Top 20 Electrical Design Tools

The field of electrical and electronic engineering necessitates a comprehensive understanding of all things electrical, including but not limited to mathematics, circuitry, and every other aspect of electricity. There are literally thousands of hardware, mobile, and software devices designed specifically for use by electrical engineers. However, it can be difficult for busy electrical engineers to take the time to investigate the options and choose which ones will serve them best.

Thus we have mentioned the Top 20 electrical design tools in this top tools list that are a must-try for you.

1. AutoCAD

AutoCAD software's machine-learning, automation, and collaboration tools may give your teams a creative boost. AutoCAD is used by architects, engineers, and builders for a variety of tasks. Get the most out of your AutoCAD experience by using it on many devices. With the AutoCAD mobile app, you can make, view, edit, and annotate drawings on the go.

Key Features:

• Construct and annotate 3D models consisting of solids, surfaces, and mesh objects

• Compare designs, count objects, add blocks, make timetables, and more with the help of automation.

• Build a personalized environment with plug-ins and APIs to boost efficiency.

• You can now share designs with your team, swiftly collect drawing data, and export those designs to other Autodesk applications all thanks to AutoCAD's newest upgrades.

Cost:

It costs $1585 per year.

Minimum subscription: $300 per year

Popular subscription: $1500 per year

2. Fusion360

Fusion 360 is the only fully-integrated cloud-based CAD/CAM/CAE/PCB software package.

Simple cloud CAD software like Fusion 360 lets you rapidly test out a wide variety of design variations.

Key Features:

• Create precision CNC machined components and additively produce structures with fused filament fabrication or powder bed fusion.

• Utilize Fusion 360 to its maximum potential as schematic capture, electronics design, and mechanical CAD.

• Make sure your creations can withstand the elements by testing them. Use computer modeling to save money on physical prototypes.

• Organize your team and their data on products with the use of cloud-based collaboration solutions.

Cost:

It has three different pricing plans that include:

$1555 paid every 3 years

$545 paid annually

$70 paid monthly

3. Smart Draw

More than 70 distinct kinds of diagrams, including flowcharts and floor plans, are available as quick-start templates in SmartDraw. The powerful automatic formatting means beautiful layouts in minutes.

Key Features:

• SmartDraw's clever formatting engine makes it simple to create and modify diagrams.

• All formatting, including space, alignment, font size, and colour schemes, is done mechanically for you.

• Compatible with a wide variety of platforms and applications, including Microsoft Office®, Google Apps, Jira, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Team, and more.

• Capability to draw using normal engineering scales, just like in a CAD program.

Cost:

The three distinct plans include:

Individual: $9.95 annually

Team:$5.95 monthly

Site:$2995 annually

4. Celus

Automatically develop industry-standard EDA-tool-compatible schematics, PCB floorplans, and bills of materials with the help of AI on the CELUS Engineering Platform. It is able to save development timelines by as much as 90% by automating all of the manual phases in the engineering process and making extensive use of component databases.

Key Features:

• It eliminates the need for data sheets and thereby reduces engineering time.

• The development of electronic components is quick, efficiency is increased, and time to market is reduced.

• The cutting-edge user interface and extensive library of components allow users to successfully automate routine tasks.

• It provides all the tools you need to work smarter, get more done, and finish projects more quickly.

Cost:

Contact the sales team for price related queries.

5. StabiCAD

Your design workflows can be bolstered by Stabicad's time-saving productivity tools, integrated calculations that are consistent with UK standards, and always-current manufacturer content, all the way from idea to installation.

Key Features:

• Stabicad allows you to expand beyond Revit's standard features, allowing you to drastically boost your design efficiency while still producing practical mechanical and electrical outputs.

• Pipe systems, switch ranges, and manufacturer-specific Revit families may all be designed and placed in a single BIM model with ease.

• Software Verification Assessment methodology ensures that the robust calculation engines in Stabicad are as accurate and reliable as they claim to be.

Cost:

Contact the support team for pricing details.

6. Cable Proweb

Cable Proweb has every conceivable cable and set-up method. Derating factors, conduit size, fault loop impedance, cable size (auto, custom), voltage drop (DC, 1ph, 2ph, 3ph), and cable length all come into play. You can get in everywhere. Moreover, always use the most recent Standards when performing calculations.

