The Problem
When an electrical engineer gets an apartment electrical design project, the first question is: what tool to use? Many habitually reach for AutoCAD Electrical or even EPLAN. This is a mistake.
Heavy CAD systems were created for industrial facilities — factories, power plants, multi-story business centers with thousands of equipment units. For a 60 m² apartment, their functionality is 95% redundant.
What's actually needed for an apartment
An apartment electrical project requires:
1. Floor plan with outlets, switches, and lights placement
And all of this — in a PDF for the client and electricians.
Why AutoCAD Electrical is overkill
- Cost: AutoCAD Electrical license — from $2,500/year
- Complexity: just learning the interface takes 2-3 weeks
- No calculations: AutoCAD doesn't calculate loads, cross-sections, short-circuit — it only draws
- No automation: every line, every symbol must be drawn manually
- Windows only: requires powerful hardware and Windows
What GorkyCAD offers
GorkyCAD is not a drafting tool — it's an engineering model:
- Single model: floor plan, schematic, panel, BOM — all derived from one model
- Automation: placed outlets → panel breakers auto-selected → schematic auto-built → BOM auto-generated
- Calculations: loads, cross-sections, short-circuit, voltage drop — automatically
- Browser-based: works on any computer, even Chromebooks
- Price: from free plan to $12/mo for Pro
Result
Typical apartment electrical project in AutoCAD Electrical: 4-6 hours. In GorkyCAD: 20-30 minutes. That's 10-15x faster. Not because GorkyCAD "simplifies" — it automates routine, leaving decision-making to the engineer.