April 2000 - June 2001 Improvements

• PLS-CADD version 5.0
  • New and greatly improved user's manual
  • On-line/electronic PDF user's manual
  • Context sensitive help
  • Undo & Redo- multiple levels (requested at every user's group)
  • PLS-CADD/Lite interface for taps and Joint-Use
  • Thermal rating improvements- graphics and reports
  • Import/Export parts and assemblies to databases
  • Separate load cases for tangents and dead ends (Sun Valley 2000 request)
  • Load cases for broken conductor, unbalanced ice and other unbalanced loading scenarios (Sun Valley 2000 request)
  • Separate load and suspension insulator swing calculations for each phase
  • Improved text placement and orientation (minimizes collisions and eliminates upside-down text) (Atlanta 2000 request)
  • Support attaching imagery in TIFF format including GeoTIFF extensions (requested at every user's group)
  • Support attaching imagery in Enhanced Compressed Wavelet (ECW) format which is highly compressed (up to 50:1)
  
  
• Other recent PLS-CADD improvements
  • Improved section/modify and section/global display
  • Wires can be strung around line angles (not required to connect at angle structures) (Jackson 2000 request)
  • Program Limits
    • Survey point descriptor increased from 7 to 256 characters
    • Terrain comment length increased from 80 to 256 characters
    • Maximum number of sets increased from 20 to 60
    • Maximum number of feature codes increased from 500 to 1000
    • Maximum annotation length increased from 1024 to 4096 characters
    • File names can now contain spaces
    • Report column widths automatically resized to handle file names in excess of 12 characters
  • Attachments
    • FLIMAP^™ video integration
    • Attachment manager multiple select (Sun Valley 2000 request)
    • Bitmap attachments
      • Brightness control
      • Transparancy of leading white or black edges
    • DXF Attachments
      • Added support for BLOCK, LWPOLYLINE, BULGE and MTEXT entities
      • Can draw using colors from DXF
      • Added AutoCAD 2000 export option (prevents AutoCAD crash)
      • DXF export of rendered view using solids (allows rendering in CAD system)
      • Layer names preserved on export (Atlanta 2000 request)
  • Improved Graphics
    • Inset structures in profile view (Home, End, PgUp,PgDown keys to rotate)
    • Rendering of PLS-POLE and TOWER structures in 3d view
    • Drawing and printing of dotted and dashed lines
    • Edit/Copy of any graphics view for paste into other applications
    • PanTo/ZoomTo (P and Z keys, middle mouse button)
  • Interface Improvements:
    • Project specific parts file, cable directory, structure directory
    • Section Add/Modify now shows picture of structure to clarify set being selected
    • Graphical spotting constraint editing commands (Atlanta 2000 request)
    • Structure preview window in structure add, structure modify
  • Convenience/Engineering
    • Command to shift profile left/right/up/down to fix digitizing calibration problems
    • IEEE Std. 738 graph ability to superpose multiple scenarios
    • Longitudinal offset on structure attachment coordinates
    • Structure loads criteria with different numeric strength factors for different structure components and materials
    • Can string around angle structures
    • Clearance checks between parallel lines (Jackson 2000 request)
  
  
• PLS-CADD/Lite
  A new, streamlined version of PLS-CADD used to quickly model a few spans. Developed specifically for Joint-Use type applications, PLS-CADD/Lite is the ideal tool for quick sag-tension, clearance and loads calculations.
  • Input kept to minimum needed to model span yet still flexible
    • Span geometry entered using one or more of following:
      • X, Y and Z coordinates of attachment points
      • Span bearing, length and change in elevation
      • Span bearing, wind span and weight span
    • Wire tension determined from one of following inputs:
      • Tension
      • Catenary constant
      • Mid span sag
      • X, Y and Z of point on wire
      • Automatic sagging criteria (% of RTS)
  • Up to 60 wires fanning out in all directions
  • Sag-tension calculations
  • Structure loading calculations
  • Clearances between wires and crossing spans
  • Option to string wires to and develop loads for PLS-CADD, PLS-POLE and TOWER structures

610 N. Whitney Way, Suite 160, Madison, WI 53705, U.S.A.
Phone: (608) 238-2171, Fax: (608) 238-9241
Email: info@powline.com

© 2000 Power Line Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.