PLS CADD ( Power Lines System – Computer Aided Design and Drafting) is a computer software that enables you to design, simulate, and analyze the behavior of a transmission and distribution system. It is owned and developed by Power Lines System, from which the name was derived. It is the most popular tool in transmission lines design, and fast becoming (if not yet) an industry standard.
“PLS-CADD is the most powerful overhead power line design program on the market. It integrates all aspects of line design into a single stand-alone program with a simple, logical, consistent interface.”
The software has the following capabilities:
Terrain Model
Engineering Standards and Calculations
Advanced Sag-tension
Structure Modeling
Material Subsystem
Drafting
It is a software that is relatively easy to operate and navigate with, yet provides quality results. Event the files that are made up of PLS are light, and would not consume that much space. It is a software that any serious transmission lines engineer, or enthusiast must explore with.
One of the many setbacks of the software though is its stiff price. But this is quite understandable, considering the quality that you are getting. We could say that it is worth the try. Another thing is the trainings are scarce, and are usually held at the US, Autralia, and UAE. Other countries, specially from the Asian region barely got the proper training on this.
For more about the software, you may visit the official site of Power Line System, of which we are not affiliated with:
http://www.powline.com/
2 comments:
Awesome post. Do you mind if I ask what your source is for this information?
Interesting commentary.
As for training: I've found that if you read the PLS-CADD manual, you can learn the basics of the program easily in a month. The rest can be learned over 3-6 months, depending on what type of studies and design you are doing.
In contrast, learning what design values to use in PLS-CADD (for clearances, studies, etc) is the hard part - but that can be found in your company's design manual, talking to experienced engineers, etc.
We use PLS-CADD daily for transmission line design, and aside from a few know bugs/flaws, it is EXCELLENT software.
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