Wiring harness design software

[Mudder]

Does anyone use a good software for automotive wiring harness design/diagrams? I'm looking into them to create diagrams for some wiring projects I've done and want to do in the future. Looking online I've seen a few free options and some paid options like Microsoft Visio. I'm leaning towards Visio but I wanted to ask before spending 300 on it

 

[DrRock]

Yes, I use Capital Harness Designer. This is a full blown professional cabling CAD system. We use it for the logic side, then port the .xml file over to NX 3D CAD to run the routing in a given assembly which provides the lengths and can generate the output files for manufacturing(3D or 2D form board and pin out drawings). Depending on your volume of work and how much virtual integration you do, Visio is a good package to start with but will only really support 2D concept development and documentation. This could be a great solution for you if you are just doing small run stuff and prototyping but if you’re intent is greater volumes and robust design control, a proper cabling CAD package is the way to go.

 

[PAToyota]

Elsewhere I was recently made aware of WireViz: GitHub - wireviz/WireViz: Easily document cables and wiring harnesses. - https://github.com/wireviz/WireViz

Sample:

 

[Mudder]

@DrRock, that software looks amazing but is definitely above my needs. I like the idea of it calculating how much wire is needed . I’ll be using it for small stuff like my own vehicle wiring diagrams for swaps or when adding aftermarket items to a vehicle like power mirrors.

@PAToyota, thank you for the link! I’ll have to check it out when I’m at my computer as it looks like what I’m after for documentation.

 

[equals340]

I wonder if AI could do it?

 

[PAToyota]

Another option: KiCad - https://www.kicad.org/

Provides a somewhat different diagram than WireViz.

https://www.kicad.org/discover/schematic-capture/basic.webm

 

[Malleus]

I wonder if AI could do it?

AI can do anything. It just can't do anything well.

 

[PAToyota]

The first step would be to accurately and precisely ask AI for what you want...

 

[Mudder]

I’m sure AI could but you’d still have to tell it the wiring color, PIN number, and have it create a connector. At that point it seems easier to just use a dedicated software and tailor it to personal preference.