Key Features:

• Appropriate for use in residential, business, and factory settings. Automatic or individualized diversity considerations.

• The process yields instantaneous results.

• PDF reports with extensive detail are available for any and all criteria.

• Use on any mobile or desktop device with a web browser. Every preference is saved with just one login.

Cost:

The three basic plans of this tool include:

Basic: $190 per month

Standard:$290 per month

Professional:$490 per month

7. ETAP

ETAP is an analytic engineering solution provider that focuses on the simulation, design, monitoring, control, operator training, optimization, and automation of power systems.

Key Features:

• ETAP's digital twin platform is the most comprehensive all-in-one solution for businesses.

• Helps customers throughout the world with power system projects tailored to their needs

• Managing electric power systems through installing and upgrading real-time monitoring, simulation, control, and optimization systems

• ETAP governors, exciters, and PSS models can be tweaked and adjusted to improve simulation fidelity.

• There can be a quick, cheap, and painless migration of data from third-party systems into ETAP

Cost:

Contact the sales team for a detailed pricing.

8. Solidworks Electrical Schematics

As a separate, user-friendly set of electrical design tools, SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic packages allow you to precisely specify electrical interconnections for even the most intricate electrical systems.

Key Features:

• An easy-to-navigate interface for beginners as well as experts.

• SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematic is a powerful tool for automating tedious but necessary activities like contact cross-referencing and terminal drawings.

• It reduces the amount of time spent on repetitive processes related to creating electrical schematics, which speeds up the creation of products.

Cost:

Contact the sales team for pricing.

9. Electra Cloud

The cutting-edge electrical schematic automation tools required to swiftly and cooperatively finish any engineering project are all available in Electra Cloud. Used by engineers in over 50 nations because it improves efficiency, saves time, reduces stress, and boosts output.

Key Features:

• When you set symbols on your drawings, the circuit maker in this tool will automatically connect your circuits, resulting in a threefold increase in productivity.

• The clever renaming of symbols and wires when reusing circuits is just a click away, allowing you to quickly repurpose your work.

• There is no time spent on instruction, installation, or setup. All it takes to get started is a safe login.

• Automation technologies that can tag symbols and wires, automatically connect components, reuse existing circuits, and provide instantaneous cross-references all contribute to making the design process swift and painless.

Cost:

Contact the sales department for the price.

10. Ansys Cloud

Cloud-based computing resources, such as interactive workstations and high-performance computing (HPC) clusters, are made available on-demand with Ansys Cloud Direct, allowing for the generation of high-fidelity simulations at lightning speeds. Also, there is an improved understanding of a system's performance.

Key Features:

• By bypassing the hardware bottleneck, Ansys Cloud Direct speeds up simulations.

• When it comes to cloud-based HPC, Ansys Cloud Direct offers a flexible and affordable option.

• Ansys Cloud Direct is a simulated cloud solution that is easy to deploy and use, does not disrupt existing workflows, and does not necessitate the assistance of cloud professionals.

• Workflow, Performance, and Support are the Three Pillars of Ansys Cloud Direct.

Cost:

Contact the support team for pricing queries.

11. SEE Electrical

SEE Electrical's menus and tools are tailored to the needs of electrical engineers. Because of its user-friendly design, you can get to work right away with very no learning curve. A system that mechanically creates parts, wiring, and cables. Until now, making a wiring diagram was not so easy.

Key Features:

• You can choose from three SEE Electrical packages: Basic, Standard, and Advanced.

• Each plan provides a selection of services at various pricing points, allowing you to pick the plan that best meets your budget.

• Since data for a given project can be accessed and modified at any level, moving up the ranks is a breeze.

• The intuitive and electrically focused tools in SEE Electrical CAD include Libraries of IEC and IEEE Components (draw either IEC or IEEE wiring diagrams).

Cost:

Contact the sales team for pricing details

12. Cofaso

For over 25 years, cofaso has provided software solutions for use in electrical and automation engineering. Manufacturers of machines, cabinets, and automation components can all benefit from the company's software solutions for design and setup.

