About the Footprint Lookup File

Let your project set of schematic wiring diagrams help drive the panel layout using the Insert Footprint (Schematic List) feature. AutoCAD Electrical uses the footprint lookup database (footprint_lookup.mdb) to identify the footprints corresponding to the MANUFACTURER, CATALOG, and ASSEMBLYCODE attribute values of the schematic symbols. The database content is found at C:\Users\{username}\Documents\Acade {version}\AeData\{language code}\Catalogs\.

How it works

1. You select a component from an AutoCAD Electrical extract file or select a component from an equipment list.
2. AutoCAD Electrical uses the manufacturer code of the component to determine the table name in the lookup file.
3. AutoCAD Electrical looks for a match in the manufacturer table for the catalog number (plus ASSEMBLYCODE if not blank).
4. If a match is found, AutoCAD Electrical retrieves the footprint block path/name (or optional geometry definition) from the matching record.
5. You insert the footprint representation into the drawing.

AutoCAD Electrical search sequence

1st choice -- <project>_footprint_lookup.mdb in the subdirectory of the project

2nd choice -- footprint_lookup.mdb in the subdirectory of the project

3rd choice -- footprint_lookup.mdb in user subdirectory

4th choice -- footprint_lookup.mdb in panel subdirectory

5th choice -- AutoCAD search paths

Table naming convention

AutoCAD Electrical takes the MFG code of the target footprint and looks for a table, in the footprint_lookup.mdb file, with that name. For example, if the MFG value of the footprint is SQD, then AutoCAD Electrical searches for a schematic lookup table called SQD. Manufacturer code of AB yields the table name AB.

The footprint lookup file supplied with AutoCAD Electrical points to symbols that are full-size physical representations of the device. There may be times you want to insert a footprint that is not necessarily a physical representation, but one that carries wire connection attributes. With this type of symbol AutoCAD Electrical can annotate the symbol with schematic wire connection data to create a panel wiring diagram drawing. From the Schematic Components dialog box, if you select “Use Wiring diagram tables”, AutoCAD Electrical accesses an alternate table in the footprint lookup table. This table matches the MFG code but attaches a "_WD" suffix. The tables with the "_WD" suffix are set up to insert a symbol that carries the wire connection attributes.

You must expand and modify these tables to meet your specific panel footprint needs. You can do this using tools provided with AutoCAD Electrical or through the use of a database program that can read/write the Access file format.

Table format

Footprint lookup tables are in a Microsoft Access database file. Each record consists of these fields (in this order):

CATALOG	Catalog number, wild cards allowed
ASSEMBLYCODE	Optional assembly code value - internal AutoCAD Electrical use only
BLKNAM	Footprint block name with partial path or geometry definition
DESCRIPTION	Optional short description used for display purposes only

Block name vs. geometry definition

You can encode a simple geometry definition in place of a footprint path/block name in the lookup file. For example, if a footprint shape for a given part number is a 3x4 rectangle, instead of creating and saving a 3x4 rectangle as a Wblocked .dwg file, you can encode the instructions for drawing the rectangle in the lookup file like the following syntax:

("LINE" "0,0" "@4.00,0" "@0,3.00" "@-4.00,0" "C")

The previous example follows the command sequence you type in to create the footprint outline. When AutoCAD Electrical comes across it instead of a path/block name in the lookup file, it executes the command sequence and blocks it on the fly.