AutoCAD® Plant 3D – New and Enhanced Features in 2011

Figure 1.1
 
This dialog allows you to enter any legal Windows name for the file name. Previously, the file name was generated by merging the drawing number together with the Drawing title. This new feature is flexible to meet customers’ unique naming conventions throughout various industries.
 
This change further allows companies to customize this dialog by creating a new drawing naming template in their Project Setup. Follow instructions below to create a template for your company:

1. Open Project Setup – 2 ways to access
   1. RC on the Project title in the Project Manager and select “Properties” – or –
   2. Click on the bottom half of the Project Manager Split button found on the Home Ribbon tab, then choose Project Setup from the drop down list available; see Figure 1.2 below.
      Figure 1.2
2. When the Project Setup dialog appears, you will see - in the tree view on the left side - a new node called “File Name Format”; see Figure 1.3 below.
   
   Figure 1.3
   
   You now have the ability to create fields to customize the drawing file naming convention to fit your standards. For this example, I will use a standard from a company in my past. It included “Discipline-Area-Type-Sequence”.
3. Click on the “Add” button and enter the file name Discipline. Continue until you have all four fields added and named. You will then be able to assign each field to be a string or numeric value, the length or number of characters allowed as well as providing a delimiter between each field if desired; or you can create a predefined selection list for users to choose from a drop down list; see Figure 1.4 below.
   
   Figure 1.4
4. Click “OK” at the bottom of the Project Setup dialog upon completion. This will return you to the working interface. Now when you RC on the desired folder and choose “New Drawing”, you will see your custom dialog box appear asking you to enter values; see Figure 1.5 below.
    
   Figure 1.5
   
5. Once you have entered the required information, you can click “OK”. This will create the new drawing using the values entered to create the file name. If you should enter too many characters or numbers/letters in a field that does not meet the criteria defined in the Project Setup, you will receive an error shown above in Figure 1.5. Simply correct the issue and click “OK”. The result can be seen below in Figure 1.6 below. You also have the ability to enter a free forming name if desired by clicking on the Override check box shown above.
    
   Figure 1.6

To summarize this new feature, companies have more control and flexibility over the creation of project drawing file names to fit long existing company standards; preventing the need to go back and rename the files on the network saving time and man hours.
 
2. Converting Line to Pipe
In 2011, P3D has given us the ability to draw simple lines, polylines and/or arcs and convert them to pipe. This is very powerful for the Plant Industry. Below are the steps along with some figures to review this new feature.

1. Simply draw lines, polylines or arcs
2. Select the lines you want to convert
3. At this point, take your attention to the Part Insertion panel of the Home Ribbon. Here you have the ability to select the size, spec and/or line number prior to converting.
4. Once the desired values are set, click on the “Line to Pipe” button to complete the conversion process; see Figure 2.1 and Figure 2.2 below.

Figure 2.1                                        Figure 2.2
 
In summary, this is a very powerful tool while in the conceptual design phase and can benefit companies even more when retooling or tying into existing plants. Older 2D drawings from existing plants can be utilized to quickly convert process lines to 3D to aid in the new phases or expansion designs of existing plants.
 
3. Line Locking
Another new feature allows users to lock selected process lines. This prevents the pipes from being moved, erased, edited or tied into. To lock a line, follow the steps with figures below.

1. Open the Data Manager (DM).
   This can be accessed from the Project panel on the Home tab of the Ribbon; see Figure 3.1 below.
   Figure 3.1
2. Once the DM is open, expand the Pipe Lines node by clicking on the plus sign in in the tree view on the left side.
3. This will expand and show all routed pipe lines in the current drawing. To lock the desired pipe, RC on the line number and choose “Lock Line” from the menu; see Figure 3.2 below.
   

   
   Figure 3.2

4. Once this is completed, the routed pipe is locked which will prevent any changes from being allowed. This will be evident by hovering over the routed pipe; you will see a pad lock icon as well as viewing the Tool Tip information; see Figure 3.3 below.
    
   
   Figure 3.3

The Locking Lines new feature will help companies in protecting routed pipes in their designs. This is extremely important once drawings have been reviewed or if they have been issued for construction. Again, no changes, edits, moves or tie-ins will be allowed while the routed pipe line is locked. Users can simply access the DM, RC and choose Unlock Line if required to manipulate later. Think of other ways this feature will benefit your company's workflow process.
 
4. Precise Part Placement
P3D 2011 has greatly improved the process of placing parts accurately. Previously, users had to insert a part and then use the move grips along with OSNAPS to accurately place components. Now, with the enhancement, you simply place the component accurately when inserting. This saves a lot of time and can be achieved by following the steps and figures below.

1. Select the component you want to insert from the tool palette and then hover over the receiving pipe segment. You will then see temporary dimensions appear allowing you to enter direct distances from the temporary dimension locations. Using the tab key prior to inserting will toggle between the temporary dimension segments as needed; see Figure 4.1 below.
   
   Figure 4.1
2. This feature also extends the functionality by allowing the user to toggle between the insertion points. In this example, each time you select Basepoint, the insertion point cycles through each end and the center of the component. This can be achieved in 2 ways:
   1. User can RC and choose Basepoint – or –
   2. Enter b on the command line and hit enter; see Figure 4.2 & 4.3 below to see the component cycle from the left end to the center.

 
       
This new feature greatly improves the speed and accuracy during the design efforts.
 
5. Inserting Piping Components while Routing
The last new feature in this article is another productivity enhancement. This feature will save ample amounts of time combining the ability to add components while routing pipe. To utilize this timesaver, follow the steps and figures outline below.

1. Click on the Route Pipe button, pick a start point
2. At this time, RC and choose pipefitting from the menu; see Figure 5.1 below.
   
   Figure 5.1
3. This will bring to the front a dialog box allowing the user to select the desired component, size and specification. Once the selections have been made, simply click “Place”; see Figure 5.2 below.
   
   Figure 5.2
4. When you return to the workspace, you will notice the part is now attached to the end of the Pipe for placement in the design by clicking a point or entering a desired length. The command stays active allowing you to continue routing as needed. See Figure 5.3 & 5.4 below.
   
   Figure 5.3
   
   
   Figure 5.4

This feature makes routing pipe and inserting components much more fluid in the design process by cutting out many steps to achieve the necessary project designs.

I hope this article gives everyone a fresh new look into a few of the New Features of P3D 2011 and how the tools can benefit companies in all plant related industries. There are many additional new features we did not cover today, for example, relating to Ortho’s, Isometrics as well as the Spec and Catalog Editor. My next post will be centered around how to create new parts for your specs and catalogs using the new script feature. Until then… Best regards.
 

This page last edited on Monday, February 14, 2011