Setting Default Drawing Options

 

The Default Drawing Options dialog is used to define the default sizes of new display objects, as well as various other display parameters.

To open this dialog choose Default Drawing Values on the General Options ribbon group of the Options ribbon tab. These General Options are also available on the Oneline ribbon tab.

The Default Drawing Values dialog is organized using a list showing the types of objects that can be added to onelines. To view information about a particular type of object, select that object type from the list and tables which describe the defaults available for that object will be populated. Two tabs will be available. One will contain the majority of default options that are available for the selected display object type, and the other will contain the default positions of fields that will be inserted when the object is inserted.

Generally, the Default Drawing Values apply when you insert new objects on an oneline diagram. Changing the Default Drawing Values does not automatically affect the existing objects already drawn on the diagram. However, you can select multiple objects on a oneline diagram, and right-click on any one object to invoke the object's popup menu. You will find the option Apply Default Draw Values, which will modify the formatting of the selected objects to meet the default drawing value specifications.

 

Variable Defaults depending on Voltage Level

Many kinds of objects can have more than one set of defaults specified depending on their voltage level. When more than one set of defaults is specified, the table is always sorted by Nom kV.

A new object is inserted with properties corresponding to the default with the lowest Nom kV that the object's nominal kV is larger than. If the object's nominal kV is smaller than all defaults, then it will be set according to the default with the lowest nominal kV.

For instance, assume 4 sets of defaults are defined for buses roughly as follows

Nom kV Size

>400  15

>300  10

>200  8

>100  5

A new bus with nominal voltage of 345 kV is inserted with size 10.

A new bus with nominal voltage of 299 kV is inserted with size 8.

A new bus with nominal voltage of 69 kV is inserted with size 5.

In order to add another set of defaults for a kind of object, right-click on the table and choose Insert from the local menu. In order to delete a set of defaults, right-click on the table and choose Delete. Once you have inserted a new default, specify the new Nom kV for the default along with the new defaults.

Notes: When you change the Nom kV of a default, the list always sorts itself according to Nom kV. Insert will not be enabled in the local menu for objects that cannot have more than one set of defaults. Delete will not be enabled if only one set of defaults is defined.

Modifying Values in the Default Drawing Values Dialog

The font colors in tables of this dialog follow the conventions of the Case Information Displays. Most default values are enterable and can be modified by selecting the value you want to change and then typing in the new value. Other values are toggleable and can be changed by double-clicking on the value. For reference regarding what the various "size" defaults mean, when the zoom level is at its nominal value (100%), the size of the screen is 100 by 100. There are also some special kinds of fields in this dialog which are discussed next.

Editing Colors and KV-Based Color Coding

In order to modify a color value, double-click on the colored rectangle to bring up the Color Dialog. Then specify the color you want. For some defaults, such as fill color, it is possible to specify the default color to be none. In order to set a color default to none, select the colored rectangle and press the Delete key.

At times, a user may want to see the kV level of screen objects directly from the oneline diagam, without having to open a text display. One way to do this is to color code the elements on the oneline diagram according to kV level. Right-click on the table and choose Insert from the local menu. Specify the Nom kV and color.

Editing Default Field Positions ("Pos1", "Pos2", etc…)

Many objects allow you to specify some default fields to be automatically added when a new object is drawn. For example, you may want to insert the bus name next to all new Bus Objects. For objects that allow the insertion of fields, a tab with field position diagrams will be available when that object type is selected. In order to specify the default positions of fields, click on the tab showing the field positions and click on the table row corresponding to the Nom kV of the defaults of interest. For object types that do not allow specifying the defaults by Nom kV, simply update the given position diagram. The position diagram will show the present settings for the new fields. Positions that have a default specified will be highlighted and the name of the default field will be shown. Positions with no default field will not be highlighted and will say "Pos1", "Pos2", etc…. For objects that have more than one possible orientation (e.g. generators can be up, right, left or down), there are multiple position diagrams showing the positions for each orientation.

In order to modify the settings, move your mouse over the position on the dialog you want to change and click. This will bring up the appropriate Field Options Dialog such as the Bus Field Options, Generator Field Options, Load Field Options, Switched Shunt Field Options, Line Field Options, Interface Field Options, Substation Field Options, Area Field Options, Super Area Field Options, or the Zone Field Options. Simply select the field you want and choose OK. If you would like to set a default field to "none", click Remove Field instead of OK. You can also modify default fields by double-clicking on the table for "Pos1", "Pos2", etc… This brings up the appropriate Field Options Dialog as well. If you press the Delete key while on a "Pos" field in the table, it will set the default field to "none".

Editing Stub Size and Stub Space

When utilizing the Automatically Insert Transmission Lines feature, the Stub Size and Stub Space values are used. Simulator will draw each automatically inserted branch such that it emerges from both its terminal buses at right angles. To accomplish this, Simulator draws each automatically inserted branch in three segments: two stubs perpendicular to the terminal buses having a length specified by the value supplied for Stub Size, and a third segment joining the two stubs. The amount of space between lines as they converge into a bus is set by Stub Space.

If you do not want transmission line stubs to be inserted, then set Stub Size to none or to a negative number. Note in order to set a value for Stub Space, Stub Size must be set to a positive number first.

Note: When specifying a Stub Size of 0 with Default Drawing Values for transmission lines, auto-inserted lines will be spaced appropriately at the bus instead of all being drawn from the middle of the bus.

Editing CB Size

When you insert new transmission lines or transformers, circuit breakers will automatically be inserted on the branch with their size specified by CB Size. If you do not want Circuit Breakers inserted for a particular voltage level, then set CB Size to none or a negative number.

Editing Pie Size

When you insert new transmission lines or transformers, pie charts will automatically be inserted on the branch with their size specified by Pie Size. If you do not want pie charts inserted for a particular voltage level, then set Pie Size to 'none' or a negative number.

Set Default Font

Click on this button to set the default font used for new text fields. This is the font which will be used for all new text fields. Note however that the default font size set using this dialog is not used unless the option Use the default font size for new text objects is selected. Otherwise, the specific kind of object and voltage level specifies what the font size should be. For example, in the Interface tab, one of the defaults is Font Size. New Interface Fields will use this font size.

Only Cut/Copy Display Objects, Not Power System Records

When you cut or delete an object from the oneline, Simulator needs to know whether you simply want to delete the display object from the oneline or to purge the definition of the power system object from the model. Check this box to tell Simulator to assume that it should always delete objects just from the oneline display, not from the power system model.

Oneline / Bus View Background Color

To change the default oneline background color, click on the Change button to select a new color. This color applies to both new oneline diagrams and the background color of the bus view oneline diagram.

Recommended Multi-KV Level Defaults

Click this button to change the default options back to Simulator recommended values. Multiple sets of default options will be specified based on voltage level for objects for which it is beneficial to do this (i.e. transmission lines).

Recommended Single-KV Level Defaults

Click this button to change the default options back to Simulator recommended values. A single set of default options will be specified for each object type.

Save All to Aux File and Load All From Aux File

The Default Drawing Options may also be stored in an Auxiliary File by Clicking the Save All to Aux File button to save all these customizations to an Auxiliary File or by clicking the Load All From Aux File to load all the custom hints from an Auxiliary File.