Siemens announced new 3D electrical design capabilities within its Capital software. The update unifies wiring design and physical harness routing in a single, model-based workflow that spans the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio. The capabilities allow electrical and mechanical engineers to work concurrently in a shared 3D environment. This integration connects Capital software with Designcenter for advanced product engineering and Teamcenter for product lifecycle management, enabling design, validation, and management of electrical systems directly within the mechanical design environment.
The new workflow addresses challenges from increasing complexity in electrical systems and software content. It aims to reduce delays, errors, and costly rework associated with disconnected ECAD and MCAD workflows by supporting earlier validation of electrical systems, improving data continuity across the digital thread, and minimizing manual handoffs between teams. Engineers can visualize electrical content in 3D, identify issues earlier, and better align design intent with physical implementation.
Key features include AI-driven harness development integrated with 3D mechanical design.
Key benefits listed by Siemens are:
- Faster product development through earlier electrical system validation
- Improved ECAD-MCAD collaboration in a shared 3D environment
- Reduced cost and risk by minimizing late design changes and rework
- Higher engineering productivity using familiar electrical and mechanical design tools with AI support
“For the first time, customers can pair best-in-class electrical system design, including AI-driven harness development, with 3D mechanical design in a unified, model-based workflow without compromise,” said Frances Evans, senior vice president, Lifecycle Collaboration Software, Siemens Digital Industries Software.
"Cross-disciplinary conflicts between electrical and mechanical teams are relatively inexpensive to resolve early and increasingly painful to resolve late, once adjacent subsystems have hardened around them," said Chad Jackson, CEO and chief analyst, Lifecycle Insights. "A shared 3D context, what Siemens is offering here, that connects electrical and mechanical engineers from the start of harness design is what makes early resolution operationally possible, not just an aspiration in a process diagram."
The new capabilities are being showcased this week at Siemens’ Realize LIVE Americas event. They apply to manufacturers developing electrically complex products across multiple industries.
