Building Library Parts

What you'll learn

• The structure of the Artifact library and the part types you can create
• How to create a connector with pins and a default contact part number
• How to create a wire and multi-conductor cable with insulation colors and gauges
• How to create a device with ports, pins, and accessories
• How to define channels on a device so multi-conductor protocols (CAN, Ethernet, UART, …) can be wired as a single channel
• How to save and edit custom parts, and how built-in (read-only) parts differ
• How to create inline components, terminals, accessories, contacts, backshells, tools, and harness treatments
• How to create reusable build notes

Prerequisites

• Complete Tutorial 2: App Overview so you know how to switch between the Diagrams and Library sidebars and where the right-pane Properties live.
• You need at least Editor permission in your organization to create or modify library parts.

Steps

1Open the library and create your first part

Click the Library tab in the left sidebar, or press L anywhere in the app to jump to it and focus the search field.

The library is organized into category accordions: Design Blocks, Devices, Connectors, Cables, Inline Components, Terminals, Accessories, Contacts, Backshells, Tools, Harness Treatments, and Build Notes. Above the categories sits a row of Annotations tiles for diagram-only markup. Within any category you can also add subfolders to keep parts organized — for example, one folder per connector series (Connectors), one folder per manufacturer (Cables), or one folder per project (Design Blocks). Right-click any subfolder for Add New Folder, Rename Folder, or Delete Folder, and drag a part between folders to reorganize.

Design Blocks are a special case — they aren't created in a library editor like the other categories. They're produced by packaging a diagram version as a reusable subsystem, so the rest of this tutorial skips them. See Tutorial 8: Design Blocks for the full workflow.

To create a new part, right-click the category name (e.g. Connectors, Cables, Devices) — the new part opens immediately in a full editor tab in the right-hand pane. Click Save Changes at the bottom of the editor (shortcut Ctrl/Cmd+S while the library editor is active) to commit your edits, or Discard Changes to revert them.

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2Create your first connector

A connector is a standalone part with one port and a set of pins.

1. Expand the Connectors category in the Library.
2. Right-click Connectors → Create New Connector. The Connector Editor tab opens with a default name New Connector.
3. In the Name: field, type a searchable part name (e.g. MX150 2-Pin Female).
4. Optionally fill in Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, and Description.
5. Optionally expand the Connector Parameters dropdown to fill in electrical, mechanical, and environmental technical specs.
6. Optionally expand the Procurement Information dropdown to add supplier, cost, inventory, and lead time.
7. Scroll to the {Connector} Pinouts section. Click Add 1 Pin (or change the count) at the bottom of the pin table to add more pins.
8. For each pin, set Name (e.g. 1, 2).
9. Optionally click Select Contact P/N on a pin row to assign a default contact part from your Contacts category.
10. Click the pin icon at the left of the row to toggle between Pin and Wire (a flying lead). Toggling to Wire reveals additional columns for insulation color, wire gauge, and length.
11. Optionally add a Connector Function (e.g. Power, Ground, Signal) if the connector has a standard interface (e.g. USB, HDMI, RJ45) - Uncommon.
12. To bulk-upload pins from a spreadsheet, click Import CSV. The info (ⓘ) button shows the CSV format and provides a downloadable example. Export CSV downloads the current pinout for quick modifications.
13. Optionally click Select default backshell to assign a default backshell from your Backshells category.
14. Optionally click Add Accessory or Add Tool to link parts to the connectors.
15. Optionally resize the width of the connector in the preview window using the resize icon in the bottom-right.
16. Click Save Changes.

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3Create wires and multi-conductor cables

In Artifact's library, the Cable part type includes both single-conductor wires and multi-conductor cables — a "wire" is simply a cable with one conductor. The flow below works for both; you only need to add extra wire rows if you're creating a multi-conductor cable.

