General
What is FaseCAD?
A free, open-source program for drawing electrical schematics for control panels and machines: power and control circuits, terminals, cables and reports, all from a single project model.
Is it free?
Yes. It is free software under the GPL v2 or later: no paid edition, no locked features, and the source code is open on GitHub.
Is it ready for real work?
Not yet. FaseCAD is in development and has no release yet: you can try it by building it from source, but do not use it for production work yet.
Who develops it?
Brandon Engineer, as a free software project. Development is open: you can follow it and suggest improvements on GitHub.
Installation
How do I install it?
There is no installer yet. In the meantime it is built from source with Qt 6 and CMake; on Windows a script sets everything up. The steps are on GitHub.
Which systems does it run on?
There is no installer yet: today it is built on Windows with a script that sets everything up. It is made with Qt, so the code is cross-platform.
Which languages is the program in?
The interface is translated into many languages, including Spanish, English, German, Italian and Chinese. FaseCAD's new features are in English for now and will be translated over time.
Projects and formats
Does it open .qet projects?
Yes. FaseCAD works with the .qet format: it opens those projects as they are, with their symbols, and saves in the same format.
Can I export to PDF, DXF or reports?
Yes. Schematics export to PDF, PNG, SVG and DXF, and the bill of materials, wiring and cable lists export to CSV. You can also do it from the command line without opening the program.
Can I create my own symbols?
Yes. With the symbol editor you create your own, and they are saved in your user collection. The company collection lets you share them with the whole office from a common folder.
Can I use my company's title block?
Yes. With the title block editor you design your own, with a logo and custom fields (customer, project, revision…) filled in from the project data.
How do I create a template?
Select the part of the schematic you want to keep, right-click and choose “Create a template”. It appears in the Templates panel, ready to drag onto any sheet.
Can I use it with my AI assistant?
Yes. Projects are readable XML and the program exports to PDF, SVG, DXF and reports from the command line, so an AI assistant can read them, review them and make changes.
Community
How do I report a bug?
Open an issue on GitHub describing what you did, what you expected and what happened. If you can, attach the project or a screenshot.
Can I contribute?
Yes: with code on GitHub, by translating the interface, by sharing templates and symbols or by testing development versions. You can also support it with a donation.