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logi.CAD 3

Our flexible engineering toolkit

For more than 30 years, hardware independence and integration (based on open interfaces) have been part of logi.cal’s DNA. Our claim here: We don’t make one tool for all purposes, but an open solution for comprehensive Engineering 4.0.

With logi.CAD 3 we offer a desktop engineering toolkit providing a wide range of programming languages, such as IEC 61131-3, C, C++, and MATLAB integration, with extensive re-use and team engineering functionalities. We are committed to openness with our source code provided in plain text format.

You can also use logi.CAD 3 to program your functional safe application – either as a library to be used with our on-target web editor or as a full application for self-testing (based on our test management tooling) – logi.CAD 3 will be available as T3 qualified tool from Q2 2023.

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Your benefits

Our USPs

Multi-language functionality

Functional safety

Collaboration

Continuous integration

Variant management

Cloud-based engineering

Multi-language support

logi.CAD 3 allows the implementation of automation applications in the IEC 61131-3 standardized languages Structured Text (ST), Sequential Function Chart (SFC, both textual and graphical), Ladder Diagram (LD) and Function Block Diagram (FBD). Additionally, C and C++ code can be easily integrated into applications. Due to the fact that ANSI-C is used as an intermediate language, integrating existing or new C or C++ Code is very straightforward.

A flexible language system also allows the integration of domain-specific languages (DSL).

Functional safety

Functional safety requirements are becoming increasingly important in the field of automation technology. Whereas up to now there has been a strict separation between the functionally safe programming and the non-safe programming of controllers, engineering performance considerations are now making it increasingly important to bring these two worlds together. logi.CAD 3 contains several components which allow targeting function safety applications up to SIL 3 or ASIL C.

A static code analysis tool allows you to apply a set of rules to the source code of an application. In addition to the existing rule set already contained in logi.CAD 3, OEM/ODM customers can easily integrate their own rule sets. The logi.CAD 3 test manager additionally allows you to subject all components of an application to automatable unit tests. This means that with logi.CAD 3 it is possible to program both safe and non-safe – all in a single tool.

Collaboration

In most areas of automation technology, the joint development of projects in distributed teams is an important part of daily work. Inadequate and complicated workarounds are often used in this context.

logi.CAD 3 contains some tools that facilitate cooperation in larger development teams. Git source code management software, for example, has been integrated into the tool as a standard feature.Furthermore, support is provided to engineering teams, for example through a so-called team monitor.

Variant management

In automation practice, it is often necessary to make minor adjustments to existing modules, especially in the course of commissioning. Up to now, this has often been done by creating a copy of a module and then changing the copy and using it instead of the original. When the changes are returned to the standard (e.g. in a special function block library), however, this procedure causes increased effort or even the loss of code changes.

logi.CAD 3 offers a function that allows the creation of module variants within a project and supports the engineer in tracing back the performed adjustments, for example by listing the existing function block variants in a project and any differences compared to the original.

Continuous integration

The integration of tools that have been indispensable in modern software engineering for many years is also becoming increasingly important in industrial automation. These include tools for automatic application creation and for automated software and hardware test execution. In addition, the integration of modern code review tools like Google Gerrit is made possible by having all project components stored in plain text format.

logi.CAD 3 comes with a set of headless tools that allow applications to be imported, compiled, tested and also loaded to the controller without a graphical user interface. The loaded application can then in turn be tested automatically directly on the controller. End-to-end tests including physical IO are also possible.

logi.CAD 3 thus allows a tool-supported improvement of the engineering workflow across all project phases.

Cloud-based engineering

Numerous companies in the automation sector have already outsourced many of their tools to the cloud and offer their customers portals where most of the project activities are carried out web-based, from plant configuration and commissioning all the way to its operation.

In most cases, PLC application development is still excluded here. logi.cals is the first manufacturer to offer a native implementation of a cloud engineering platform.

The product logi.CLOUD is 100% compatible with the desktop tool logi.CAD 3. Distributed teams can therefore freely decide whether they want to rely on the desktop variant for implementing an application or whether they want to use web-based engineering.