit (wire) sizing; ampacity + voltage drops
• Circuit layout, plans and tagging
• Breaker sizing
• Panel Load Flow (phasing)
• SLD
• CAD reports or exporting
• etc

At this time, it seems that the most complete software that I have found is Autodesk Revit MEP, but it also seems that it is very complex for someone performing only lighting&socket distribution.

So I would like to know if you could please support me by telling if there are other softwares able to perform these tasks or almost (which limitation?) just to compare and make a purchasing decision.

Thank you in advance.

 

[cadpoint]

If your going to spend that kind of money look at Bentley.com

They have packages that are supplemental the base package and do these things you require.
I frankly like it because you can add and change aspects on the fly, ie it's noun verb - verses stair step software.

 

[vagojr]

If your going to spend that kind of money look at Bentley.com

They have packages that are supplemental the base package and do these things you require.
I frankly like it because you can add and change aspects on the fly, ie it's noun verb - verses stair step software.

Thank you cadpoint, it sounds good so I will investigate further
By the way, do you know if there is some video to see what lightign and socket scope could be achieved with Betley?

Do you have experience with Autodesk Revit MEP?
Any other software example for my goal?

Thanks all

 

[steve66]

Thank you cadpoint, it sounds good so I will investigate further
By the way, do you know if there is some video to see what lightign and socket scope could be achieved with Betley?

Do you have experience with Autodesk Revit MEP?
Any other software example for my goal?

Thanks all

AutoCAD also has some electrical design packages. For example, there is AutoCAD MEP.

I use both AutoCAD, and Revit MEP. I have never taken advantage of the electrical capabilities of AutoCAD MEP.

Revit MEP is my favorite. My favorite feature is that you tag homeruns with the circuit number, and if you move the circuit in the panel schedule, the tag automatically updates. It even works if you move the circuit to a different panel.

Revit MEP also keeps track of the loads on the panel, added up each phase and giving you a total. And its totally 3D.

But Revit is definitely complex to learn. And it takes more time to set up a project, and a lot of time to build libraries of families that you will need. And its expensive.

 

[steve66]

I frankly like it because you can add and change aspects on the fly, ie it's noun verb - verses stair step software.

I have no idea what that means. I've never known anyone to use bentley except structural or civil engineers.

 

[vagojr]

AutoCAD also has some electrical design packages. For example, there is AutoCAD MEP.

I use both AutoCAD, and Revit MEP. I have never taken advantage of the electrical capabilities of AutoCAD MEP.

Revit MEP is my favorite. My favorite feature is that you tag homeruns with the circuit number, and if you move the circuit in the panel schedule, the tag automatically updates. It even works if you move the circuit to a different panel.

Revit MEP also keeps track of the loads on the panel, added up each phase and giving you a total. And its totally 3D.

But Revit is definitely complex to learn. And it takes more time to set up a project, and a lot of time to build libraries of families that you will need. And its expensive.

thank you very much steve66 for sharing your experience; it is very useful for me at this stage.
I would like to investigate further the Revit and any other software to reach at and understand their limits/scopes and to see if it worths to invest in it.
Do you have some kind of quick guide for beginners? something to know what is needed from zero, set up a project up to get the plant drawing (only for L&S).

To get a software with which we can reach the goals mentioned in the first message is very interesting for my company.
thanks again

 

[cadpoint]

I have no idea what that means. I've never known anyone to use bentley except structural or civil engineers.

Maybe I shouldn't have used someone else's statement that I didn't research when I heard it. I liked it, I understood when I heard it.
I've worked with both systems, I prefer MicroStation.

My local Power company Duke uses it, also Dominion, DOD, the Army Corp of Engineering, and many other large concerns.

To say everyone uses ACAD well yes that's true only because it was one of the first PC CAD packages. The Bentley Bros wrote the PC
version of Intergraph and had a shot gun wedding with them.

I proved myself to many A/E's, PE's for years using Microstation. I transferred files to many various versions of different softwares.
To say one product is better than another IMO is only based on what product one learned on first.

