Routing Branches through Curves

You can route branches through curves which proves to be useful when you want to follow a surface or create support with a complex form for example.

Before you begin:
  • Create an electrical geometry.
  • Route a branch with two devices.
  • Create a valid curve, using the Part Design app for example.
    Note: The curve must not be closed; its ends must be different. And you cannot create a curve during the routing of the branch.
See Also
About Routing through Curves
  1. To edit Branch.1, select it in the tree and click Classic Branch Definition from the Branch section of the action bar, in the Electrical 3D Part Design app.
    The Branch Definition dialog box appears.
  2. To edit the route, click Route Definition.
    The Route Definition dialog box appears. Both devices appear in the Routed Objects list.
  3. Select an object (a device) in the list in the Route Definition dialog box.
  4. Click Add after (or Add before, or Replace if you select another object in the Routed Objects list).
    Important: The curve is selectable in the 3D area, only if the Tangent Mode option is cleared (no tangent mode for supports). Otherwise, only the tangents can be selected.
    Notes:
    • While routing a branch, you can add the curve (like a point, support, device, point created on-the-fly on surfaces, branch point) to it automatically at its best location in the branch route. For this, you need to select the Add Auto command instead of Add after.
    • When you add a curve, the middle point of the curve is chosen as the best position in the branch route. Whereas if you add other elements in the route, the two ends of the curve are considered as the best position.
  5. Select the curve in the 3D area.
    Moving the pointer over the support in the 3D area, displays annotations showing the possible entry points of a support and an arrow appears showing which way the branch will be routed through the curve:

    When you select the curve in the 3D area, the curve is added to the branch route after the device selected in the Route Definition list and its name is listed in the Routed Objects list:

    If a curve is already routed, you can remove it from the branch routing (like a point, device or support) by clicking Remove in the Route Definition dialog box. For more information, see Remove Objects.

    The orientation of the curve is automatically chosen but you can change it by clicking Reverse in the dialog box (under More>>).

    Important:
    • If the curve is in the 3D Part of a support (or device), it must be published to be selectable as a routing element, otherwise only the support (or device) can be selected.
    • You need to select at least two route elements (not only the curve). If you want a single curve in the branch routing, you can select the External Curve option in Branch Definition dialog box.
    • You can select an edge or a wire as a curve, likewise you select an external curve to create a branch. See Routing along External Curves.
    • If the curve is already routed, you cannot select its ends for branch routing. You cannot add a curve in the branch route, if one of the curve's ends is already linked to another curve or to another route point (device connection point, support point).
    • If there are several points in the branch route and you want to add the curve between two routed points, first you must remove the two routed points from the branch route, and then route the curve in the branch.
    • In terms of topology, the curve must be continuous in tangency and it must not have sub-elements. You need a single domain and a single curve.
    • If the curve's bend radius is smaller than the bend radius allowed by the branch, a message is displayed.