Technipatch and ConnectCAD
ConnectCAD is the AV system design module of Vectorworks: devices with sockets, cables that get numbered, schedules and rack elevations, inside a full CAD application. It is the closest tool to what Technipatch does, and the comparison is about where the drawing lives and what it costs to open it.
What each tool is for
With ConnectCAD the system diagram sits in the same file as the venue plan, the rigging and the lighting plot, and the reports come out of Vectorworks worksheets. That is what an integration firm or a large production wants, and it comes with a CAD licence, a desktop install and the learning curve of Vectorworks.
Side by side
| Criterion | Technipatch | ConnectCAD |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AV system diagram editor for live production and events | AV system design module for Vectorworks |
| Where it runs | Browser, nothing to install; a field viewer installs on a phone | Desktop, macOS and Windows, inside Vectorworks |
| What you need to start | Nothing: drawing, checking, exporting and sharing need no account | A Vectorworks licence with ConnectCAD |
| A line is a cable, with direction, signal and connector | Yes: direction, signal type and connector on every socket | Yes: devices with sockets and typed cables |
| Cable list generated from the drawing | Yes, computed from the drawing, CSV and PDF pages | Yes, as worksheets |
| Patch sheet per device | Yes, one sheet per device, plus a DMX patch | Not verified by us |
| Equipment list | Yes: devices, cables to prepare, adapters | Yes, equipment reports |
| Signal and connector compatibility checked when you connect | Yes, the moment you connect, with the reason and what to do | Not verified by us |
| Device library | 557 entries reviewed against manufacturer documentation, plus your own devices | Device libraries, extendable |
| Sharing | A link, read-only, no account at the far end; field viewer offline | Not verified by us |
| Import of an equipment list | Yes: quantity, brand, model and description columns | Not verified by us |
| Export formats | PDF from A5 to A0, SVG, PNG, one CSV per document, project file | PDF and DWG through Vectorworks, worksheets |
| Price | Free to draw and export; Pro at €19 a month for server projects and a logo in the title block | Paid licence, on top of Vectorworks |
The ConnectCAD column describes the product as its publisher presents it, at the date of this page; check its documentation for the current state. A cell marked “not verified by us” is one we could not confirm.
What Technipatch does that a drawing tool does not
A line is a cable. It has a direction, a signal type and a connector at each end, read from the device’s library entry, and the engine refuses a link that cannot work, with the reason and what to do: Dante into an analogue input, a connector that does not mate, a second source on one input.
The cable list, the patch sheet per device and the equipment list are computed from the drawing, in a fixed order whatever the order you drew in, and exported as CSV and as pages of the PDF. There is no second document to keep in step.
Sharing is a link that opens read-only on a phone without an account, and installs as a field viewer that works without network. Drawing, checking, exporting and sharing cost nothing and ask for no account.
When ConnectCAD is the better choice
When the system diagram must live inside the Vectorworks drawing of the venue, when the team already works in Vectorworks every day, or when the deliverable is a DWG set rather than a PDF and a link.
Compared with other tools
The canvas is already open
Drop five devices, pull cables between their ports: the cable list, the patch sheet and the equipment list fill themselves in while you draw. No account, no card.