Segmentable Nodes

Sketching a segmentable node is just like sketching a regular node. Use the Place RF Network tool to sketch in the node, and type a name.

When you sketch a segmentable node, it defaults to the first supported kind of segmentation. For example, it could be non-segmented by default, if that’s the first supported type for that particular node. To segment and assign legs, follow these steps:

1. With the Inspect tool, click the segmentable node in the map once to select it. Then, view its attributes in the Component tab.

2. Use the drop-down to choose the Segmentation Configuration. The available choices are configured by an administrator.

3. Depending upon the Segmentation Configuration, notice the number of available Nodes changes.

4. Further, notice the application automatically names the segments by adding the letter “a,” “b,” “c,” or “d” to the end of the node name.

5. You can rename the segments, but be aware of the character limits as described above.

6. Use the check boxes to assign legs to each segment. The number of legs allowed depends on the number of segments and the number of RF output ports on the node. The example in the video below uses a node with 4 RF output ports.

   IMPORTANT: Power-only ports are not eligible to serve legs, as they do not allow RF signal to pass.

7. Notice the application assigns a color to each segment. This color is later seen for the segment’s node boundary. The colors cannot be changed.

8. Click Save.

   
   

   To enlarge the video, click it to open in a separate tab.

   

Each segment can have its own node boundary. To draw segmented node boundaries, follow these steps:

1. With the Inspect tool, click the segmentable node in the map once to select it. Then, view its attributes in the Component tab.

2. Notice, each segment has its own tab displaying Signal Information. Also notice, each segment has its own dedicated Draw Segmentable Node Boundary tool and Edit Segmentable Node Boundary tool. The following image uses a four-way configuration; thus, there are four tabs. Further, the names in the following image are just examples, and your names differ.

   

3. Click the Draw Segmentable Node Boundary tool for the desired segment. Ensure you click the tool on the Signal Information tab (as seen in the image above), and not the tool on the main tool ribbon at the top of the interface.

4. Bring your cursor into the map, and sketch the boundary. A video demonstration is below. While sketching segmented node boundaries, keep the following in mind:

   • The segmentable node must be inside at least one of the node boundaries.

   • Each click of the drawing cursor places a vertex (or bend) in the boundary footprint.

   • To finish the sketch, either double-click your final vertex, or if you have already placed your final vertex, press Enter.

     • If you are mid-sketch and you want to discard the sketch and start over, do not press Undo. This actually undoes your previous edit, which might not even be visible on the screen. Instead, press Esc to discard a boundary mid-sketch.

     • When you finish the sketch, the boundary takes on the same color as seen in the Component tab.

   • The drawing cursor snaps to the node on the map.

     • As shown in the video below, Schneider Electric recommends each segmented node boundary snap to the middle of the node itself. This is not required, but it is helpful if you later have to merge the boundaries, which is covered in a topic below.

     • To temporarily disable snapping, press and hold Ctrl while sketching.

   • The drawing cursor also snaps to other node boundaries, segmented node boundaries, and power supply boundaries. This helps make a clean sketch when boundaries are adjacent to one another.

     • All shared boundaries must have more than one shared point. In other words, they must share a border or line, not just touch each other at a single point.

     • While boundaries can overlap, most of the time this is considered an invalid arrangement. If you must sketch an overlap, ensure that at least one vertex of your boundary is within the overlapping boundary.

     • To temporarily disable snapping, press and hold Ctrl while sketching.

   • The drawing cursor also has “follow along” intelligence. If you snap onto an existing boundary, and then click once more along the same boundary, the tool traces along the boundary, connecting all the vertices along the way.

     • The sketch tool takes the shortest path to connect your vertices. So, if you are wrapping around a rectangle (or really any shape with differing side lengths), be aware the tool takes the shortest path to complete the polygon.

   • Segmented nodes boundaries can be multi-part. In other words, you can complete one polygon, and with the tool still active, sketch another. Further, if you sketch another polygon that overlaps an existing polygon (for the same segmented node), the two merge together.

5. When finished with one segmented node, click the next Signal Information tab and continue to sketch.

   
   

   To enlarge the video, click it to open in a separate tab.

   

After a segmented node boundary is sketched, it can still be modified or deleted.

