Electrical Plan Tab

Adding electrical components to your home design is a simple matter of selecting the component you want to place and clicking on your drawing plan. You can even turn the lights on and off!

FloorPlan Home & Landscape Software provides handy placement features, such as associative dimensioning and wall tracking. Using associative dimensioning, you can place components a specific distance from a neighboring wall or other electrical component. Automatic wall tracking makes sure you place components, such as outlets and switches, without error.

Placing Receptacles

FloorPlan Home & Landscape Software makes it simple to add electrical components to your home plan.

Using the convenient tabbed utility tools, simply select the components you want to place and click. Dimension lines automatically appear, making it easy to place components a specific distance from a neighboring electrical component or wall segment.

You’ll notice that when placing certain outlets and switches, the component is automatically “tracked” to the wall segment, making accurate placement simple. Floor and ceiling outlets are not tracked to walls.

While a receptacle tool is active, or a receptacle is selected in your drawing, you can choose a receptacle style on the Properties tab. From the drop-down menu, choose a Custom or Standard library and then select the style you want on the

Preview Bar. The receptacle in your drawing is updated, and you can see the style in the 3D view. The Wall Receptacle library is shown here, however the Floor Receptacle and Ceiling Receptacle libraries are organized similarly.

Note: As you hover over each preview, its description is displayed.

You can further customize receptacles and switches using the following editing methods:

2D Editing Methods
Elevating Objects
Component Description
Applying Paint and Color
Working with 3D Views

Wall Receptacle

Wall receptacles are tracked along walls. Dimensions are displayed as you drag the receptacle along the wall, indicating the distance from the center of the receptacle to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

You can choose the style you want on the Properties tab when the Receptacle tool is active or a receptacle is selected in your drawing.

To place a wall receptacle

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Wall Receptacle Tool from the Receptacle toolset.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the receptacle on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Floor Receptacle

Floor receptacles are placed on the floor surface. Dimensions are displayed as you move the cursor around the design window, indicating the distance from the center of the receptacle to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

If an auto-floor is detected, the receptacle is placed at an elevation that considers the auto-floor depth. If changes are made to the auto-floor depth after a floor receptacle is placed, the receptacle’s elevation also needs to be adjusted.

You can choose the style you want on the Properties tab when the Receptacle tool is active or a receptacle is selected in your drawing.

To place a floor receptacle

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Floor Receptacle Tool from the Receptacle toolset.
Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the receptacle in your design.

Ceiling Receptacle

Ceiling receptacles are placed on the ceiling surface. Dimensions are displayed as you move the cursor around the design window, indicating the distance from the center of the receptacle to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

Ceiling receptacles are placed at the auto-ceiling elevation. If the ceiling for a room is disabled, it is placed at 0 by default. You can then adjust the receptacle elevation as needed.

You can choose the style you want on the Properties tab when the Receptacle tool is active or a receptacle is selected in your drawing.

To place a ceiling receptacle

1- On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Ceiling Receptacle Tool fromthe Receptacle toolset.

2- Use the Click Once to Place Drawing method to place the receptacle in your design.

Wall Switch

Switches are tracked along walls. Dimensions are displayed as you drag the switch along the wall, indicating the distance from the center of the receptacle to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

You can choose the style you want on the Properties tab when the Switch Tool is active or a switch is selected in your drawing

To place a switch

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Switch Tool.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the switch on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Switch Connector Tool

It’s easy to add switch connectors to your home design. Using the Switch Connector Tool, just click and drag to define the connection. Once placed you can move a switch connector by dragging the entire segment or one of the end points. Connectors are only visible in the 2D view.

To place a switch connector

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Switch Tool.
Use the Click-and-Drag drawing method to draw from a switch or electrical component to another electrical component and release to place the connector.

Note: Hold down the SHIFT key while drawing to constrain to a perfect arc.

Adding Lighting

You can add interior and exterior lighting to your design with just a couple of mouse clicks. Each light has its own properties so you can control settings individually. The following lighting options are available:

Fixture Lights
Flood Lights

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

Light Properties
2D Editing Methods
Elevating Objects
Adding Lighting and Shadows
Working with 3D Views

Fixture Lights

Adding fixture lighting to your design is very similar to adding other electrical components; however, they do not track directly to walls or automatically display dimensioning.

FloorPlan Home & Landscape Software provides many light styles to choose from, including recessed canned lights, heat/ vent lights, directional lights, even landscape lights. In addition, you can control the type and intensity of illumination that each fixture generates.

