Route Cable Ladder Lines

Model a cable ladder line by drafting the route.

• Add a line by defining the route of the ladder's center line by clicking specific points.
• A cable ladder component is automatically added to locations where the direction changes.
• Model the line close to the actual dimensions. Modify the dimensions with the dimension table. Refine the lengths of the straight sections and their relative positions using geometric constraints.

  

Add a cable ladder line.

1. Select either of the following:
   • On the Assembly tab, select Cable Ladder > Add Cable Ladder Line.
   • Select the context-sensitive function Add > Cable Ladder Line.
2. On the Cable Ladders tab, in the Properties group, select Class, Nominal size, Item and Elbow Item.
3. If desired, select Color from the Component group.
   Note: The choice of color follows the same principle as the general choice of color for parts. Selecting a color from the old VxColor palette is no longer possible.

   • The color is selected in the rendering material dialog box.
   • You can select the rendering material by browsing the rendering materials. Old VxColor palette colors can be found in the rendering library folder Vertex palette.

   • You can pick the rendering material from the selected surface.

   • You can restore the default rendering material.

   • You can set the default rendering material for pipe components in the pipe component database d_PIPECOMPONENTS, page 4. If the default rendering material is defined, it is used. Otherwise, the default rendering material of the pipeline is used, which in turn is VxColor_146 by default.

   • Old numeric values (referring to the colors in the old VxColor palette) still work in the COLOR field of the database, i.e., a number in the field, e.g. "6", refers to "VxColor_6" in the rendering material library.
   • Color selection works in the same way in the G4Plant application for ducts, pipes, cable ladders and platforms.
4. If you want, fill in the line position of the cable ladder in the Positions group on the Cable Ladders tab.

   Line Position

5. Click the start point of the cable ladder line's center line.
6. Define the sweep plane in one of the following ways:
   • Select the sweep plane with a context-sensitive function, for example Horizontal(XY) Plane.
   • Sweep Plane Based on a Line
   • Sweep Plane Based on a Planar Face
   • Sweep Plane Based on Three Points
7. Define the sweep direction in one of the following ways:
   • Constrain the cursor into a ruler.
   • Planar Face Normal as a Sweep Direction
   • Line as a Sweep Direction
8. Do either of the following:
   • Use the keyboard to enter the position for the next corner point.
   • Before clicking a point you can snap the cursor into a Point, Line or Face on the model if the Snap function is active.

     

     To a Point, Line or Face when the Snap function is active.

     

9. Indicate the corner or end point. Continue modeling the line by clicking the next point.
10. You can undo the line to the previous point by pressing Ctrl+Z and then click a different point.

    You can undo the added points of the same line all the way back to the starting point.

11. When routing the line you can add a component by pressing the B key. Continue routing and accept the component position by selecting Confirm.
12. Select Confirm.