📡 From Excel to Accurate OFC Drawings in Minutes — Not Days

Preparing Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) As-Built drawings is traditionally a slow, error-prone task. Survey data comes from the field, drawings must follow strict standards, and even a small mistake can lead to costly rework.

What if the entire process—from raw Excel survey data to fully formatted drawings and PDFs—could be completed automatically in just a few minutes?

This project is exactly about that: end-to-end CAD automation that reads Excel data and instantly prepares professional OFC installation drawings.

⚠️ The Challenge: Manual OFC Drawing Preparation

In an OFC installation project, the first step is a detailed survey. This survey data is typically entered into an Excel file.

In our example, the data is stored in an Excel file named Tarena, which contains multiple worksheets such as:

  • Cable Section Details
    Includes place information, from-station and to-station details, and route length.

  • OFC Type Table
    Defines OFC types and their corresponding cable sections.

  • Landmark Table
    Contains landmark names, block types, offset distances from the OFC route, cable section details, and precise latitude and longitude values.

Using this data, detailed As-Built drawings must be prepared. When done manually, this process can take several days and demands intense concentration to maintain accuracy and consistency across drawings.

đź“‹ What the Final Drawings Should Contain

Each output drawing sheet is rich with technical information, including:

  • Location details such as State, District, and Block Name

  • Cable Section Number, sub-section start and end numbers

  • PLB laying methods like Open Trench, HDD, and more

Two clear drawing bands:

  • One band showing chainage distances, trench depth, and from/to locations

  • Another band showing offset distances and all landmark blocks

For HDD sections, an additional graph drawing displaying rod number, distance, and depth along with tabulated data.

Producing this level of detail manually is time-consuming. With automation, it becomes effortless.

⚙️ The Automated Workflow

  • Load the application file OFC.VLX using the APPLOAD command.

  • Type CRE_CSV. A window opens—select the Excel file and adjust settings as required.

  • Click Read, then Write. All Excel data is automatically converted and organized into CSV files.

  • Type OFC at the command prompt.

That’s it. Within a couple of minutes, all drawings are created automatically.

To generate layouts, type CRE_LAYOUT and select the required drawings (or choose all).

Finally, type CRE_PDF to export every layout into a single, well-organized PDF file.

The result? Clean, consistent, and accurate OFC As-Built drawings—ready for submission.

🚀 Why This Matters

This CAD automation solution transforms OFC documentation by:

  • Reducing drawing time from days to minutes

  • Eliminating manual errors

  • Ensuring uniform standards across all drawings

  • Automating layout creation and PDF export

If you are creating drawings from Excel data and want to reduce effort, increase accuracy, and completely automate your CAD workflow, 👉 contact CAD Super User today to explore how your entire process can be automated.