Delete a Segmented Node Boundary

1. With the Inspect tool, click once on the segmented node boundary.

2. Press Delete.

Delete Part of a Multi-Part Segmented Node Boundary

1. With the Inspect tool, click once on the segmentable node in the map once to select it. Then, view its attributes in the Component tab.

2. In the Component tab, click the node inside the housing that has the boundary you want to delete.

3. Click the Edit Segmentable Node Boundary tool. Again, ensure you are on the desired node within the housing.

4. Notice, the boundary in the map becomes active.

5. With your cursor, click the part you want to delete once to select it. It turns blue.

6. Press Delete.

Modify Segmented Node Boundary Shape

There are several options to change the shape of the segmented node boundary. For all these options, ensure you are using the Edit Segmentable Node Boundary tool on the Signal Information tab (the same tool as seen in the video above). Do not use the tool on the main tool ribbon.

• Add a vertex:

  1. Press and hold “A” on the keyboard, then click where you want the vertex. You can either click directly on the side of the boundary, or just nearby. The boundary grows to automatically include your new vertex.

  2. Press Enter when finished.

• Move a vertex:

  • Option 1:

    1. Click a vertex to select it.

    2. Press and hold the Shift key.

    3. Move your cursor (do not hold down the mouse button while moving) and notice the vertex and boundary move with you.

       TIP: If you are moving the vertex fairly close to the node boundary, notice the cursor wants to snap to the boundary. If necessary, also press and hold Ctrl to temporarily disable snapping.

    4. Press Enter when finished.

  • Option 2:

    1. Click a vertex to select it.

    2. Press and hold “M” on the keyboard (“M” for “Move”).

    3. Click where you want the vertex to be, and it moves there.

       TIP: If you are moving the vertex fairly close to the node boundary, notice the cursor wants to snap to the boundary. If necessary, also press and hold Ctrl to temporarily disable snapping.

    4. Press Enter when finished.

• Delete a vertex:

  • Option 1:

    1. Click a vertex to select it.

    2. Press Delete.

    3. Press Enter when finished.

  • Option 2:

    1. Press and hold “R” on the keyboard (“R” for “Remove”).

    2. Click each vertex you want to delete.

    3. Press Enter when finished.

If you swap out the segmentable node or change the Segmentation Configuration, the segmented node boundaries automatically update depending on your edits.

Below is a list of merge or replace scenarios and their outcomes:

• If you replace a segmentable node with a regular node (using either the Change Spec or Replace functions), all segment boundaries are merged and the color changes to gray.

  • Conversely, if you replace a regular node with a segmentable node, the boundary remains the same but changes to the color of the first segmented node.

• If a segmentable node is replaced by another segmentable node with the same configuration (for example, changing a four-way to another four-way), the boundaries do not merge and the colors do not change.

• If a segmentable node is replaced by another segmentable node with a different configuration (for example, changing a four-way to a two-way), the boundaries are merged based upon your chosen legs and the colors change to reflect the new configuration.

• If a segmentable node is replaced by another segmentable node with a different number of output ports, the Segmentation Configuration returns to the default value for that segmentable node, and the boundaries are merged accordingly.

• If you change the configuration in the Component tab, the boundaries change in the same ways as described above.

  
  

  To enlarge the video, click it to open in a separate tab.

  

If using a segmentable node, you can still use the Adjust Leg Label tool. But, there are a few things to consider:

• The node names change to match the new legs.

  • However, if you have gone through a few Segmentation Configures (for example, you started with a two way, then changed to a four-way, and then changed back to a two-way), the node names might now be out of sync with the legs served. In that scenario, first make sure you are settled on your legs, then change the node names to reflect the final configuration.

• The columns in the Legs Served update to reflect the new legs.

• The boundary colors update, as necessary.

• The House Counts in the Project tab update.

The application automatically changes the colors of the nodes depending upon the number of segmentations and which legs are merged.

These colors are managed by the application, and they cannot be configured differently.

• Four Way

  

• Three Way: A, BC, D

  

• Three Way: AC, B, D

  

• Three Way: AB, C, D

  

• Three Way: AD, B, C

  

• Three Way: A, B, CD

  

• Three Way: A, C, BD

  

• Two Way: AC, BD

  

• Two Way: AB, CD

  

• Two Way: AD, BC

  

• Non-Segmented