Rubber lines and block snap points
Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2014 2:27 pm
I am contemplating a thought experiment (operative words being contemplating and thought experiment ) of trying to turn QCAD into being able to create electrical wiring diagrams. It is kind of like an eletronics schematic, but it describes, in varying degrees, but relatively hight level o, detail, say the electrical wiring and lighting and switches and outlets and the like in your house or the control electronics of a motor or somesuch (see for example qelektrotech dot org for a similar application).
For this, I'd need the following features:
Does QCAD have these features and if yes, what are they called? (I can probably manage for a bit if I know what is it I am looking for .) If not, is it feasible for these features to be implemented in the QCAD kernel? Shall I perhaps start a poll for these? (There should probably be more input from other interested parties first.)
I am not really aiming high, at least not for starters -- I think something that can be reasonably used to draw an architectural plan of your property and put your electrical/plumbing/gas/HVAC stuff in so that electrical/plumbing/gas/HVAC people don't have to feel their way in the dark when doing work on your property is a good start. The foundation for the architectural part is here already, but the other disciplines need some tools we don't have yet (or I can't find them).
Is QCAD a good base for something like this at all, or should I be better off looking elsewhere? As far as I can tell someone tried this a while back, see ewcad dot sourceforge dot net, but it never went past the "oh, I haz a good idea!" phase. Not to say I won't get stuck here too .
Inputs much appreciated.
For this, I'd need the following features:
- Blocks with snap points: say there is a block representing a motor. There need to be snap points to which wires can be attached (marked with red dots) when the block is placed on the drawing.
- Rubber lines: wires need to be drawn in a "rubber line" fashion, that is, you start a wire some place, it will follow the mouse pointer around (possibly following some restrictions along the way, like horizontal and vertical only, 45 degrees, what have you), and can usually only be finished at some other entity's snap point (sometimes also "in the air").
- When an entity with a rubber line attached to it is moved, the rubber lines also move.
Does QCAD have these features and if yes, what are they called? (I can probably manage for a bit if I know what is it I am looking for .) If not, is it feasible for these features to be implemented in the QCAD kernel? Shall I perhaps start a poll for these? (There should probably be more input from other interested parties first.)
I am not really aiming high, at least not for starters -- I think something that can be reasonably used to draw an architectural plan of your property and put your electrical/plumbing/gas/HVAC stuff in so that electrical/plumbing/gas/HVAC people don't have to feel their way in the dark when doing work on your property is a good start. The foundation for the architectural part is here already, but the other disciplines need some tools we don't have yet (or I can't find them).
Is QCAD a good base for something like this at all, or should I be better off looking elsewhere? As far as I can tell someone tried this a while back, see ewcad dot sourceforge dot net, but it never went past the "oh, I haz a good idea!" phase. Not to say I won't get stuck here too .
Inputs much appreciated.