Before placing a light fixture in your drawing, choose a Light Style on the Properties tab. Once the light is place, its style cannot be changed.

To add a fixture lighting

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Fixture Light Tool.
Choose the light style on the Properties tab.
Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the light in your design.

Flood Lights

Flood lights are added just like outlets and switches; they attach to and track along walls and their lighting, which can be turned off and on, is displayed in 3D View. You can change the flood light’s elevation or position after it has been placed.

To add a flood light

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Flood Light Tool.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the light on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Light Properties

Lights are defined by their beam and glow. You can edit the properties before you draw or after the component has been added to your design by selecting it and clicking the Properties tab. Changes to light settings are visible in the 3D view.

Note: When editing settings, always click the Apply button to accept changes.

Beam checkbox controls the visibility of the beam dispensed by the light fixture. When selected, the beam displayed in the 3D view; when deselected the beam is not visible.

Ambient checkbox controls the visibility of ambient light in the room. When selected, ambient light is displayed in the 3D view; when deselcted ambient light is not visible.

Ambient On Ambient Off

Dimmer slider controls the brightness of the beam. Drag the slider or click the left and right arrows to decrease or increase the brightness.
Radius slider controls the size of the beam. Drag the slider or click the left and right arrows to decrease or increase the radius size.

Radius 5 Radius 30

Falloff slider controls the how diffused the edges of the beam are displayed. Drag the slider or click the left and right arrows to decrease or increase the amount of diffusion. The lower the falloff the sharper the edges; the higher the falloff the more diffused the edges.

Falloff 0 Falloff 4

Glow checkbox controls the glow at the light source. When selected, the glow is visible at the light source; when deselected the glow is not visible. When the glow is enabled, you can edit the following settings:
Glow Dimmer slider controls the brightness of the glow. Drag the slider or click the left and right arrows to decrease or increase the brightness.
Glow Size slider controls the size of the glow. Drag the slider or click the left and right arrows to decrease or increase the glow size.
PhotoRender settings are applied when rendering your 3D view using Photo Realistic Rendering mode. To see the Photo Render settings, you must render the view.
Casts Shadows checkbox controls whether shadows are rendered. When selected, objects cast shadows; when deselected shadows are excluded.
Color preview controls the color of the light that is generated. Click the preview to open to Color window, where you can choose the color you want.

Adding a Ceiling Fan

Placing ceiling fans is as simple as one mouse click. Once you place a ceiling fan, you can move it by dragging or by specifying exact coordinates.

The available ceiling fan styles are displayed on the Properties Bar when the Ceiling Fan Tool is active or when a ceiling fan is selected in your drawing. You can change the ceiling fan style by selecting the style you want in the Preview Bar.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

■ AutoSnap and Alignment Options

■ Elevating Objects

■ Component Description

■ Applying Paint and Color

To add a ceiling fan

1- On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Ceiling Fan Tool

2- Use the Click Once to place drawing method to place the ceiling fan in your design

Placing Phone and Cable Outlets

Placing phone and cable jacks is exactly like placing wall outlets and switches. You’ll notice that when placing jacks, the component is automatically “tracked” to the wall segment, making accurate placement simple. The phone or cable jack is displayed with dimensions as you drag to position it along the wall, which indicate the distance from the center of the jack to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

The following jacks are available in the Outlet toolset.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

2D Editing Methods
Elevating Objects
Applying Paint and Color

To place a phone or cable outlet

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the jack you want from the Outlet toolset.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the jack on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

Adding Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors can be placed either along a wall or on a ceiling.

The smoke detector is displayed with dimensions, as you drag along a wall or move the cursor around the design window, which indicate the distance from the center of the component to the nearest wall or other electrical component.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

2D Editing Methods
Elevating Objects
Applying Paint and Color

To place a smoke detector on a wall

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Smoke Detector Tool.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the smoke detector on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.

To place a smoke detector on a ceiling

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Smoke Detector Tool.
Use the Click Once to Place drawing method to place the smoke detector in your design.

Adding Thermostats

Placing thermostats is exactly like placing wall outlets and switches. You’ll notice that, when placing, the component is automatically “tracked” to the wall segment, making accurate placement simple.

Below are some references that may be helpful as you design:

2D Editing Methods
Elevating Objects
Applying Paint and Color

To place a thermostat

On the Electrical plan toolbar, click the Thermostat Tool.
Use the Drag Along Wall drawing method to position the thermostat on the side of a wall where you want it and release to place.