1. Expand the Cables category.
2. Right-click Cables → Create New Cable. The Cable Editor tab opens with default name New Cable and one pre-filled wire row (W1).
3. Enter the Name (e.g. 22 AWG Hookup Wire, Red for a single conductor or Belden 9501 - 2C 22AWG for a multi-conductor cable) and the P/N fields.
4. Optionally fill in Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, and Description.
5. Optionally expand the Cable Parameters dropdown to fill in electrical, mechanical, and environmental technical specs.
6. Optionally expand the Procurement Information dropdown to add supplier, cost, inventory, and lead time.
7. Scroll to the Cable Information section, and optionally select:
   • COTS Cable — flag this as commercial-off-the-shelf with end-connector part numbers
   • Shielded — adds a shield conductor
8. Fill in the wire table for each conductor:
   • Name (e.g. W1)
   • Insulation Color — pick from the color combobox
   • Wire Gauge — pick AWG or MCM value
   • Twist Group (optional) — group conductors that twist together
9. For a multi-conductor cable, click Add N Wire(s) at the bottom of the table (change N to the number of additional conductors) and fill in each new row. For a single-conductor wire, the pre-filled W1 row is all you need.
10. If you marked COTS Cable, fill in Connector A P/N and Connector B P/N and the per-pin mapping.
11. Optionally click Add Accessory or Add Tool to link parts to the wire/cable.
12. Click Save Changes.

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4Create a device with ports

A device represents a piece of equipment (controller, sensor, etc.) and groups its electrical interface into one or more ports.

1. Expand the Devices category.
2. Right-click Devices → Create New Device. The Device Editor tab opens with default name New Device.
3. In the Name: field, type a searchable part name (e.g. Engine Control Module).
4. Optionally fill in Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, and Description.
5. Optionally expand the Device Parameters dropdown to fill in electrical, mechanical, and environmental technical specs.
6. Optionally expand the Procurement Information dropdown to add supplier, cost, inventory, and lead time.
7. In the {Device} Pinouts section, click Add Port with N Pin(s) to create a port. Repeat for each connector face on the device.
8. To bulk-upload ports and pins from a spreadsheet, click Import CSV. The info (ⓘ) button shows the CSV format and provides a downloadable example. Export CSV downloads the current pinout for quick modification.
9. To import a pinout directly from your PCB software, click KiCAD & Altium Upload. Select one or more .kicad_sch (KiCad) or .SchDoc / .schdoc (Altium) schematic files. Artifact will open an importer that lets you map the schematic's symbols and pins into device ports.
10. For each port, set the Port name, Function, Base Connector P/N (the connector on the device side), and Mating Connector P/N (the harness-side connector that plugs in).
11. For each pin, set Name (e.g. 1, 2), and Function (e.g. TX+, RX-).
12. Optionally click Select Contact P/N on a pin row to assign a default contact part from your Contacts category.
13. Click the pin icon at the left of the row to toggle between Pin and Wire (a flying lead). Toggling to Wire reveals additional columns for insulation color, wire gauge, and length.
14. To set electrical parameters per pin, click Pin Parameters and edit Signal Type, Voltage Max, Current Max, Impedance, etc.
15. Optionally click Add Accessory or Add Tool to link parts to the device.
16. Click Save Changes.

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5Define channels on a device (optional)

A channel lets a device abstract a multi-conductor protocol — Ethernet, RS232/RS422/RS485, CAN, etc. — as a single interface instead of a set of pins. On a diagram you can then wire the whole protocol with a single channel (Tutorial 5: Designing with Channels) rather than drawing every conductor by hand.

1. Open or create a device (step 4) and find the Channels section, which sits just above the {Device} Pinouts table.
2. At the bottom of the Channels box, set the count, pick a Protocol from the dropdown (CAN, ETH 100 BASE TX, ETH 1000 BASE T, SPI, I2C, UART, RS232, RS422, RS485), and click + (or press Enter) to add that many channels. Each new channel gets an auto name like CAN (1).
3. Channels are grouped by protocol under a collapsible, color-coded header that shows the count. Expand a group to rename a channel inline (e.g. CAN1, Engine Bus), delete a single channel with its row trash icon, or delete the whole protocol with the header trash icon.
4. Map each role to a pin. Once the device has at least one channel, the {Device} Pinouts table gains a Channel column. On a pin row, use the Select Channel combobox to pick a <channel>: <role> pair (e.g. CAN1: CAN+). The roles offered come from that channel's protocol.
5. A pin can serve more than one channel — a shared GND is common. Click the + beside a pin's channel cell to add another assignment, or choose None to clear it. Each role can only be claimed by one pin, so already-used roles are disabled on other rows.
6. Watch for the purple warning icon on a channel row: it means at least one role still has no pin assigned. Hover it to see which roles are missing (e.g. "No pin is assigned to roles: GND"). You can still save an incomplete channel, but it won't generate wires for the unmapped roles on a diagram.
7. Optionally set diagram defaults from the live preview on the right: drag a channel block to position it, and use the Channel Visibility eye toggles to choose which channels appear by default. Like port defaults, these placement and visibility choices are saved with the library part and applied wherever the device is placed.
8. Click Save Changes.

