Cable Modeling is a Revit add-in from ABM_Engineer, the Autodesk App Store publisher name of electrical BIM developer Abdelrahman Mobarak. It creates cables over existing cable trays, from the host model or a linked model, as Revit conduit elements with the parameters needed to schedule them. Its purpose is accurate cable quantities on large projects. The developer says contractors usually build these cables by hand with sections and 3D views, which is slow on complex designs. The add-in supports Metric and Imperial standards and has a cable bill of quantities (BOQ) tool and Excel import and export.
Note on sources: This summary is based on the Autodesk App Store listing and its FAQ, the ABM_Engineer publisher profile, the developer's LinkedIn posts, his two YouTube demonstrations, and a third-party directory page. I found no independent reviews or hands-on tests. Descriptions of what the tool does come from the developer.
Key Facts
Developer: ABM_Engineer, whose publisher profile and LinkedIn posts point to Abdelrahman Mobarak, a BIM developer and electrical BIM design engineer. The publisher says it develops automated plugins, mainly electrical tools.
Standards: Metric and Imperial units.
Input: Existing cable trays in the host model or a linked model.
Output: Cables modeled as conduits with required parameters, plus cable tagging data and a cable BOQ.
What It Does
Cables as conduits: Revit has no native cable element to run along a tray, so the add-in models each cable as a conduit. Conduits can be scheduled and measured with Revit's normal tools, which gives usable lengths and counts.
Cable layout controls: You set the number of cables, the number of vertical layers, the spacing, the cable diameter, the tray inset, and more. It supports flat and trefoil formations.
Cable sizes and colors: You choose a cable size instead of typing a diameter, and you can set up custom sizes with your own names. Cables can be colored.
Host and linked trays: Cables can be created over cable trays in the host model or in a linked model.
Routing option: A containment selection option detects the shortest routing for a load. The FAQ says the load must be connected to an electrical panel for this to work.
Length summary: After the cables are created, a message gives the total length of the conduits (cables) just made.
Cables BOQ: A button opens a cable bill of quantities. You enter fed-from, fed-to, and cable details for each cable in a table. Double-clicking a cable run opens an isolated 3D view of it. The developer says this streamlines quantity take-offs.
Excel import and export: Cable descriptions can be imported or exported through Excel. The FAQ says conduit sizes can be exported to Excel too.
Known Limitations
The Autodesk listing's FAQ is candid about issues to plan for:
Bending radius: The tool fails if you enter a bending radius smaller than the minimum in the conduit settings for the selected standard.
Tight tray segments: If the selected tray segments are too close together, the bending radius may not match what you entered. Check that there's enough space, or enter a smaller radius and adjust it by hand.
Cable sizes: Change cable sizes only through the add-in's Setting Preparation button, not through Revit's Electrical settings.
Shortest routing: The load must be connected to an electrical panel.
Standards in Excel: When exporting conduit sizes to Excel, the standard column name is read-only, and you can't add a new standard through Excel. Add it in Revit first, then export again.
Fit for a BIM Coordinator
Where it helps: Electrical and low-current work where cable lengths drive quantities, such as contractor take-offs, cost estimates, and tray fill checks. Modeling the cables lets you schedule them and check them against the tray layout.
Model impact: Cables become conduit elements, which can add a lot of elements on large projects. Agree on a workset, category filters, and visibility settings so they don't clutter views or other schedules, and keep them from being counted as real conduit.
Working with linked models: Trays can come from a linked model, which suits federated setups where the electrical designer works in one file and the cables are modeled in another.
Where to be careful: Test the bending radius, spacing, and routing on a small tray run before using it on a whole project. The FAQ lists these as the main known failure points.
Open Questions
Which parameters are written to the conduits, and can you map them to your own shared parameters?
Are the cable BOQ values schedulable in Revit, or only viewable in the add-in? Can the BOQ be exported to Excel as a report?
Do the cables update when trays are moved or edited, or do they have to be recreated?
Can it work from cable routes that aren't on trays, such as conduit runs, trunking, or direct burial between manholes?
How does it handle vertical tray risers, fittings, and tray changes of direction?
Does it support other cable formations beyond flat and trefoil?
Bottom Line
Cable Modeling fills a gap Revit leaves open: it models cables over cable trays, in the host or a linked model, as conduits that can be scheduled for quantities. It has been actively developed for about two years, with versions adding Imperial units, custom cable sizes, a cable BOQ with fed-from and fed-to data, and Excel import and export. The developer's FAQ is open about its limits, such as bending radius and tray spacing. For electrical-focused BIM coordinators, it's worth trialing on a small tray run first. Confirm how the cable conduits fit your standards for worksets, schedules, and visibility before using it on a live project.
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