This file contains Unicode characters that might be confused with other characters. If you think that this is intentional, you can safely ignore this warning. Use the Escape button to reveal them.

QElectroTech Features

Everything you can do with QElectroTech — a powerful, free tool for creating professional electrical diagrams and technical documentation.

What Makes QET Special

Open Source & Free

✅ 100% free — No licensing fees, subscriptions, or paywalls
✅ Open source — Source code available on GitHub (GNU GPL v3)
✅ No vendor lock-in — You own your files, can use them anywhere
✅ Transparent — Community-driven development

Professional Quality

✅ Industrial-grade output — Used by professionals worldwide
✅ 8,200+ professional symbols — Electrical, logic, hydraulic, pneumatic, fluid systems
✅ Automatic documentation — Generate bills of materials, nomenclature, wiring lists
✅ Configurable reports — Customizable for your needs

Multi-Industry Support

Beyond electrical diagrams, QET handles:

Plumbing & water systems
HVAC & climate control
Hydraulics & pneumatics
Home automation (domotics)
PID control systems
Solar & renewable energy
Facility layout & design
And more...

Core Drawing Features

Extensive Symbol Library

8,200+ built-in symbols covering:
- Electrical components (switches, relays, motors, etc.)
- Logic gates and digital circuits
- Hydraulic and pneumatic components
- Fluid system symbols
- Control and instrumentation symbols
Fast search — Find components instantly
Community elements — Access thousands of user-contributed symbols
Custom elements — Design your own symbols with the element editor

Diagram Creation & Editing

Drag-and-drop placement — Quickly add elements to canvas
Smart routing — Automatic wire routing between elements
Manual control — Full control over wire paths when needed
Point-to-point connectivity — Precise terminal-to-terminal connections
Automatic alignment — Elements snap to grid for neat organization
Multi-folio projects — Organize work across multiple pages/diagrams

Text & Annotations

Labels on elements — Reference designators (S1, R1, M1, etc.)
Labels on wires — Signal names, voltages, identifiers
Free text — Add notes and descriptions anywhere
Dynamic text fields — Auto-populate with project data (%date, %author, etc.)
Customizable fonts — Font, size, color, rotation, alignment

Essential Editing Tools

Full undo/redo — Unlimited steps, with keyboard shortcuts
Copy/paste/duplicate — Reuse elements and sections
Multi-select — Edit multiple objects at once
Alignment & distribution — Professional-looking layouts
Grid & snap-to-grid — Precise, organized positioning
Keyboard shortcuts — Power-user navigation

Professional Documentation

Automatic Report Generation

Nomenclature Report

Automatically list all elements with reference numbers
Count quantities of each type
Extract bills of materials

Conductor List Report

Document all wiring connections
Export conductor numbering for manufacturing
Trace signal paths throughout project
Generate cross-reference documentation

I/O Documentation

Summarize project inputs and outputs
Create connectivity matrices
Document electrical relationships

Configurable Pages & Title Blocks

Customizable folios — Set headers, columns, rows per page
Embedded titleblock editor — Add project info, author, date
Custom variables — Store project metadata
Page styles — Define look and feel
Real-time table of contents — Auto-generated project index
Professional formatting — Print-ready output

Data Export & Integration

CSV export — Export element data for parts lists, BOM
Nomenclature tables — Configurable output formats
Conductor numbering — Export for wiring list printers
SQLite database — Backend for project metadata
Search & Replace — bulk-set properties across a project (not text find/replace)
Auto-numbering — Intelligent conductor and element numbering

Advanced Connectivity Features

Smart Wiring

Automatic connection detection — Elements connect when aligned
Manual routing control — Adjust wire paths for clarity
Wire properties — Customize color, style, thickness
Conductor types — Define phase, neutral, ground, signal lines
Cross-reference generation — Automatic connectivity documentation

Element Intelligence

Terminal definitions — Specify connection points on custom elements
Master/slave relationships — Define element interactions
Electrical properties — Track voltage, current, signal type
Information storage — Embed metadata in elements
Custom attributes — Store application-specific data

Export & Output Options

Multiple Format Support

PDF — Professional documents for sharing, archiving, printing
SVG — Vector format, editable in other design tools
PNG/JPG/BMP — Raster formats for web and documents
DXF — CAD format for collaboration with CAD tools (export, and separate DXF-to-symbol import)
Multiple simultaneous projects — Work with several files at once