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6Inline components, terminals, and other built-in parts

Two specialized device categories — Inline Components and Terminals — hold parts that sit inline with a wire rather than acting as full multi-port equipment. Both categories mix two kinds of entries:

1. Built-in parts: a stock catalog of symbol-based components: Fuse, Resistor, Diode, Capacitor, Inductor, Thermocouple, and similar generic devices. They are read-only templates. You can drag them onto a diagram. They should eventually be replaced with a custom part with procurement information so your BOM is computed correctly.
2. Your organization's custom parts that you can create in the same library folders — these are custom library items with part numbers, parameters, and procurement info.

To create a custom part from a built-in part:

1. Expand the Inline Components or Terminals category.
2. Right-click the category and pick the matching Create New ... action:
   • Inline Components → Create New Inline Component (defaults to the diode symbol)
   • Terminals → Create New Terminal (defaults to the ring-terminal symbol)
3. The Device Editor opens. Enter the Name (e.g. 5A Mini Blade Fuse, Three-way Splice, M6 Ring Terminal, 12 AWG).
4. Optionally fill in Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, and Description.
5. In the Symbol: dropdown, pick the symbol that best matches the part (e.g. Fuse, Resistor, Capacitor, Diode, etc.). The preview re-renders to match.
6. Optionally pick a Default Color:.
7. Optionally expand the Device Parameters dropdown for technical specs and the Procurement Information dropdown for supplier info.
8. In Device Pinouts, each symbol connection point is listed as a pin row (you cannot add or remove pins for symbol-based parts — the count comes from the symbol).
   • All Pins Share Net is on by default. Leave it checked when every connection on the part should belong to the same electrical net.
   • Clear All Pins Share Net to show a Net column on each pin row. Enter a Net Name per pin when different sides of the part should map to different nets on the diagram.
   • Splices always share one net; this checkbox does not appear for them.
9. Optionally click Add Accessory or Add Tool to link related library parts.
10. Click Save Changes.

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7Create accessories, contacts, backshells, and tools

These four categories are linked to other parts (and don't appear on a diagram) — you can't drag them onto a canvas. Instead, they're referenced from the parts you can place: e.g. a connector points at a default backshell, a pin contact points to a crimp tool, a cable points to a shield termination accessory. These components show up on BOMs and procurement reports through those links.

• Contacts — the crimp / solder / IDC contacts that get installed into a connector housing. Right-click Contacts → Create New Contact opens the Contact Editor. Fill in Name, Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, Description, and the Contact Parameters dropdown (wire-gauge range, plating, retention force, etc.). Referenced from connector/device pin rows via Select Contact P/N, or set as a port-level default in the connector editor.
• Backshells — strain-relief and EMI covers that thread onto the back of a connector. Right-click Backshells → Create New Backshell opens the editor. Fill in the standard fields and the Backshell Parameters dropdown. Referenced from a connector via Select default backshell (and overridable per-instance from the diagram).
• Accessories — mounting hardware, dust caps, sealing plugs, cable ties, heat-shrink, and any other companion parts. Right-click Accessories → Create New Accessory. Fill in Accessory Parameters. Linked to connectors and devices via the Add Accessory button in their editors.
• Tools — crimpers, extractors, torque wrenches, and any other assembly tools called out on the work instructions. Right-click Tools → Create New Tool. Fill in Tool Parameters (size, drive, manufacturer P/N). Linked to connectors and devices via the Add Tool button.

