Arrange wires, ribbon cables, segments, and harnesses in existing nailboards

You can arrange individual wires, ribbon cables, and segments manually by dragging them. You can also arrange multiple wire stubs automatically using the Fan In and Fan Out commands.

Arrange harness segments manually

Use the Pivot command to fix segment points, and then drag the selected segment relative to that fixed point. The workpoints at the segment ends are displayed as hole center symbols.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. On the ribbon, click Nailboard tab Edit panel Pivot , and then click a segment endpoint to fix in the graphics window .
   Note: When selected from the browser, wire pins can also be used as pivot points.
3. In the graphics window, click and drag any non-fixed segment endpoint to move it to a new position.
4. Release the mouse button to complete the move.
5. Continue moving the segments about the same anchor point to achieve the desired shape.
   Tip: To snap segments in a vertical or horizontal direction, right-click, and then select Enable Snap from the context menu. To clear the snapping, right-click and select Disable Snap.
6. To select a different pivot point, right-click, select Continue on the context menu, and then select a new pivot point.
7. Optionally, continue setting pivot points and moving segments.
8. Right-click, and then select Finish to end the operation and clear the pivot point.

Note:

• You can place a pivot point to move and drag wires, but it is not required.
• Using Enable Snap is useful if you must snap the wire to a horizontal or vertical direction. You can also set a snap angle for Pivot on the Nailboard Settings tab. When snap is enabled and an angle is specified, the segment is forced to move in these increments when pivoting.
• When using Pivot on a loop, the entire loop moves as a unit. You cannot pivot a nested loop.

Arrange individual wires and wire stubs manually

A wire stub rotates about the end of the segment from which it emerges. An unrouted wire rotates about its unselected end.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. In the graphics window, click and drag any pin point or endpoint on a wire or wire stub and move it to a new position.
3. Release the mouse button to complete the move.

Tip: To force a wire in a horizontal or vertical direction, use Pivot on a segment endpoint. Once the pivot point is placed, right-click a pin point or an endpoint on a wire (wire pin), and then select Enable Snap. You can also set a snap angle for Pivot on the Nailboard Settings dialog box. When snap is enabled and an angle is specified, the wire is forced to move in these increments when pivoting.

Arrange ribbon cables manually

A ribbon cable rotates about the selected start point or endpoint of the ribbon cable.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. On the ribbon, click Nailboard tab Edit panel Pivot .
3. In the graphics window, click the start point or endpoint about which to rotate.
4. Click and drag the point opposite the pivot point to move it to a new position.
5. Release the mouse button to complete the move.

Tip: To force a ribbon cable in a horizontal or vertical direction, set the pivot point, right-click the point to move, and then select Enable Snap. You can also set a snap angle for Pivot on the Nailboard Settings dialog box. When snap is enabled and an angle is specified, the ribbon cable is forced to move in these increments when pivoting.

Distribute multiple wire stubs uniformly (fan out)

By default, wires are fanned out in new nailboard drawings. When in a fanned out state, the wires are distributed uniformly about the endpoint of the segment in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction, and to an angle of 90 degrees.

When wire stubs are fanned in, you can use Fan Out to change the fan state, angle, and sorting direction on wires stubs emerging from one or more selected segments.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. From the browser or graphics window, select one or more wire or segment endpoints.
3. On the ribbon, click Nailboard tab Edit panel Fan Out .
   Note: You can also right-click a segment or wire endpoint, and then select Fan Out on the context menu.
4. In the Fan Out Wires dialog box, click the button representing the direction in which the wires are ordered based on the pin name property.
   • Clockwise arranges the wires so that pin names increase in the clockwise direction.
   • Counter clockwise arranges the wires so that pin names increase in the counter clockwise direction.
5. Specify the total angle to distribute all wires. The angle between wire stubs is calculated based on the number of wire stubs and the angle entered.
6. Click OK.

Collapse multiple wire stubs (fan in)

By default, wires that are fanned in use the color and diameter of the segment from which they emerge and the length of the longest wire. Only the endpoint or work points on the longest wire are displayed. Any harness properties attached to the wires are hidden. Properties are redisplayed when Fan Out is selected.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. From the browser or graphics window, select one or more wire or segment endpoints.
3. On the ribbon, click Nailboard tab Edit panel Fan In .
   Note: You can also select one or more segments and wire endpoints, right-click, and then select Fan Out on the context menu.

To change the fan in display behavior, use the Nailboard tab in the Harness Settings dialog box.

Note: Dimensions that are created using the Autodesk Inventor General Dimension command and placed on wire stubs or wire pins are deleted when fanned in. Use the Harness Dimension command to dimension cable and harness objects.

Arrange harness labels in existing nailboards

If labels assigned to wire or cable wire pins or segment work points are set to show in a nailboard, they are displayed as text boxes centered on the associated pin or point. Once a label is moved, it is displayed with a leader line to the work point.

1. From an open nailboard drawing, edit the sketch that contains the harness.
2. In the graphics window, click and drag the label and move it to a new position.
3. Release the mouse button to complete the move.

Move the harness assembly in nailboard

In a nailboard drawing, you can move the entire harness to position it for ease in annotating and viewing in the drawing. When the harness moves, the properties associated to the harness also move, keeping their original offset and relative position.

You can move the harness in both the drawing view and drawing sketch. If more than one harness object exists in the drawing, they can be moved independently while editing the nailboard sketch.

1. In the graphics window, click anywhere on the harness, and then drag it to a new location on the drawing.
2. Release the mouse button to end the move.