AutoCAD Electrical 2021 – Copying

by Miles Nicholson

In AutoCAD® Electrical there are several copy commands available to the user including “vanilla” AutoCAD commands. The following article looks at the different copy commands and when you should or shouldn’t use them.

Windows Ctrl + C

This command is intended for non-electrically intelligent AutoCAD® objects ONLY. When you use the command, the insertion point, when pasting is the lower left extreme of the graphics you’ve copied. This makes it more difficult to paste the copied objects into position. If you do use the command on AutoCAD® Electrical intelligent components/circuits, it will not retag components or wires and it will be a duplication of existing objects. If a wire number is copied, it will not be associated to the wire network. This command can be used across different drawings and could be used on a schematic circuit where you are copying from one project to another and you wish to have the component tags identical, but where no jumpered or multi-deck terminals have been used otherwise it will create an issue with your analysis of your design. This can be easily rectified but creates further commands.

Right click (in free space > Clipboard > Copy

Windows Ctrl+Shift+C

This command is intended for non-electrically intelligent AutoCAD® objects ONLY. When you use the command, you can specify the base point, thus meaning it’s easy to paste the copied objects into position. If you do use the command on AutoCAD® Electrical intelligent components/circuits, it will not retag components or wires and it will be a duplication of existing objects. If a wire number is copied, it will not be associated to the wire network. This command can be used across different drawings and could be used on a schematic circuit where you are copying from one project to another and you wish to have the components tags identical, but where no jumpered or multi-deck terminals have been used otherwise it will create an issue with your analysis of your design. This can be easily rectified but creates further commands.

Right click (in free space > Clipboard > Copy with Base Point

AutoCAD® Copy

This command is for non-electrically intelligent AutoCAD® objects ONLY. When you use the command, you can specify the base point thus meaning it’s easy to paste the copied objects into position. If you do use the command on AutoCAD® Electrical intelligent components/circuits, it will not retag components or wires and it will be a duplication of existing objects. If a wire number is copied, it will not be associated to the wire network. You can copy either a single instance or multiple instances. This command only works in the current active drawing and should not be used on circuits where jumpered or multi-deck terminals have been used, otherwise it will create an issue with your analysis of your design. This can be easily rectified but creates further commands.

Select Home ribbon tab > Modify pane >  Copy

AutoCAD Electrical: Copy Component

This inserts a copy of the symbol you selected and then displays the Insert/Edit Component dialog box, so you can finish annotating the component. It will retag the component to the next available tag reference. It only copies a single instance of the selected symbol.

Select Schematic ribbon tab > Edit Components pane >  Copy Component

AutoCAD Electrical: Copy Wire Number

If a wire is already numbered, a copy of a wire number follows the main wire number of the wire network. You can position the copy of the wire number anywhere on a wire network. If you modify a main wire number, the copies of the wire number update as well and vice-versa. Extra wire numbers go on the Wire Copies layer defined in the drawing properties. Wire number copies are associated with the wire network.

Select Schematic ribbon tab > Edit Wires/Wire Number pane >  Copy Wire Number

AutoCAD Electrical: Copy Circuit (within the same drawing)

This command copies a circuit within the same drawing either on a singular or multiple instance basis. It will retag components and wires and break the relationship between parent and child devices in relation to the original circuit therefore meaning that issues will not occur with your analysis of your design. Unique options are shown within the dialogue during the command process. When source and destination arrows are copied, you have the option of keeping or erasing. If the arrows are kept, the user should edit the unique signal code to link to a new pairing.

Select Schematic ribbon tab > Edit Components pane >  Copy Circuit

AutoCAD Electrical: Circuit Clipboard > Copy (within the same or across drawings)

This command copies a circuit within the same drawing or different drawing and across different, if required, projects on a singular basis. It will retag components and wires and break the relationship between parent and child devices in relation to the original circuit therefore meaning that issues will not occur with your analysis of your design. Unique options are shown within the dialogue during the command process. When source and destination arrows are copied, you have the option of keeping or erasing. If the arrows are kept, the user should edit the unique signal code to link to a new pairing if within the same project or if the signal codes are identical to ones already used.

Select Schematic ribbon tab > Circuit Clipboard pane >  Copy Clip