How to Route Circuits and Homeruns with AI

Use Branch Wire Routing for wires between devices, or Homerun Routing for wires from homerun devices to a panel. This optional flow requires extracted panels and supported symbol counts. Use manual Line when those prerequisites are not true.

Complete the task

Open AI Workbench.
Select Branch Wire Routing or Homerun Routing.
Choose the panel and circuits.
Run the model.

Check device assignments

If Check Device appears, complete this review before you review wire suggestions.

For Homerun Routing, placed panel icons remain visible on the drawing through setup and Check Device. Use these icons to identify panel locations as you check device assignments.

Wait for device preparation to finish.
Check the device assignments for each circuit.
After you check all assignments, select Review all if circuits still need approval.
For Homerun Routing, select Continue when it becomes available.
For Branch Wire Routing, select Review Wire Suggestions when it becomes available.

Bobyard automatically marks circuits as reviewed when all their count devices already have panel and circuit assignments. You can proceed after preparation succeeds and all circuits have approval.

For Circuit Wire Routing with Check Device, Bobyard starts routing after you select Review Wire Suggestions.

Keep routing separate with regions

Use Routing Region: Draw a region to keep routing separate to separate routing areas for either tool.

Select Routing Region: Draw a region to keep routing separate beside the review panel search field.
Click at least three points around a routing area.
Press Enter to finish the region.
Repeat for each additional region.
Select Confirm.

During Check Device, Bobyard applies the regions when routing starts. During wire review, Confirm runs routing again and replaces the previous suggestions.

Bobyard routes devices inside each region separately. Devices outside every region still receive routes, and Bobyard treats the drawn regions as obstacles for those routes. Review the new suggestions before you save them.

Use Expand all or Collapse all beside the search field to show or hide the panel contents.

Assign devices to a circuit

During Check Device, use Assign devices to this circuit when the circuit toolbar offers it.

Select the circuit that needs the devices.
Select Assign devices to this circuit.
Click a device on the page to assign it to the selected circuit.
Repeat for each device you want to assign.
Press Esc to exit the tool.

Move devices to another circuit

Select the devices you want to move during Check Device.
Select Move to… in the device toolbar.
Select the destination panel.
Check the device count beside each destination circuit.
Select the destination circuit.

Each circuit row shows a device count, such as x3. This count includes existing circuit devices and devices assigned to that circuit in the current Check Device review.

While the destination list is open, Bobyard keeps circuit outlines and the selected circuit highlight visible on the drawing.

To move every device in a selected circuit, use Move all devices to… in the circuit toolbar.

If you move every device from the selected circuit, Bobyard selects the destination circuit. If you move only some assigned devices, Bobyard keeps the current circuit selected. If the move includes unassigned devices, Bobyard selects the destination circuit. Check the assignments before you continue to wire suggestions.

Review wire suggestions

Wait for routing to finish in Review Wire Suggestions.
If circuit routing fails, select Retry routing to start another attempt.
Review each suggested route.
Delete routes you do not want to keep.
If vertical drops appear, check the panel and circuit in each Vertical Drop measurement name.
After you check the remaining measurements, select Review all if measurements still need approval.

For homeruns that require Check Device, routing starts after you select Continue. Bobyard uses marked starting devices for homeruns. If a circuit has no marked starting device, Bobyard uses its first device assignment.

Vertical-drop names include the available panel and circuit labels in both review and Takeoff. For example, Vertical Drop - MDP - # 12 Kitchen identifies the panel and circuit.

Bobyard shows one vertical drop per panel and circuit, even when routing returns multiple wire suggestions for that circuit.

Save to a destination folder

After all measurements have approval, choose where to save them.

To use the default folder, select Save To Takeoff.
To use another folder, select Set destination folder beside Save To Takeoff.
Select an existing folder to save there.
To create a folder instead, enter its name in Set Destination.
Select Create folder with your entered name to save there.

By default, Bobyard creates a Branch Wire Routing or Homerun Routing folder for the selected tool. Bobyard saves vertical drops under the Vertical Drop material inside the destination folder.

Vertical drops save as count measurements, separate from wire routes. After a successful save, Bobyard removes the saved vertical drops from review.

Return to device assignments

For Homerun Routing with Check Device, you can return to device assignments before you save the wire suggestions.

Select Return to association in Review Wire Suggestions.
Check the retained device assignments in Check Device.
Correct any assignments that need changes.
If circuits need approval, select Review all after you check them.
Select Continue to run routing again.
Review the new wire suggestions before you select Save To Takeoff.

Bobyard retains circuit approvals when you return, but clears the previous wire suggestions. Routing starts again after you select Continue.

You now have the accepted wire routes in Takeoff. Next, organize and edit electrical measurements.