Working in the WMC

The main view of the WMC is structured in different sections. The toolbar, the Product finder, the 3D workspace and the Output message box.

Working in the WMC

Toolbar

The toolbar contains all important functions to help you with the assembly of your project.

Assistants

Application

Our Application assistants help you to create solutions for special applications quick and easy by selecting different settings. The assistants will automatically build up a solution regarding on these settings.

The different assistants will be explained in detail in a separated chapter of this manual.

Labelling and markers

With the Labelling and markers assistant you can easily add markers to your configuration and edit the labels.

The assistant is separated in different sections.

At the top left you can see a 3D preview of your project including the markers and labels placed. Further this window shows the selected marker position from the grid.

At the top right position, you can select the marker type for your selected positions in the grid. Further you can find the functionalities for Automatically generate labels and Automatically adjust font size there.

The grid gives you an overview of all possible positions for markers in your project. Each white cell is a possible position to place a marker on. You can select these cells and they will be shown in your preview. The grid can be grouped by the different types of components by choosing one of the tabs above.

You can use copy and paste to edit the labels. Besides it is possible to automatically continue existing schemes like you know from excel (1,2, 3…).

Under the grid view you can find your formatting options for the labels.

If you are ready with your editing you can add all information to your project by clicking OK.

Wire end ferrules

With Wire end ferrules you can add end ferrules to existing wire connections.

The assistant is separated in a 3D preview, a list of all wires included in your project and a button for

Automatically add wire end ferrules.

You can either edit each wire by opening the properties with a double click or use the automatic function and choose the type of the end ferrules.

If you are ready with the editing you can save the information by clicking OK.

Verify

With this option you can verify your complete project or your current tab.

The window gives you an overview of your project and a list of all verification results. Problems are marked red in the preview.

To solve the problems, you can either go through each entry in the list or you can use the

Auto-Solve function.

Functions

Supply parts

Supply parts are article you want to add to your project without placing them physically in your configuration. This can be useful for accessory or replacement parts.

You can choose your supply parts from all articles included in the WMC. Supply parts are added to your bill of material.

Add wire connection

With this function you can add wires to the articles in your project. You can either choose a starting and ending point or you just set a starting point and hit the Enter button.

Subsequently you can set the properties of your wire like colour, type, cross section, length and if you want to use end ferrules.

After you are done, you can save the information by clicking OK.

Add cross-connector

You can easily add cross-connectors to your project by using this functionality. After activation of this function the articles in the view of the 3D workspace changes to transparent and each possible cross-connection point is shown as a little grey square.

You can now choose the starting and ending point of your connection and the specific article, you want to use for this cross-connection.

Each pin of your cross-connector which is connected is shown as a green dot. You can break out pins by double-click on this dot and it changes its colour to red.

Please note that there are some special types of cross-connectors which may can be handled slightly different like stepdown bridges or non-breakable connectors.

Add dimension

You can add user specific dimensions to the view of your assembly which can also be shown at the documentation exports. To add a new dimension, use the Add dimension function and choose a starting and an ending point.

Please note that it is only possible to choose specific points of the articles. The position is shown by a little green dot.

You can select, rearrange and delete manually created dimensions in the 3D workspace.

Modes

Selection

In the Selection mode you can select one or several articles in your assembly with your cursor. Selected articles are marked orange in the workspace.

You can use different combinations to select several articles. You can either mark an area by click and hold the left mouse button or use the combination of STRG+ left mouse button (several articles) or SHIFT+ left mouse button (from article to article).

You can rotate the view of the 3D workspace in the selection mode by clicking your middle mouse button and move it by clicking the right mouse button.

Rotation

In the Rotation mode you can use your left mouse button to rotate the view in the 3D workspace. To move the view, use your right mouse button and to rotate in 2D use your middle mouse button.

Transparency

The Transparency mode makes it possible for you to select which types of components you want to be shown in your 3D view. You can select different types of articles by mark them in the dropdown menu of this mode.

When you activate this mode, all types of articles which are not marked in the dropdown menu will be set transparent.

This mode can help you to get a better overview about accessory, cross-connectors, wires, etc.

View

In this group you can find all different options to change the view in your 3D workspace. You have the possibility to choose from pre-defined view positions and to active or deactivate the display of additional information like dimensions, comments or product information.

Please note that additional information can only be displayed in 2D view positions (Front, Bottom, Left, Back, Top, Right).

Order

With the Request button you can send your complete project to Weidmüller to get a quotation. You must fill out the contact data and choose your preferred delivery type.

You can choose between individual parts with and without the terminal rail or a pre-assembled project as a delivery type. If you are registered for the Configure to Order service you can choose the service level you want to use for your pre-assembled request. Otherwise please select None in this option which will lead to a standard quotation of your project assembled by Weidmüller.

With the Shopping cart function you can create a simple csv list which contains all articles used in your project to transfer this data to a distributor shop or other systems.

The Product finder is located on the left side of your Weidmüller Configurator workspace. It shows all Weidmüller articles which can be placed in your current project.

Product finder

Search

You can search for articles in the product finder by using either the general search at the top or the search only for a specific column.

The general search scans all attributes of all articles and shows the result in the product finder with the search term marked.

To search more specific, you can look up your search term only in specific columns. In this case you get a more detailed result. Your search term is marked in the result.

Customization

You can customize the grouping and columns of the product finder to adjust it to your preferred working method.

To add an attribute to your grouping you can drag and drop it in the position you want to place it. In the same way you can add or move attributes in columns.

To add new attributes to your product finder you can use the little plus sign and choose the attribute from the pop up window. To delete attributes, you can drag it and drop in the 3D workspace of the WMC.