Key Features:

• The solution provides exceptional capabilities for all sector-specific design and documentation needs on the basis of its specialized system technology with direct access to suitable logic for each schematic.

• While allowing users the freedom to tailor their experience to the specifics of their team, project, or workplace, cofaso provides users with a standardized framework for organizing their work.

• Cofaso's user interface is available in 13 different languages, and it is compatible with every major version of Windows.

Cost:

Contact the sales team to buy.

13. E.3 Series

With E3.series, you can work on electrical documentation, cabinet and wire harness design, and manufacturing outputs all at the same time in a truly concurrent environment. With this tool, you can make sure that your electrical and fluid planning, cable planning, wire harness, and cabinet layout are all precise and efficient. Its object-oriented architecture allows for a unified, consistent design process that speeds up development and decreases the likelihood of mistakes.

Key Features:

• All engineering stages and perspectives can be kept in sync thanks to the system's object-oriented design.

• All perspectives, including schematics, flowcharts, wire diagrams, control cabinet layout plans, and accurate nail board drawings, are included in E3.series projects.

• Any changes made in one view are instantly mirrored in the other views thanks to the views' dynamic linking.

• Provides specialized tools for making detailed 1:1 scale manufacturing documentation, including cable layouts and circuit diagrams.

Cost:

Contact sales team for pricing details.

14. AVEVA Electrical

With AVEVA Electrical and Instrumentation, your electrical and instrumentation project teams can work together in real-time. The front end and the thorough design phases of a project both benefit from the sharing of data and high-quality deliverables, which increases both accuracy and efficiency.

Key Features:

• The AVEVA Electrical and instrumentation suite was developed to reduce engineering time and cost while increasing productivity and profitability.

• The product is compatible with third-party tools and is as adaptable as AVEVA Unified Engineering, both of which are available through our safe cloud platform AVEVATM Connect.

• Perform 3D cable and equipment layouts with pinpoint accuracy Enable cross-functional teams to work together from anywhere in the world to boost productivity and quality

• Engineers can now rest easier knowing that their data will be correct the first time around.

Cost:

Reach out to the sales team to know about pricing.

15. EPlan Electric P8

When it comes to the electrical engineering of machines and plant systems, EPLAN Electric P8 is a consistent, integrated, and quick engineering system. EPLAN Electric P8 provides you with a lot more than "only" the ability to create schematics and circuit diagrams

Key Features:

• Once the data from a project has been entered into the schematic, the documentation for the machine and plant systems can be generated automatically.

• It provides you with comprehensive assessments as a standard part of your project paperwork

• The software is compatible with a wide range of engineering techniques, from custom-built to pre-made templates.

Cost:

Contact the sales team for pricing solutions.

16. CADActive

With CadActive, you may save time and effort by eliminating repetitive mouse clicks and completing complex design processes automatically. Their tools simplify the modelling process overall, whether you're making geometry, adding fittings, or routing pipes.

Key Features:

• Make sure your team is using consistent data standards and organized space for design.

• Streamline Creo's modelling operations are available.

• Add-ons from CadActive can help you automate your pipe, cabling, and 2D schematic systems.

• Configuration options for your team that you can manage, develop, and share

• Create several configuration profiles to cater to different clients, teams, or products.

• The intuitive graphical user interface makes it simple to give components unique names or assign them to groups.

Cost:

Refer to the support team for pricing details.

17. Cadison E&1 Designer

Whether you need a schematic (SLD, Circuit diagram etc.), controls design, size calculations, 3D cable tray & panel layouts, automatic report production, bill of materials (BOM), or material take-offs, CADISON Electrical Designer has you covered (MTO). A centralized object-oriented database with revision control and change management capabilities ensures a smooth, error-free transition between iterations of a design.

Key Features:

• The design process can be checked for quality at the object, drawing, and project levels with the use of a logic analyzer that can be adjusted to suit individual needs.

• Automatic DIN, ISA, and KKS compliant device tagging and wire numbering

• In order to automate the tagging system in the drawing and in reports like the bill of materials, there are a number of options for project-specific wiring styles (BOM)

• Dynamic assignment of drawing numbers in real time

Cost:

Contactt the sales team for pricing details.

