Overview

Connector Creator Interface

The Connector Creator provides a visual SVG editor for designing custom connectors. The interface is divided into three main areas:

Left Panel: Basic properties, specifications, and pin configuration
Center Canvas: SVG editor for drawing your connector
Tab Navigation: Switch between Mate Side, Wire Side, and Preview

Getting to the Creator

Navigate to the Connector Creator by clicking App → Component Creator in the top navigation menu.

info Note: You must be logged in to save custom connectors. Your connectors can be private or shared publicly with other users.

Connector Creator interface with three main sections

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Importing Graphics

Alternative Workflow: Import Existing Designs

Instead of drawing from scratch, you can import existing SVG or PNG graphics as a starting point:

SVG Import

Click the "Upload SVG or PNG" button in the toolbar
Select an SVG file from manufacturer datasheets, CAD exports, or design tools
All styling, colors, and shapes are preserved

PNG/Raster Image Import

Click the "Upload SVG or PNG" button in the toolbar
Select a PNG image file
The image is embedded as a base64-encoded element
You can position, resize, and layer the image with other elements

lightbulb Use Cases: Import manufacturer connector graphics, add company logos, or incorporate photographic references.

Import SVG or PNG graphics to accelerate connector creation

Adding Pins to Grid

Creating Pin Grid

Start by adding pins to define your connector's electrical contacts.

Each pin gets automatically numbered starting from 1. You can edit the pin number (e.g., for M8 series connectors with 3 pins and pin labels 1, 3, 4) in the Pin Manager tab
Pin positions are shown in real-time coordinates

Placing pins on the canvas grid

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Arranging Pins

Dragging Pin Positions

Once pins are placed, you can position them by dragging.

Click and drag any pin to reposition it
Use the grid for alignment assistance
Pin coordinates update automatically as you drag

Final Pin Layout

Arrange the 4 pins in a pattern to match the physical connector's pin arrangement.

open_with Precision: Use the coordinate values in the pin table to ensure exact positioning if needed.

Dragging pins to arrange in proper pattern

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Adding Circle Outline

Drawing Pin Outlines

Add a circular outline around your pins to represent the mating receptacle on the connector.

Select the Circle tool from the SVG toolbar
Draw a circle around the pin pattern

Drawing a circular outline around pin pattern

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Changing Stroke Thickness

Adjusting Line Weight

Modify the stroke thickness of your circle to make them more visible and match the visual weight appropriate for your connector design.

Select the circle you want to modify
Adjust stroke weight in the properties panel
Use thicker strokes for main outlines

line_weight Visual Hierarchy: Use different stroke weights to create visual hierarchy - thicker for housing, thinner for details.

Modifying stroke weight for better visibility

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Adding Connector Outline

Drawing the Housing

Create the main connector housing outline that will contain all the pins.

Use the Polygon tool for basic housing shapes
Draw around the pin area with appropriate margins
Leave space for mounting features if needed

crop_din Proportions: Make the housing large enough to realistically contain the pins while maintaining proper scale.

Creating the main housing outline

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Corner Radius and Fill Color

Rounding Corners

Add rounded corners to your connector housing to create a more realistic and professional appearance.

Select the housing rectangle
Adjust corner radius properties

Housing Fill

Add a fill color to your connector housing to distinguish it from the background.

Select the housing outline
Choose an appropriate fill color
Use neutral colors for realistic appearance

Applying corner radius to the housing

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Applying fill color to the connector housing

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Changing Layer Order

Bringing Circles to Front

Adjust the layer order to ensure pin circles appear in front of the housing fill.

Select the pin circles
Use the arrows on the Layer Manager controls to increase the circles' layer number
Ensure pins are visible above housing

Bringing pin circles to front layer

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Adding Mounting Holes

Creating Mounting Features

Add mounting holes or tabs to your connector design to show how it mechanically attaches or mounts in the application.

Draw small circles for mounting holes
Position them symmetrically around the housing
Use appropriate size relative to the connector
Consider real-world mounting requirements

Creating mounting holes for the connector

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Copy and Paste Features

Duplicating Elements

Use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to efficiently copy and paste elements like mounting holes.