Professional Printing

Print preview — See output before printing
Selective export — Print specific folios or all pages
Scale control — Fit to page or print at actual size
Multi-page support — Automatically split large diagrams
Color & B&W options — Control output appearance

Project Organization & Collaboration

Multi-Page Projects

Folios (pages) — Create multiple diagrams in one project
Types — Single-line, multiline, control diagrams
Organization — Reorder, rename, delete folios easily
Cross-references — Link between pages automatically

Workspace Customization

Customizable toolbars — Arrange tools your way
Dockable panels — Move, hide, float as needed
Saved workspaces — Save and restore your layout
Fullscreen mode — Maximize working area

Team Collaboration

Portable .qet files — Email or share easily
Version control integration — Works with Git, SVN
File sharing — Network drives, cloud storage compatible
Import/merge — Combine work from multiple contributors
Concurrent editing — Multiple users on different folios

Internationalization & Accessibility

Multi-Language Support

25+ languages — Interface translated for worldwide use
Multilingual documentation — Manuals in multiple languages
International standards — IEC 81346 compliance
Regional variants — European, US, and other conventions
Community translations — Volunteer translation efforts

User Interface Features

Customizable display — Font size, colors, themes
Dark mode — Easy on the eyes
Keyboard navigation — Full control without mouse
Zoom support — Magnify interface and diagrams
Right-click context menus — Quick access to commands

Performance & Scalability

Handle Large Projects

Efficient rendering — Smooth performance with 100+ elements
Responsive interface — No lag during editing
Fast zoom — Instant magnification and fit-to-view
Quick saves — Fast file I/O even for large projects
Memory efficient — Optimized for modern computers

Stability & Reliability

Robust error handling — Graceful error messages
Auto-save — Periodic automatic backups
Undo/redo safety — Complete action history
Crash recovery — Recover from unexpected shutdowns
Data validation — Prevent corrupt projects

Customization & Extension

Create Custom Elements

Element editor — Design symbols visually
Terminal definition — Specify connection points
Graphics support — Draw shapes, lines, text, circles
Dynamic text — Add variable fields to elements
Package for sharing — Distribute custom element libraries

Script & Automation

Headless command line — Export PDF, images, BOM, wiring lists, nets and cross-references without opening a window
Batch operations — Loop the CLI over many projects, with real exit codes
Open XML formats — .qet and .elmt are plain XML, so external tools can read and write them
Integration — Combine with other tools

QET has no embedded scripting language and no plugin system; see Automating QElectroTech.

Element Libraries

Organize collections — Group related symbols
Community repository — Access 8,200+ community elements
Private libraries — Create company-specific elements
Import/export — Share element sets with team

Real-World Use Cases

Industrial & Manufacturing

CNC machine controls and automation
Manufacturing equipment wiring
Assembly line control systems
PLC automation and robotics
Process control diagrams

Automotive

Vehicle electrical systems
Wiring harness documentation
Control module integration
Power distribution schemes

Energy & Power

Photovoltaic (solar) systems
Solar thermal installations
Power distribution networks
Energy management systems
Grid integration

Building & Facilities

Home electrical panels
Smart home automation (domotics)
Building control systems
KNX home automation
RV/vehicle electrical systems

Professional Services

Engineering consulting
System design documentation
Installation planning
Maintenance documentation

Education

Student learning
Curriculum support
Laboratory documentation
Training materials

Standards & Compliance

International Standards Support

IEC 81346 — International classification system
European standards — DIN, CENELEC compliance
ISO compatibility — Work with standards-based workflows
Customizable — Adapt to organization-specific standards

File Format Standards

XML-based — Industry-standard data format
Open format — Not proprietary or encrypted
Readable — Human-readable and tool-friendly
Stable — Backward-compatible file format
Future-proof — Your files work forever

Comparison: Why QET?

Feature	QET	Commercial CAD
Cost	Free	$500–$5000+
Source Code	Open	Proprietary
File Format	Open XML	Proprietary
Symbols	8,200+	Variable
Multi-platform	Windows, Mac, Linux	Platform-dependent
Learning Curve	Gentle	Steep
Community	3,700+ active users	Vendor support
Customization	Full	Limited