Getting Started with PlanElec: From Floor Plan to First Export

A PlanElec project connects the floor plan, electrical topology, distribution board, and exports. The most reliable start therefore follows the real project sequence: spaces first, electrical devices and connections next, and documents after that.

This guide takes you through that first cycle. For a permanent reference with more detail, open the help center.

Step 1: Create a project

After signing in, choose Create project in the project overview, enter a recognizable name, and select how you want to start:

• the guided workflow;
• a localized project template;
• an empty project.

The guided workflow follows seven areas: project, floor plan, rooms, devices, distribution board, single-line diagram, and export. You can pause it without removing project data.

Next, create at least the building and its first floor. Add the project, customer, and installer details early; PlanElec reuses them later in title blocks, the self-check report, and the working dossier.

Step 2: Draw or calibrate the floor plan

Draw exterior and interior walls with the polygon, rectangle, or line tool. If you already have a plan image, use it as a reference and calibrate it with a known measurement.

The image remains an underlay. Walls, doors, windows, stairs, rooms, and electrical points are stored as separate project data. That is what allows PlanElec to generate a readable situation plan later.

Work one floor at a time and review the geometry before placing many electrical devices. Major structural changes are easier while the plan is still relatively empty.

Step 3: Name and review the rooms

When the walls enclose an area, PlanElec detects it as a room. Give every room a clear name, such as Kitchen, Utility room, or Bedroom 1.

A good room structure supports several later steps:

• automatic socket and lighting proposals;
• grouping standard devices during circuit assignment;
• viewing material by room;
• placing symbols on the situation plan.

Review outdoor areas and special zones too. A room without a correct boundary or name makes the later review harder.

Step 4: Place the electrical devices

Open the symbol palette and place sockets, switches, lighting points, fixed connections, and special appliances in their real locations. Place the distribution board and any connection or junction boxes as well.

PlanElec includes helpers for automatic sockets, lighting, standard equipment, and spotlight grids. Use them as proposals: review every position and adapt quantities or patterns to the real design.

Link switches to their lighting points. An automatic switch chain can connect unassigned switches and lights in the same room, but you decide whether the proposed control logic is correct.

Also note the distinction between location and electrical structure. A floor-plan symbol must be linked to a compatible topology node. The unconnected-components list helps you find missing links.

Step 5: Propose circuits, cables, and the board layout

Once the devices are recorded, automatic circuit assignment can create a preview. The current logic groups standard devices, creates separate breakers for several special appliances, uses 30 mA groups where applicable, and can distribute loads across phases or multiple boards.

Apply the proposal only after reviewing the groups, protection devices, and existing manual decisions.

Cable segments can then be generated from the topology. The automatic router searches for routes along the walls on a floor. Review the cable type, cross-section, route, and length; a manual length can override the calculation.

Finally, open the distribution board editor. Auto-fill arranges the existing main switch, RCDs, and MCBs on DIN rails and reserves spare capacity by default. This is not the same as circuit assignment: the electrical structure is created first, and its modules are positioned physically after that.

Read Using automatic planning for the detailed workflow.

Step 6: Review the diagram, self-check, and exports

The single-line diagram is generated from the electrical topology. Review every protection device, connection, cable specification, circuit name, and symbol. Resolve unconnected components and relevant validation findings.

The AREI/RGIE self-check covers a documented subset of rules that can be evaluated from project data. It is advisory: a clean run is not a certificate of conformity and does not replace an electrician's review or the official inspection.

The export workspace currently brings together:

• the single-line diagram as a PDF;
• the situation plan as a PDF;
• the advisory self-check report;
• circuit, cable, and material lists in the pilot workflow;
• a selected working dossier with cover, index, and page numbering.

The distribution board PDF is only shown when its feature flag is enabled. The detailed material list is manufacturer-neutral and contains no prices; it is not yet approved for ordering.

Read Exporting documents for the current status and document-by-document checklist.

A useful first finish line

Treat the project as ready for an initial review when the rooms and symbols are correctly placed, all relevant electrical points are linked, automatic proposals have been checked manually, and the exported documents have been reviewed page by page outside the editor.

PlanElec keeps those steps in one model. Technical responsibility remains with the relevant professional, and only a recognized inspection body performs the official inspection.