Variant Editor (PE)

Plant Engineering > Part Data Tools > Variant Editor

Please note the following:

Due to the changes of the part format in HiCAD Plant Engineering, the previously available Variant Editor, ANVAREDIT.EXE has been adjusted accordingly in HiCAD 2012. For Plant Engineering variants created with HiCAD 2012, please use exclusively this new Editor.

For other variants, the previous functionality of the Variant Editor is still available, but, as of HiCAD 2012, under the name VAD_EDITOR.EXE. Please use exclusively this Editor for VAD files outside of Plant Engineering.

The Variant Editor for Plant Engineering enables the editing of value tables in variants (VAA, .VAD) which have been created with HiCAD. Furthermore, you can derive new variants from existing variants, which will then differ in content of the value table an in name from the original variant. The files belonging to the variant will be processed automatically.

A particularly wide range of part variants can be achieved when deriving new variants from structured base variants. For instance, individual elements of parts can be switched on or off at the push of a button, variables values of one part element can be applied to another, and much more.

Data records of variant value tables can be imported, partly or entirely, from other variants or text files; in the process, arbitrary assignments can be defined between the columns of the source table and the target table. Assignments can also be realised automatically, via the variables names that constitute the column headers.

In addition, the Variant Editor offers the option to export the value table of a variant in the form of a text file.

The Variant Editor can either be started from HiCAD, or separately.

Call from HiCAD
Activate the Plant Engineering tab on the Ribbon.
Select Part Data Tools > Variant Editor .

External call

Start the AnVarEdit.exe application in the HiCAD EXE subdirectory.

Detailed information on the Variant Editor can be found in the corresponding Online Help.