The electrical component doesn't help much for editing the existing drawings, however when a new installation comes up (replacement of a MCC for example), AutoCAD electrical will allow us to keep track of wire numbers, help with equipment layouts and the like. We have just moved across to using AutoCAD Electrical for our electrical drawings from using standard AutoCAD. See below for example of 'Industrial like' Schematic.

If you aren't designing something like what's shown above, AutoCAD Electrical probably isn't for you.Ī bit of foreword I work in an industrial site where, much like Li Aung has mentioned, uses CAD for schematic and termination drawings of our MCCs (Motor Control Centres, for those who forgot since reading Li Aung's post), Distribution system single lines, communication systems and control (instrumentation inclusive) drawings. I would have really appreciated this on the last electrical design job I did, where we numbered all the wires and terminals by hand, with frequent mistakes.

A feature I am aware of is that AutoCAD Electrical can automatically track wire numbers (ferrule numbers) and terminal numbers, making sure these numbers are all unique and sequential.

In industrial contexts, all wires and terminals need to be individually numbered. We use AutoCAD Electrical to draw power single line diagrams, motor control circuit schematics, switchboard general arrangements, and so on. That is the audience AutoCAD Electrical is intended for. Electrical design is concerned with switchboards, 200 metre long cables, motor control contactors, junction boxes, and so on. Note the distinction between electrical design and electronics design. In this context, 'electrical designers' means people designing low-voltage motor control centres, industrial plant, control cubicles, and so on. As I understand it, AutoCAD Electrical is normal AutoCAD, but with some features that support electrical designers.

Autocad electrical for students