PLS-CADD is the most powerful overhead power line design program on the market. PLS-CADD runs under Microsoft Windows and features an easy to use graphical user interface. It integrates all aspects of line design into a single stand-alone program with a simple, logical, consistent interface.
No other program can match the sophisticated engineering capabilities available in PLS-CADD. This sophistication and integration leads to more cost-effective designs being produced in only a fraction of the time required by traditional methods. The PLS-CADD solution is so clearly superior to any alternative that it has been adopted by more than 1000 organizations in over 100 countries.
Three Dimensional Engineering Model
At the heart of PLS-CADD is a sophisticated three-dimensional engineering model. This model includes the terrain, the structures and all the wires. The model can be viewed in a number of different ways: profile views, plan views, plan & profile sheets, 3-D views, staking lists... The PLS-CADD model is much more than just a picture or CAD drawing since PLS-CADD understands the relationship between these elements. When you drag a structure off the current alignment PLS-CADD will generate new profiles and update all affected structure and wire positions. The effects of this structure move will be instantly visible in all views including the plan & profile sheet view. In PLS-CADD you concentrate on designing your line instead of wasting your time drafting.
Terrain Model
PLS-CADD easily adapts to the wide range of technologies used for line surveys including total station instruments, airborne lasers and photogrammetry. It accepts survey data in both the plan and the profile coordinate systems. Survey data can be keyed in, can be digitized using the built in heads-up digitizer, or can be electronically imported from a survey data file. PLS-CADD has a customizable data import routine that can read a wide range of survey data formats. Superposition of planimetric maps and aerial photographs can be used to better visualize the area around your line. When sufficient data are available PLS-CADD can give you an even better perspective using contour lines, color renderings and even draped aerial photographs.
Altering your line route is easily accomplished by dragging P.I. points with the mouse or by clicking on locations where you want to add or delete P.I. points. Line route changes are instantly reflected in all views.
Advanced Sag-Tension
PLS-CADD has built in sag-tension routines. You can quickly display your line in 3-d for any weather condition complete with insulator swings and wire blowout. Clearances from wires to ground or between phases can also be calculated under any weather conditions. Loading trees, stringing charts, galloping ellipses, IEEE Std. 738 and Cigre Brochure 207 thermal ratings, and offset clipping results are all easily accessed.
PLS-CADD goes beyond ordinary sag-tension programs. Running ACSR conductors at high temperature can cause the aluminum strands to go into compression. Most sag-tension programs do not model this effect and thus underestimate the sags. PLS-CADD can model your line both with and without the compression effect so you can see how severe it is.
Like most line design programs, PLS-CADD uses ruling span approximations in its sag-tension calculations. Unlike these other programs, PLS-CADD can work together with our SAPS multi-span finite element sag-tension program when the ruling span isn't appropriate. When used in this manner PLS-CADD bypasses its built in sag-tension routine and uses SAPS instead. This allows modeling of broken conductors, unbalanced ice, marker balls, and flexible structure scenarios that are incompatible with ruling span approximations. It also allows fixing the length of wire in each span to see the impact of moving structures, inserting structures or cutting out wire in an existing line.
Structure Modeling
PLS-CADD provides several methods for modeling structures. The simplest is the wind & weight span method for which you need only enter values of allowable wind & weight spans, allowable suspension insulator swing angles and the coordinates of the wire attachment points. A far more powerful method of modeling structures is available when using our structure programs. These programs construct a finite element model from some basic input quantities such as pole height, pole class, cross-arm size and guy placement. When such a structure is checked PLS-CADD not only tells you if the structure is adequate but it also displays a color-coded picture showing which parts of the structure are most highly stressed. You have complete flexibility in changing tensions, conductors and loading agendas and can see the results of these changes on structure usage in seconds. Guyed structures, frames and even lattice towers are all easily accommodated. This method is ideal for upgrade studies of existing lines and is far more powerful and accurate than any other alternative. 