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8Create harness treatments

A harness treatment is a physical covering that wraps or supports a harness segment — think braided sleeving over a noisy data run, spiral wrap over a bundle that needs abrasion protection, or zip ties holding several wires together. In Artifact, treatments are library parts that you later assign to specific segments in the Harness Editor (Tutorial 6: Harness Editor). When applied, Artifact renders the covering graphic directly on the harness drawing and adds the treatment to the harness BOM with length / quantity rolled up automatically.

Each treatment has a Treatment Type: that controls how it renders and rolls up:

• Overbraid — woven sleeve drawn as a cross-hatched overlay along the segment (sold by length).
• Overwrap — spiral wrap or tape drawn as a diagonal-stripe overlay along the segment (sold by length).
• Conduit — solid tube drawn as a thick outer sleeve along the segment (sold by length).
• Bundle-tie — discrete tie points (e.g. zip ties) drawn as little marks on the segment (sold by count).
• No-overlay — appears on the BOM but draws nothing on the diagram. Use this for things like dielectric grease, sealing tape, or any process callout that doesn't need a graphic.

To create one:

1. Expand the Harness Treatments category.
2. Right-click Harness Treatments → Create New Treatment. The editor opens with default name New Harness Treatment and Treatment Type: Overbraid.
3. Set the Name (e.g. 1/4" Expandable Braided Sleeving, 10mm Convoluted Conduit, 8" Zip Tie).
4. Optionally fill in Internal P/N, Manufacturer P/N, and Description.
5. Pick a Treatment Type: from the dropdown — this drives the overlay style on harness segments and the BOM rollup (length vs. count).
6. Pick a Color: — used both for the on-drawing overlay and the legend in the harness BOM.
7. Optionally expand Treatment Parameters (inside diameter, material, temperature rating, etc.) and Procurement Information (supplier, cost, lead time).
8. Click Save Changes.

The treatment is now available to drop onto segments from the Harness Editor's Treatments panel or from a segment's properties pane in the Diagram Editor.

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9Create build notes

A build note is a numbered assembly callout — a color-coded flag placed on a diagram or harness drawing with descriptive text that appears in the build-notes table and on the PDF export. Use them for assembly instructions ("apply Loctite 242 to thread"), test callouts ("hi-pot test these conductors"), inspection points, or any one-line note the manufacturer needs at a specific spot on the harness.

Multiple instances of the same build note share one numeric key (1, 2, 3, …) and one description, so you can place the same callout at several locations and edit it in one place. Build notes come in two flavors:

• Library build notes — saved under the Build Notes category in the Library. Reusable across diagrams; edits propagate to every instance via Update from Library.
• Ad-hoc build notes — placed directly from the Annotations row on a diagram (the Build Note tile). Local to that diagram, with no library entry.

To create one:

1. Expand the Build Notes category.
2. Right-click Build Notes → Create New Build Note. The editor opens with default name New Build Note, Shape: Diamond, and the default light-purple Color (#D4C6E0).
3. Set the Name — this is the library label (e.g. Apply Loctite 242, Hi-Pot Test, Solder Joint Inspection). It is not what shows on the drawing.
4. Fill in the Build Note: text area — this is what appears in the build-notes table on PDF exports, so write the full instruction here.
5. Pick a Shape: (Diamond, Square, Circle, or Triangle) and a Color:. Use these to visually distinguish categories of notes (e.g. all inspection notes are blue circles, all assembly notes are purple diamonds).
6. Click Save Changes.

To use the new build note, drag it from the Library onto your diagram (or onto the Harness Editor canvas). Artifact assigns the next available key automatically; drop a second copy and it'll reuse the same key and text, kept in sync.

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Summary

You created reusable connectors, wires and cables, devices, inline components, and terminals in the library; learned where pin counts, contact part numbers, insulation colors, gauges, ports, and procurement info live in the editors; declared protocol channels on a device and mapped their roles onto pins; and saw how built-in default items work versus your editable org parts. Every part you saved is now available to drag onto diagrams.

What's next

• → Tutorial 4: Make your First Diagram — drag your new library parts onto a canvas and wire them up.
• → Tutorial 5: Designing with Channels — use the channels you defined here to wire whole protocols with a single channel.
• → Tutorial 6: Harness Editor — once you have wires, assign them to a harness and route segments physically.
• → Tutorial 10: Library & Project Dashboards — query, report on, and CSV-export the parts you just built with the Library Dashboard.