The Workdesk section of the Settings dialog contains settings applicable to the workdesk environment.

The following dialog elements are available:

Workdesk

In this main node, you find the following dialog elements:

• Background color 1 / Background color 2: The background colors determine the appearance of the workdesk background. You can determine two different colors to create a background with a color transition, or you can determine both colors to be identical to have your background single-colored.
  Background color visibility and appearance depend on the global grid color and transparency settings. The global grid color is a layer above the background colors. Background colors become visible if you zoom out of the view or rotate the view in the workdesk working window so the global grid becomes hidden or if you rotate the view perpendicular to the global grid.

Organizers

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Diameter calculation algorithm: Select the algorithm to be used from the drop-down list: The Table-based approximation setting is selected by default. Outside diameters of bundles are calculated rapidly and accurately using a table of empirical factors (bundle factors). Alternatively you can select the Virtual wire placing (slow) setting which is a more exact method based on the determination of the best possible wire filling in a bundle, but is a lot slower than the table-based approximation.
• Default bending radius factor: Default bending radius factor assigned to bundles and twists.
• Default bundle color: Default color of bundles.
• Default bundle diameter: Default diameter used on bundles.
• Default twist color: Default color of twists.
• Default twist diameter: Default diameter used on twists.
• Default twist factor: Default twist factor for twists.

Preview

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Preview layout: This setting specifies the type of view which is to be used as the workdesk's preview.

Active dimensions

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Font group box: Determines the settings of font, font size, and font style for dimensions.
• Color: Determines the color for dimensions.
• Displayed value group box: Decide if the Length of a path segment value is to be displayed enclosed in square brackets (default setting) or the Distance between control points value (length between control points of the path segment).
• Show dimensions after creation group box: The corresponding check boxes are available for wires (including cable wires), for bundles, for cables, and for ribbon cables. Activate the check box if an active dimension is to be placed within the respective object.

Automatisms

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• AutoPropagate el. options in bundle structures: When assigning an electrical option to an object, this option will be applied to all elements connected to the object as well (if activated).
• AutoPropagate wire harness affiliation: When assigning a wire harness to an object, this wire harness will be applied to all elements connected to the object as well (if activated).
• AutoRoute only visible objects: If activated, this option allows only the visible objects to be automatically routed using the AutoRoute command.
• In AutoRoute also use branching points: When using the AutoRoute command, objects will be routed in the shortest possible distance, not only through end points, but e.g. through shared points as well.
• Multiple wire terminal required (default): This check box applies to pins of the library and rapid prototype connectable objects and special components if more than one wire is connected to one pin.
  If it is activated and the AutoPlace attached parts option is set or a wire terminal is placed manually on the wire end, the same wire terminal is added to each wire end connected to this pin. The wire terminal will then have a quantity of "1" in the bill of materials report.
  If deactivated, one wire terminal is added to each wire end connected to the pin and the quantity in the bill of materials is summed up correspondingly.
  If the connectable object / special component is replaced, this setting is taken into account and not the status of the existing connectable object or special component.

Length calculation

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Global extra length group box: If you activate the Use global extra length correction check box (it is disabled by default), the global extra length will be used according to the criteria specified in the table below. The entries determine how much length is to be added to wires, cables, bundles, and surface protections so that the bending of these objects can be compensated. You can, e.g, specify that for wires / cables up to 1 meter length 1% will be added, while when they are 5 m long, 2% will be added.

  Notes:

  • The Raw length property is the real length of wires, cables, bundles, and surface protections without any global extra length and is displayed in the properties panel.
  • The Length property is the sum of the Raw length property of wires, cables, bundles, and surface protections plus the Global extra length property. This length is also shown in the properties panel.

Control points

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Control point to control path size ratio (%): Determines, in percent, the size of the control point compared to the control path (e.g. a bundle).
• Default auxiliary pin color: Determines the color of auxiliary pins.
• Min. auxiliary pin radius: Determines the minimum radius size of auxiliary pins.
• Default color for shared points: Determines the color of shared points.
• Apply parent color: Determines whether the control point will take on the color set for bundles (under Settings > Workdesk > Bundles > Default color).
• Cable end point offset: Determines the distance of the cable end point from a connectable object, if the cable is automatically placed from the EPLAN import panel.

Templates

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Save with user-defined properties: Toggles the saving of a document's user-defined properties as part of a workdesk template.

Global grid

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Color: Default setting for the workdesk working window background color. The global grid is a layer above the Background color 1 and Background color 2 settings. If you determine the opacity with the slider (in the drop-down list) to 100%, the global grid color is visible over background color 1 and 2 unless you zoom out of the view so the global grid becomes hidden or if you rotate the view perpendicular to the global grid.
• Line color: Determines the color of the global grid lines.
• Cell size: Determines the size of global grid cells.

Labels

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Default color: Determines the color used on labels by default.
• Width: Determines the default width for labels.

Local radial grid

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Color: Determines the background color of the radial grid.
• Line color: Determines the color of the radial grid lines.
• Number of segments: Determines the number of sectors of the radial grid.
• Stepping option: From the drop-down list select one of the options Fixed distance (which will place each circle of the radial grid in equidistance to each other) or Relative to initial distance (which will determine the number of circles between two neighboring control points when using the Move wire harness segment command).
• Number of circles: If the Relative to initial distance option has been selected from the Stepping option drop-down list, you can determine the number of circles in the radial grid. The Number of circles field specifies the number of circles with regard to the given diameter of the radial grid. The diameter of the radial grid is specified by the start and end control points of the path being placed (bundle, cable, wire, surface protection, etc.).
• Fixed no. of circles: If the Fixed distance option has been selected from the Stepping option drop-down list, you can determine the distance between each circle in the radial grid.

Name templates

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• <Object types> list: The name templates for the various object types determine the format of the names of these objects when they are created. The first edit box specifies how many digits the name is to have and any fixed characters which will not be changed (these can occur anywhere in the name). The second box specifies the initial value.

  Example:

  Let's say you have an sp_???A?? entry in the first box for special components and an sp_000AA3 entry in the second one. The first placed special component will then have the name sp_000AA3, the second one will be sp_000AA4, etc. The penultimate character A will eventually be changed to B, C, etc., but the other A (the third from the right) will remain an A.

  The [R] or [Reset] button lets you reset any changes made in the first and / or second box.

  Example:

  Let's say the default connectable object name template is cn_00000. If ten connectable objects are placed, they will have the names cn_00001 - cn_00011. If you press the [R] button, it will reset the second box from cn_00011 to cn_00000.

Annotation

In this subnode, you find the following dialog elements:

• Font group box: Determines the settings of font, font size, and font style for annotations in the 3D working window.

Tree view item name templates

In this subnode it is possible to customize the way names of parts inserted into the workdesk are displayed in the tree view tab using the Formula editor.