18. ElectricalOm

ElectricalOM is a robust, fast, and accurate programme for low-voltage electrical design in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. Its intuitive interface and suite of built-in wizards make it possible for even the most inexperienced user to model an electrical installation with relative ease.

Key Features:

• In order to ensure the greatest efficiency, the distribution boards are automatically arranged at the beginning of the design process.

• Each distribution circuit can be moved and rotated individually to allow for user-defined adjustments.

• ElectricalOM is an interactive tool that provides designers with guidance and helpful computations as they work on electrical systems.

• Helps to initiate the circuit calculations by creating electrical plan design drawings.

Cost:

Contact sales team for pricing.

19. Solidedge

The Solid Edge software suite is a set of tools that are user-friendly, well-supported, and reasonably priced. Progress is made in mechanical and electrical design, simulation, production, technical documentation, data management, and cloud-based collaboration.

Key Features:

• Synchronous technology allows Solid Edge to merge the ease and speed of direct modelling with the power and precision of parametric design.

• Your needs for cloud functionality can be met by Solid Edge, which offers seamless access to professional 3D CAD across devices.

• Instant adjustment of your CAD environment to your preferences, and rapid data sharing with coworkers, suppliers, and customers.

Cost:

Refer to the sales team for price details.

20. Sysque

Detailers, engineers, and fabricators may now collaborate in Autodesk Revit with the help of SysQue to create digital representations of physical spaces that can be built.

Key Features:

• Keep Up-to-Date with Managed Content Perform tasks using a library of over eight million components that are updated regularly and to which you can submit requests for more.

• Make use of components and dimensions based on commercial offerings.

• Conduit and cable trays in the real world can be modeled quickly to your exact specifications.

• Utilize a unified model that can be built from beginning to end of the building process.

Cost:

Contact the sales team for pricing queries.

Things To Consider Before Choosing Top Electrical Design Tools

Making the proper decisions when deciding on the finest electrical design tools for electric drawings can yield significant benefits across the entirety of a project, from design through installation and commissioning. Some of the factors to keep in mind before choosing the tools have been mentioned below.

Understand Your Key Requirements

It is significant to understand the purpose for which you require the tools and the distinct requirements of a tool. Look for the necessary elements, and consider whether it can be automated or if would it enable you to follow the design rules as per the instructions of the clients and many more.

Integration With Distinct Programmes

Your new electrical tool may need to work in tandem with existing programmes, so that's something to think about as well. Integration with PLM and ERP systems, as well as PDM technologies that handle product data throughout the product lifecycle, can be quite helpful.

Budget for the tool

It is important to look into your budget however, with cheaper software you can rest assured that it will fall short of the features and skilled support of a premium solution. If you have been thinking of investing in inexpensive tool packages, then it is important to note that these come with certain limitations and sooner or later you will have to opt for a bit more expensive ones.

Conclusion

It is significant to be sure that your new design tool will meet your needs before you commit to purchasing it by trying it out first. Therefore, look into the features and other factors in detail before opting for any of the best electric design tools mentioned above.

FAQs

What are the factors to consider in creating an electric design?

Panel schedules, circuit designations, conduit routing, wire kinds and sizes, conduit types and sizes, enclosure and equipment classes, switch and receptacle grades, and circuit breaker types should all be included in electrical designs.

What is the significance of electric design?

To ensure that electrical systems are cost-effective, secure, and reliable, design difficulties in these areas must be addressed and resolved. Considerations for electrical wiring, lighting, earthing, and voltage drop are also included. Electricity generation, transmission, and distribution all rely on designs created by engineers.

What do you mean by electric design layout?

A wiring diagram, sometimes called an electrical sketch, is a schematic representation of the electrical systems in our structure. An electrical engineer creates a pattern of lines and symbols that depict the building's electrical system.

What are the elements of an electrical design?

The distinct components of design and analysis of the electric design include proper voltage levels, balances, and quality, system capacity, reliability, and redundancy, steady state and transient loads, short circuit protection (design and analysis), load flow, voltage drop, harmonics, and protective device coordination.

What is the meaning of electrical design analysis?

For a high-level perspective of the capabilities of electrical systems, it is necessary to undertake an electrical design study to ascertain the features of branch circuit feeders, as well as the types, ratings, and trip settings of overload protective devices.