E3.series 2025 - What's new

New naming convention

The new release, which by the established naming convention would have been named 2024, has been renamed to 2025 to avoid confusion with release and build numbers. Previously, Release 2022 had build numbers 23.xx, while Release 2023 had build numbers 24.00, 24.10, etc., causing issues for both customers and developers. From now on, the release name, build number, and service pack will all match. This change does not mean we are skipping a release next year; there will still be a 2026 release as usual.

Enhanced Location Designation Inheritance

In response to numerous customer requests, E3.series 2025 now offers enhanced functionality for inheriting higher-level assignments of location designations. This feature, previously available only for standard electrical components, now includes cables, bus bars, hoses, and tubes. Users can choose between the existing behavior and the new behavior by adjusting the settings, while the rest of the process remains the same as for other devices.

New “Mating Connector Group” Feature

With the mating connector group feature, you can manage multiple mating connectors as a group, just like how pin terminal groups are handled. The method of defining this group is identical to the process already used for pin terminals. When creating a new component in the database editor, a new component object called “Mating Group” is available. This allows you to centralize the definition of mating connectors within the library. Any changes to the mating group—such as adding or removing connectors—are automatically applied to all components using the group. This not only streamlines connector management but also reduces the time and effort required for maintaining connector relationships in complex designs. Previously, when managing connectors, each mating connector had to be defined individually.

Intuitive Angular Dimensioning

This new feature allows users to create angular dimensions for angled objects. When measuring, you can select two objects, such as connect lines on a form board or other graphics, and then draw an angular dimension. Depending on how you move the mouse, either the inner or outer circle will be dimensioned. The text can be placed freely, and the rest of the behavior follows the existing functionality for standard dimensions, making it intuitive and consistent with previous measuring tools in the software.

Consistent “From-To” Cable Direction

This new feature ensures consistent “from-to” information when laying new cores in a cable. You can now define that all subsequent connections follow the direction of the first existing line. This ensures that all new connections maintain consistent “from-to” information, even if the graphical layout varies.
Additionally, this feature can also be applied to existing wirings where there may be mismatches in direction. You can now align and unify the core directions in the connection table, ensuring consistency throughout the design. This predefined directionality in the schematic eliminates the need for recalculations during report generation, saving time and ensuring accuracy.

Automatic Internal Wire Length Calculation in E3.formboard

A new feature in E3.formboard enables the automatic calculation of the internal wire lengths inside connectors, eliminating the need for users to manually create scripts to account for this additional wire length. In release 2025, there is an option to define this internal length as an attribute. This attribute is customizable and not fixed, allowing for flexibility. When defined, the additional length is considered in the length calculations of E3. The internal lengths can also be displayed as separate columns in the connection table, where they can be modified, edited, or deleted.

Automatic Panel Sheet Positioning

Managing multiple panel sheets in E3.series has become significantly more streamlined. Previously, when adding new panel sheets, users had to manually adjust the coordinates to avoid overlap, as all sheets would default to the origin (0,0). Now, with automatic panel sheet positioning, new sheets are automatically placed with the correct offsets relative to existing ones, eliminating the need for manual adjustments. While the automatic positioning is set to optimal placement, users still have the flexibility to edit these values if needed for custom layouts.

Panel Slot Placement via the Device Tree

In E3.panel slots—whether named or unnamed—can now be directly used in the device tree for placing or moving elements, offering a more intuitive alternative to working in 2D or 3D drawings. This new functionality simplifies the process of positioning components by allowing users to drag and drop elements onto slots within the tree, where precision may be easier to achieve than in traditional graphical views. To ensure that the orientation of the element is preserved during placement, simply hold the Shift key during any drag-and-drop operation.

Precision Wire Routing with 3D Coordinates and Offsets

E3.panel now offers enhanced precision in wire routing by incorporating detailed 3D coordinates and offsets within components. Inside each component, the XYZ coordinate of the pin is precisely defined, along with the exact offset where the wire starts. At this point, the wire length is zero, and from there, the length is calculated as it follows the defined routing path. This improvement brings a higher level of accuracy to wire length calculations, as it accounts for the true physical placement of wires in 3D space. As designs increasingly move toward 3D representation, this feature ensures that wire routing is more precise than ever before, supporting more complex and realistic designs.

Enhanced PDF Export:  2D and 3D Views in the Same Export

E3.panel now offers enhanced PDF export functionality, allowing users to include both 2D projections and 3D representations in their PDFs. Previously, users could export either the traditional 2D sheet or the 3D representation with a simple checkbox option. Now, with the addition of a new checkbox, users can export both the 2D projection and the 3D view within the same PDF. This provides greater flexibility by allowing viewers to interact with the 3D model (e.g., rotate and move it) while also accessing the 2D projection for detailed documentation. Users can choose to export either the 2D projection, the 3D representation, or both, offering a customizable export process. Furthermore, this feature can be utilized in non-E3 documents, expanding its utility beyond the E3.series environment

Aligning Elements on Base Objects

E3.series 2025 expands the alignment capability by allowing users to align elements to base objects, such as doors, with new icons enabling precise alignment to the right, middle, or left sides, as well as top, center, or bottom positions. Whether aligning elements horizontally or vertically, this new functionality ensures more accurate and organized placement, particularly in scenarios involving doors or central lines in panels.

New Cooling Calculation Tool

A new Cooling Calculation tool in E3.panel helps users assess the cooling requirements for elements within a cabinet. Many components generate power loss, which contributes to heat buildup. By defining the power loss in the library, users can calculate the total heat load of their layout. For elements not predefined in the library, additional fields allow for manual input.
The tool also factors in real-world conditions, such as simultaneous activity of components (e.g., assuming 60% active at once) and the enclosure’s environment—whether it stands freely or is placed side by side with others. The result is an accurate calculation of the cooling capacity needed to maintain an optimal internal temperature.  All calculations follow IEC and DIN standards, ensuring compliance with industry norms (IEC 60 89 and DIN 57 600).

Next-Generation PLC Bridge with Expanded Functionality

E3.series 2025 introduces the next generation of the E3.PLCBridge, now fully AML-based, eliminating the need for specific formats. This updated PLC Bridge supports both import and export of topology, including manufacturer-specific topologies, and also accommodates multi-bus systems.

The new PLC Bridge comes with an internal editor that allows users to modify elements, texts, and addresses directly within the tool, with changes automatically reflected in E3.series. This integrated approach eliminates the need for external editors like Excel, streamlining the workflow and enhancing efficiency. Users of the previous version are encouraged to upgrade to take advantage of the new features and improved functionality.