Creating Symbols and Components

This video is about creating new Symbols and Components. 

We take great pride in our Online Library with over 40.000 symbols and components. We really do! Still, at some point it’s possible you miss the symbol or component you’re looking for. 

If this happens, please contact our team to let us know!

• If you feel it should be there but you can’t seem to find it, we’ll gladly help you with your search.
• And if it is indeed missing, then, in most situations, we’re happy to add it to the online library for you. 

So not only you but others will benefit from it as well.  

However, if it is missing, but you don’t want it to be added to the online library, 

• Then you’ll need to create your own.
• And save it in your local library for future use. 
• 
  

Create from within the canvas

Other than importing an existing component to your local library, 

• which we covered in our previous tutorial 
• and where you import directly from the online library. 
• The easiest way to create new symbols and components is from within the canvas:

Ideally you start with an existing symbol or component that resembles your new one as much as possible.

Now let’s see how this works.

In this example we’ll work from a simple schematic in which a pressure relief valve will be our starting point.

We’ll change the symbol first:

• Select the pressure relief valve 
• Right mouse click and choose Edit Symbol, 
• or use short key [E],
• and adjust the symbol to your liking.
• Close the symbol file and update the symbol in the schematic with ‘update and return’.

Next we’ll change the component properties:

• Select the pressure relief valve again
• Right mouse click and open the component properties…
• Manufacturer becomes Example,
• And we add ‘Extra Spring’ to Type.
• Last, close the properties window.

Now, what we have done so far is adjusting first the symbol and then the component one time only in this schematic.

• To really create a new symbol and/or a new component we need to save it for future use in our local library.

• To do so select the pressure relief valve one last time
• and choose ‘Add to Library’ to open the Add to Library Wizard that helps adding the selected object as a new component file and/or a new symbol file to the libraries.

• Click next and there we have our million dollar question:
• Select the type of file(s) that should be added to the library…

Should that be:

1. A Hydrosym Symbol file?
2. A Hydrosym Component file?

Or C.  Both a Hydrosym Symbol file ánd a Hydrosym Component file?

As we made adjustments both on symbol file level ánd component file level the right answer is C. 

• You need to add both the symbol file and the component file to the library.

• Click next and choose where in the library you’d like to save the symbol. 
• Lets’s create a new folder ‘Tutorial’ 

• Please realise that though working in a Hydrosym environment, this is actually carried out locally in the Windows File Explorer.

• And then next, name our symbol   PARO underscore PRV for Pressure Relief Valve underscore Extra Spring (PARO_PRV_Exra Spring).

• When it comes to naming a new symbol, it’s good advice and common practice to start the file name with your company name so it’s always clear this symbol does not come from Hydrosym but was created by yourself.

• And now we’ll do the same for the component file.

• Here it’s recommended to start the file name with your company name as well but keep in mind to distinguish from the symbol file.
• And let’s create a ‘Tutorial’ folder in the local component library as well.
• If need you can change component data from here as well.

Click next to go to Survey and execute. 

• Check the summary and when everything is ok click ‘Execute’.

Now open your local library to find your newly created symbol and component just here.

Creating Component From Scratch

Last, other than creating new symbols and components from within the canvas you can also build them from scratch: 

To do so 

• go to File > new and then > New symbol or > New component
• And take it from there.

That’s it. 

Please watch our previous and related tutorial about importing existing components to your local library as well.

We hope this tutorial was useful. To learn more, please watch our other tutorials.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team or visit support.