ing services engineer, interior planner and IT de- use the same core software and powerful networking technology. signer all need to agree the parameters to which they are all going An example of this is 'Workgroup CAD', jointly developed by to work during the course of a project, and communicate any ISICAD and Novell. This enables designers to communicate with changes. This is better co-ordinated if they are all using compatible each other and immediately see what changes have been made by CAD systems to exchange data and review what the other is doing. other members of the design team. The cable ways, which could be trays or ducts, can then be located The most readily available form of drawing transfer is DXF on the drawing. The majority of CAD based computer aided cable (direct exchange format) developed by Autodesk, authors of the layout systems will not record the route of the cables graphically AutoCAD™M software package. Most CAD systems will convert because there are normally far too many and the graphics would drawings to and from the DXF which means that data can be become too cluttered and slow. Instead they record the routes exchanged between systems. This transfer is only available for through which the cables pass. These could be cable trays, trunking, graphic information; any associated intelligence is normally lost or just painted lines on the floor. These routes are displayed as a pair during the transfer. Before attempting transfers the user must liaise of lines connecting nodes. The nodes denote a change in direction, with the vendors of the system and test the transfer thoroughly. or a meeting of more than one cable way. The route a cable takes is There are two types of Cable Design and Management systems, recorded in the database by listing the segments or nodes through one using a database only and the more popular system combining which a cable passes. 33/10 Structured cabling In some cases the computer aided cable design and management McKenzie, Smith and Hosie, K.T. (1972) Basic Electrica