About the Orthogonalization Assistant

Orthogonalization Capabilities

The Orthogonalization Assistant allows you to work with orthogonality while designing your electrical harness.

This assistant has the following capabilities:

Orthogonalize an entire branch
Orthogonalize a single section of an existing branch
Orthogonalize in one step several sections of an existing branch
Identify existing branch sections impacted by orthogonalization and then orthogonalize them

Important:

The Orthogonalization Assistant is only available while designing a branch in the Cornered Polyline build mode. For more information about build modes, see Inserting an Electrical Branch Geometry and First Branch.
Orthogonalizing branches is only possible if the default standard axis system of the part is respected.

Orthogonalization Interface

Activation

The Orthogonalization Assistant can be activated from the Branch Properties panel.

When working with the Cornered Polyline build mode, the activation button for the Orthogonalization Assistant is docked at the top right corner of the Branch Properties panel. The following icon is displayed: .

Clicking the button activates the assistant and the icon is highlighted: . Once activated, you can click the button again to deactivate the assistant.

Note: The activation button is not displayed if the Branch Properties panel is docked or extracted.

Notifications in the 3D Area

When working with the Orthogonalization assistant, the design changes made on a branch are notified in the 3D area.

Highlighted Sections

When the route of a branch is edited, branch sections impacted by orthogonality are highlighted in purple.

In this example, the selected passing point is removed from the branch route:

As a result, the impacted branch section is highlighted:

Note: If color conflicts occur, the impacted branch sections are highlighted in a different color.

Orthogonal Passing Points

When the vectors of two segments that meet at one point are perpendicular, this point is considered as an orthogonal passing point. The point can be created manually or with the Orthogonalization Assistant.

Orthogonal passing points are gathered with standard passing points under the Geometrical Set node in the tree. In the 3D area, they are symbolized with the following icon: .

Cube of Possible Solutions

The Cube of Possible Solutions provides all the available design solutions to orthogonalize a branch section.

It is displayed when clicking:

An impacted and highlighted branch section. The Cube of Possible Solutions helps you orthogonalize it.
An existing orthogonal section. The Cube of Possible Solutions helps you select another designing solution.
An existing section which is not orthogonal and not impacted. The Cube of Possible Solutions helps you orthogonalize it.

When you select a section to orthogonalize it, the Cube of Possible Solutions is displayed along with the design solutions.

Pausing your pointer over a solution highlights it in the 3D area.

Selecting a solution edits the section.

Note: Once an impacted branch section is orthogonalized, the section retrieves the same color as the rest of the branch.

While working with orthogonality, you can ignore the notifications provided by the assistant. Taking one of the following actions discards highlighted branch sections:

Continuing the routing process and adding a new route element. New impacted sections may appear.
Selecting a passing point to display a context toolbar
Selecting a branch section not impacted by orthogonalization
Selecting any commands inside a context toolbar
Editing properties in the Branch Properties panel and validate the modifications

Note: Even after discarding a notification, you can select a branch section at any moment of your design to orthogonalize it.

Orthogonalization Scope

Most of the tools available in Immersive Branch Definition supports the Orthogonalization Assistant.

When working with orthogonality, the following functionalities can be impacted:


Functionality	Orthogonality Impact
Auto Routing Mode	Adding a route element to a branch route can impact the orthogonality of branch sections.
Removal Mode	Removing any route element from a branch route can impact the orthogonality of the branch sections placed before and after the element. Note: If the route element is placed at one extremity of the branch, there is no orthogonality impact.
Manual Routing Mode	Adding a route element to a branch route can impact the orthogonality of branch sections.
Move Mode	Moving a standard or an orthogonal passing point from a branch route can impact the orthogonality of branch sections.
Translate Branch Sections	Translating a branch section can impact the orthogonality of adjacent branch sections. Note: When you translate branch sections, the Cube of Possible Solutions is not available when selecting impacted branch sections. You must use the Auto Routing or Guide Modes to be able to orthogonalize a branch section.
Arrange Junction	Arranging the segments of a branch can impact the orthogonality of adjacent branch sections.
Arrange segment in support	Modifying a segment arrangement in a support can impact the orthogonality of branch sections adjacent to the support.
Replace routing element	Replacing any route element of a branch route can impact the orthogonality of branch sections.
Remove from route	Removing a passing point from a branch route can impact the orthogonality of the branch sections placed before and after the passing point. Note: If the passing point is placed at one extremity of the branch, there is no orthogonality impact.
Passing points creation	Adding a new standard passing point to a branch route can impact the orthogonality of branch sections.
Creating Proxy Branch Points	Connecting branches using a proxy branch point can impact the orthogonality.

Notes:

Orthogonality impacts are only notified for the branch which is selected. Notifications about other impacted branches of your harness are not provided. To identify orthogonality impacts, branches must be edited one by one.
When you edit a branch (for example, remove a passing point or modify the bend radius), its orthogonal design is not updated. Therefore, orthogonality may be lost after the edition of a branch.