Select the element to copy (Ctrl+C)
Paste with Ctrl+V to create a duplicate
Position the copy in the desired location

Copying and pasting mounting holes

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Wire Side View

Viewing Wire Side

Switch to the Wire Side tab to see the automatically generated mirror view of your connector.

Click the "Wire Side" tab
View the mirrored version of your design
Pin positions are automatically mirrored

flip Auto-Mirror: The wire side is automatically generated from your mate side design.

Automatically generated wire side view

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Changing Pin Gender

Flip All to Female

Change the pin gender from male to female using the "Flip All" button.

Locate the "Flip All" button in the pin configuration
Click to change all pins from male to female
Pin representations update automatically

Using Flip All to change pin gender

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Preview Tab

Viewing Preview

Switch to the Preview tab to see both sides of your connector together.

Click the "Preview" tab
View both mate and wire sides simultaneously
Verify pin alignment and numbering

preview Final Check: Use preview to catch any issues before saving your connector design.

Preview tab showing both connector sides

Preview showing mate and wire sides

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Manual Preview Bounds

Controlling Preview Region

Use manual preview bounds to control exactly which portion of your design appears in the preview and harness diagrams.

Setting Preview Bounds

Click the "Manual Preview Bounds" button (crop icon) on the upper toolbar
An orange dashed rectangle appears showing the preview region
Drag the rectangle to reposition the preview area
Resize using the corner and edge handles
Wire side bounds automatically mirror mate side settings

crop_free Undo/Redo: All preview bounds adjustments are integrated with the command system. You can undo/redo bounds changes just like any other edit using Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y.

flip Automatic Mirroring: You only need to set bounds on the mate side. The wire side automatically mirrors these settings for consistency.

Use manual preview bounds to control which portion appears in diagrams

Adding Properties

Connector Information

Fill in the basic properties like part number, manufacturer, and description to properly identify your custom connector.

Enter the part number (MPN)
Specify the manufacturer name
Add a descriptive description
Set technical specifications as needed

info Identification: Good properties make your connector easy to find and identify when building harnesses.

Filling in connector properties and specifications

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Saved Connector in Browse

Viewing Saved Connectors

After saving, your connector appears in the connector browser where you can load it for editing or use it in harness designs.

Save your connector using the Create Connector button
Open the Browse dialog to see saved connectors
Your connector appears in the list
Can be loaded for editing or used in harnesses

save Persistence: Saved connectors are stored in your account and available across all your harness projects.

Custom connector now available in parts library

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Adding to Harness

Using in Harness Builder

Navigate to the Harness Builder to use your custom connector in an actual cable harness design, just like any standard connector.

Go to App → Assembly Builder
Search for your custom connector in the parts library
Add it to your harness like any other connector
Your custom design appears on the canvas

integration_instructions Integration: Custom connectors work seamlessly with the harness builder and all export features.

Custom connector being added to harness design

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Connector in Harness

Custom Connector on Canvas

Your custom connector now appears on the harness canvas with your designed appearance and can be wired like any standard connector.

Connector displays with your custom graphics
All pins are available for wire connections
Pin numbers match your design
Works with all harness builder features

cable Full Functionality: Custom connectors support all features including wire connections, BOM generation, and exports.

Custom connector on the harness canvas

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Wiring Connections

Making Wire Connections

Connect wires to your custom connector pins, demonstrating that it functions exactly like any standard connector in the library.

Select a wire from the wire library
Click on a pin to make the first connection
Click on another connector or create a flying lead
Verify that the BOM updates with your custom connector

Making wire connections to custom connector

Wire connections being made to the custom connector

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Complete Integration

Fully Functional Custom Connector

Your custom connector is now fully integrated into Splice and ready for use in any harness design with complete functionality.

Make wire connections to any pin
Appears in bills of materials
Included in exports and documentation
Can be shared with team members

check_circle Congratulations! You've successfully created and integrated a custom connector. Your design is now ready for professional use in cable harness projects.

Fully integrated custom connector with wire connections

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