At the top of the product finder you can set global filters which are valid for the whole configuration.

Article placement

To place an article, you can either drag it to your workspace and drop it at the position you want or hit the enter button on your keyboard.

To place an article repeatedly you can use SHIFT+ENTER or the context menu opened with a right click.

Article information

It is possible to get additional article information by opening it in the online catalogue or by downloading a pdf datasheet. You can find both options in the context menu of an article which can be opened with your right mouse button. Please note that for both functions you need an online connection

Project tree view

The project tree gives you a real time overview of the active project. It makes it easy to navigate to single articles in the structure.

A selection in the project tree simultaneously selects the same article in the 3D workspace and vice versa. Besides it is possible to open the right click context menu on an article in the project tree.

The project tree always shows the element names depending on your view setting for your 3D workspace so that both information are displayed the same.

3D workspace

The 3D workspace of the Weidmüller Configurator gives you a real-time preview of your configuration and is the area where you can edit your assembly. You can view your configuration from all directions to get a detailed preview.

Project overview

At the top side of the workspace you can find the project overview. It shows the different root articles of your project for example if you have several terminal rails or an enclosure. You can switch between the different views.

You can add new root articles to your project with the plus sign.

The right mouse button opens a menu where you can find some regular options on this. As a special function you can safe a configuration in one tab as a sub-assembly. This can be useful if you want to reuse this configuration in other projects.

Context menu

You can open the context menu with the right mouse button. This menu offers you many different options to work with your configuration.

There are standard functions like cut, copy, paste and delete and special functions which will be explained in detail in the following part.

Change Orientation

Changes the orientation of the article by rotating it 180°.

Add placeholder

A placeholder is an option to reserve a free slot on your mounting rail. If you want to plan a 3rd party component you can select this option and give the information on the article data which will be saved in the data of this 3rd party component placeholder.

Add accessory

You can use this function to Add accessory to your configuration. In case that you want to place an accessory on a special position in your project please find the article in the product finder and place it manually on the position.

Place sub-assembly

To place a sub-assembly, use the function in the context menu of the 3D work space.

Edit mounting rail punching

You can edit the punching of the mounting rail in your configuration. For this function the configurator gives you a special editing dialog where the settings for the mounting rail can be changed.

Jump to online product catalogue

You can jump to the article information in our online product catalogue. For this function you need an active online connection.

Open datasheet

To download a PDF datasheet of the selected article you can use this function. An active online connection is needed.

Properties

The Properties option of each article is used to set the general properties and the reference designation. In the properties of mounting rails, you can set mounting rail adaptions, comments and you can see the modification history.

Output Message Box

The Output message box gives you information relating the import and export of your project. Further it shows the validation result from the order request dialog

File Menu

In the File menu you can find general program functions to create new, save or open existing projects and to exit the Weidmüller Configurator. Besides there are more options which will be explained in the following part.

Project properties

In the Project properties you can see and change your general project data such as your company name, an order number, the author or the file name.

With Product information you can open an overview of all additional product information of the articles designed in your project.

Recent documents

You can see your recently used projects and file locations with this option.

Print project documentation

With Print project documentation, you can create different exports of your project for your follow up processes.

Assembly view

The Assembly view gives you many possibilities to create documentations of your project which can help you with the assembly. You can customize the information you want to see in the export by choosing your preferred settings.

On the right side you get a preview of your documentations with the current settings. If you are done with the settings you can either print your documentation or export it as a PDF file.

Article list

The Article list gives you an overview of all articles which are planned in your current project. It contains the general project information and information on all articles grouped by root articles.

You can either print your article list or export it to excel or as a PDF file.

Complete documentation

The Complete documentation creates a ZIP archive which contains both, the assembly view and the article list. Additionally, it downloads PDF datasheets of all products used in your project and adds them to this archive.

You get a .ZIP Archive which contains all information about the project and the products used in it for your follow up processes.

Interfaces

M-Print PRO

M-Print PRO is the software provided from Weidmüller for labelling markers. For the export you have several settings you can choose. One important option is the export format. To use the best integration between WMC and M-Print PRO please use the WMEX format. With the sorting you can set the order of the single labels either horizontally or vertically to your preferred option.

In the export options you can choose the way how the software should behave after your export.

Step

STEP is a standard 3D format. With this export you can create a 3D export either from your complete project or only from your current view.

DXF

The DXF export gives you the possibility to create a 2D Export of your whole project or only your current view. You can choose between different DXF versions.

E3.series

The Zuken E3.series interface gives you the possibility to use the Weidmüller Configurator as a fully integrated addon to your ECAD planning. The details about the integration and how to use this interface are explained in the part "ECAD interfaces in detail" of this document.

EPLAN P8

The EPLAN P8 interface gives you the possibility to use the Weidmüller Configurator as a fully integrated addon to your ECAD planning. The details about the integration and how to use this interface are explained in the part "ECAD interfaces in detail" of this document.

Industrial Automation

The Industrial Automation export creates a proprietary XML file which includes geometrical and logical information about your assemblies, called .iax file. With the help of this export format it is possible to automatically assemble your product with the help of machines.

Settings

You can see and change the settings of your user interface in this section like the active language. Further you can find the settings regarding the Custom.Data.csv and the favored product features which can be used for ECAD integration.

If you have any problems with your Weidmüller Configurator you can reset the complete user interface.

Some of these settings require a restart of the software. If a restart is needed you will get an information regarding this.

Help

In this section you can see the current version of the Weidmüller Configurator and check for updates. Further you can create a diagnostic file if you have any technical problems with the software. Please send this file with a detailed description of your approach to our support at wmc@weidmueller.com .