This course is for beginners, that want to

learn how to design their own maps for

households, buildings, and other facilities,
then create electrical maps for them. This
course cover other electrical uses of
AutoCAD like PLC panels, ladders and
advanced wiring and connecting symbols
into each others.

AutoCAD and
AutoCAD Electrical
2015 Course for
Beginners
On Udemy.com

By Ali MEHDY

2. Introduction to workspace
AutoCAD Electrical 2015 contain multiple ribbons, panels, and bars.

Figure 1: Ribbon panel

The figure 1 shows us the quick access toolbar, with palette group, where it contains tabs and
ribbons.
The quick access toolbar contain shortcuts for creating a new file, open a folder, save a
project, undo and redo, printing settings, shift between DWG files, and save as icon. You can add
more icons, by clicking on the arrow.
We can add a workspace icon, to go from type to type or by going to the 3 lines customization
icon, in the status bar.

And then we check the workspace tab.

To see the menu bar, just click on the arrow and check Show Menu Bar. Now you can see it
above the panels.

Figure 2: Showing Menu bar

Ali MEHDY | AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical Course For beginners

Workspace in ACADE 2015 is easy to use, and easy to change. But, usually, when you use
ACADE, the workspace is ACADE 2D drafting and Annotation.
Now, the home tab of the palette group contains the basic drawing commands you can use, to
make your drawings. It contains several panels, like the draw panel, Modify panel, layers and
etc And if one of those does not appear, you can right-click on the home tab, and rollover the
Show Panels and check the panel you want to always see in the home tab.

Figure 3: Adding panels into each tab

Another important tool is the project manager, on the up-left side of

ACADE 2015 screen. If it does not appear, just go to the Project tab, and
click on Manager icon.
In this manager tab, you can go from a working folder to another, and
in each folder you can go from file to file.
If you are in a working folder that contains more the one DWG file,
and you want to go from it to another, you can do another method by going to
the Project tab and then click on Previous DWG or Next DWG.
Figure 4: Project Manager

Ali MEHDY | AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical Course For beginners

When ACADE users want to work with electrical icons and symbols, the schematic tab is
there for them. It contains the icon menu where we can use it to add
electrical/pneumatic/hydraulic/electronic icons and symbols to use in a circuit.
This tab contain multiple panels, like wiring, edit component, Symbol builder and many other
that we will talk about them later on.

Figure 5: Schematic Tab

The Panel tab either, allows us to create and design electric panels, and connect them with
components in other files in the same folder. We will make an exercise later, creating an electrical
panel for a PLC.

Figure 6: Panel Tab

Always, when working with a file, we need to add it to a folder. So, after saving the file in
your specific windows folder, go to the project manager tab, create a new folder by right clicking
and then click on New Project. And then click on this project folder and select Add active
drawings.

Figure 7: Add Active Drawing

Ali MEHDY | AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical Course For beginners

If you want to add an already saved file, onto your folder, you can use the Add Drawings
option from the same list and browse the file to add it.
CONCLUSION:
In this first tutorial we learn about:

Workspace and Environment of ACADE 2015;

Working with files and folders;
Adding components and panels;
Important tabs to work with along this course (Home, Schematics, and Panels).

Ali MEHDY | AutoCAD and AutoCAD Electrical Course For beginners