Manual Routing: You can manually route cables as if you were creating 3d curves through space.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
• Easy to understand
• Realistic-looking cables
• Ideal for small-scale cabling processes (< 15-20 wires)
• Greater control of routing path
Disadvantages
• Every wire must be created individually
• Limited manufacturing functionality
• No ECAD interface
Automatic Routing: You can create channels through which you can automatically route cables. Then, simply select the cable's start and end points and Creo Elements/Direct Cabling routes it automatically along the shortest path through the channel.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
• Ideal for large-scale cabling processes (> 15-20 wires)
• Easily manage parallel cables
• Generate drawings for manufacturing
• Easily unroute and reroute existing wires
• ECAD interface
Disadvantages
• Unrealistic look - cables appear top of one another
• Paths lack fillets
ECAD Interface: Creo Elements/Direct Cabling can read files generated by Electrical CAD software (ECAD) and create all cablerouting automatically.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
• Bridge between ECAD and MCAD departments
• ASCII file follows a very simple format
• ECAD files can be generated by any ECAD system on the market that has customizable wire list output
• Fully automatic cabling achievable when combined with the Cabling's automatic routing features
• No user interaction = no errors
• No forgotten wires
• 100% match between ECAD & MCAD design
Disadvantages
• Requires tight connection between ECAD & MCAD departments concerning ECAD part numbers and CAD models
An autorouting approach to modeling harness assemblies with the Creo Elements/Direct Cabling module:
1. Create a harness assembly and set it active.
2. Create and define connectors, fixtures, and terminals, or load such parts from Cabling's electrical parts library.
3. Position connectors, fixtures, and terminals (or position only fixtures and terminals if you import a .con file prior to using the ECAD interface).
4. (Optional) Use an ECAD ASCII file:
a. Assign reference designators, or import a .con file and position connectors.
b. Import an ECAD wire list.
c. Make and verify connections.
5. Generate a path for the cables. Paths are possible routes that cables could take through a model. Once your paths contain cables, they are called channels.
6. Define path groups.
7. Use Autorouting commands to route cables through paths.
8. Define groups of cabling components.
9. Use commands in the Man. Routing menu to make changes to cables and wires, their tangencies, connections, and routing.
10. Use the commands in the Manufacturing menu to flatten the harness and send it to the Creo Elements/Direct Annotation module.
11. Dimension the drawing in Creo Elements/Direct Annotation.
A manual routing approach to modeling harness assemblies with the Creo Elements/Direct Cabling module:
1. Create a harness assembly and set it active.
2. Create and define connectors, fixtures, and terminals, or load such parts from Cabling's electrical parts library.
3. Position connectors, fixtures, and terminals.
4. Manually route wires and cables.
5. Define groups of cabling components.
6. Use the commands in the Manufacturing menu to flatten the harness and send it to the Creo Elements/Direct Annotation module.
7. Dimension the drawing in Creo Elements/Direct Annotation.