Quick Start Guide
Ready to jump right in? This guide walks you through the basics so you can start designing your harness in minutes.
We recommend checking out the video below to see how it all comes together in real time.
Sometimes it's just easier to watch someone do it first.
Watch the Quick Start Video on YouTube
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1. Create a Project
Open Project Management and click Create New Project. Name your project and the design canvas will open.
2. Add Components
Open the Library to find the parts you need.
You can search for specific components or filter by category. When you add a part, I'd recommend renaming the connectors to something that makes sense for your project (like "LinkECU A"). It makes it much easier to keep track of everything later.
To rename, right-click the connector name (like C001) and select "Rename Connector".
Now just arrange the parts on the canvas. You can drag components, pinout lists, and descriptions to wherever they are easiest to read.
3. Make Connections
Select a pin on the device tree or canvas to start a connection. This opens the connection dialog.
The "From" section is already filled out. Just pick the component and pin you want to connect to. If a pin is grayed out, it means something is already connected there—you can still connect to it (like for splices), but the system is just letting you know.
Make sure the wire gauge is correct for what you're doing.
You can always override the suggested color or gauge. The system will remember your choice and won't reset it if you edit the connection later.
4. Create Bundles & Bundle Points
If your canvas looks messy with wires going everywhere, use Bundle Points to route wires into neat harness trunks and branches:
- Quick Add via Double-Click: Double-click on any empty area of the canvas to instantly create and select a new Bundle Point.
- Double-Click a Wire or Bundle: Double-clicking directly on any wire or bundle segment automatically inserts a new Bundle Point snapped onto the segment's centerline and routes all wires in that bundle through the new point simultaneously.
- Ribbon Tool: Alternatively, click the Bundle button in the top ribbon and click on the canvas to place a point.
- Routing Wires: Drag wires into bundle points or drag bundle points to shape breakout legs, curves, and junctions.
- Merge Bundle Points: Drag one Bundle Point onto another until it magnetically snaps and displays the "Merge Bundles" badge to combine both points and route all wires together.
- Live Measurements: As you move components and bundle points, branch segment lengths update in real time. You can also click any measurement label to set precise lengths manually.
5. Connect Connectors between layers
Making wiring harness in separate parts, such as engine side and body side, you can use multilayer functionality. This happens when you have connectors already set in different layers. Right click the connector and select connect to other layer.
6. Highlight Wires
You can highlight a single wire by clicking the icon on the Device Tree. This dims everything else so you can see exactly what you're working on.
7. Connection Status
When all pins on a component are connected, the circle next to it turns green. This just means everything has a connection—it doesn't check if you connected it to the right place!
8. Documentation
- Formboard: Print a 1:1 image to tape on your workbench. It has all the measurements and pinouts you need to build the harness on top of it.
- Schematics: These are created automatically based on your canvas connections.
- Wire Tables: These list every wire and its exact length. In the real world, you'll want to add a little extra length when cutting just in case.
- Parts List: This is generated from the library data and your canvas layout. Always double-check your parts list before ordering to make sure it's exactly what you need.