 

[vagojr]

To say one product is better than another IMO is only based on what product one learned on first.

totally agree
But first of all is to try to know if the software can reach at every the goals I mentioned in first post. This is the reason of starting this thread and of being very much thankful for any information, suggestion or recommendation that you can share with me in regards the softwares you use for that.
Appreciate a lot your interest
regards

 

[steve66]

totally agree
But first of all is to try to know if the software can reach at every the goals I mentioned in first post. This is the reason of starting this thread and of being very much thankful for any information, suggestion or recommendation that you can share with me in regards the softwares you use for that.
Appreciate a lot your interest
regards

Why not download your free 30 day trial and give it a test drive? (But the download and install can take a long time unless you have a very fast internet connection.) Mine took several hours at home, and probably an hour or more using the connection at our office. And you will need to create an Autodesk account with a company name and address, email, etc.)

http://www.autodesk.com/products/revit-family/free-trial

There are lots of online video tutorial's you can watch. For example:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=revit+mep+tutorial&qpvt=revit+mep+tutorial&FORM=VDRE

Edit: And here is the revit help website. I'm not sure if you have to be logged on to view it or not?

http://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2017/ENU/

 

[vagojr]

Why not download your free 30 day trial and give it a test drive? (But the download and install can take a long time unless you have a very fast internet connection.) Mine took several hours at home, and probably an hour or more using the connection at our office. And you will need to create an Autodesk account with a company name and address, email, etc.)

http://www.autodesk.com/products/revit-family/free-trial

There are lots of online video tutorial's you can watch. For example:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=revit+mep+tutorial&qpvt=revit+mep+tutorial&FORM=VDRE

Edit: And here is the revit help website. I'm not sure if you have to be logged on to view it or not?

http://help.autodesk.com/view/RVT/2017/ENU/

Hi steve66, I am on it hehe
It seems that Revit MEP will reach the intended goals... at this time I am not able to get a single line diagram directly; but the load chart can be used for that, so I am happy.
thank you very much for your kindness
Regards

 

[steve66]

Let us know what you think after you have had a chance to give it a try.

 

[jcbabb]

As someone that uses both for my job, I can 100% guarantee that what you want to use is Design Master's AutoCAD ad-in. It is a much more streamlined and user friendly version of what Revit wants to be. The Design Master customer support is topnotch and answers inquiries within minutes; Revit's is non-existent. Design Master is affordable and quick to learn. Revit is expensive and can be extremely frustrating to learn, especially when you are trying to do something that it just doesn't understand. Design Master is simple and intuitive; with Revit, you have to understand how its developers want it to be used. Revit was developed by architects and then bastardized to try and do what engineers and electricians do. Design Master was designed by engineers that use it to do only what it is intended to do: electrical design.

You can try a trial version of both, and I promise you that Design Master is the one you'll choose. Design Master runs on top of AutoCAD, so you will need that as well. http://www.designmaster.biz/products/electrical/index.html

I'd love to hear your feedback on way or the other.

 

[shujath36]

As someone that uses both for my job, I can 100% guarantee that what you want to use is Design Master's AutoCAD ad-in. It is a much more streamlined and user friendly version of what Revit wants to be. The Design Master customer support is topnotch and answers inquiries within minutes; Revit's is non-existent. Design Master is affordable and quick to learn. Revit is expensive and can be extremely frustrating to learn, especially when you are trying to do something that it just doesn't understand. Design Master is simple and intuitive; with Revit, you have to understand how its developers want it to be used. Revit was developed by architects and then bastardized to try and do what engineers and electricians do. Design Master was designed by engineers that use it to do only what it is intended to do: electrical design.

You can try a trial version of both, and I promise you that Design Master is the one you'll choose. Design Master runs on top of AutoCAD, so you will need that as well. http://www.designmaster.biz/products/electrical/index.html

I'd love to hear your feedback on way or the other.

After reading your comment. I went to check for design master. After adding the trail version i came to know some big flaws.
Like firstly the service is available only in imperial units, and is still not developed for SI. So it's difficult to work in ft inches in a mt mm drawing.
Secondly, there is no phase balancing feature.

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