Bentley Pipe

B ENTLEY A UTO PLANT ®
PIPING
2004 EDITION
3D Piping Modeling
DAA034660-1/0002
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
TRADEMARKS
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service mark of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or Bentley Software, Inc.
AutoPLANT is a registered trademark of Rebis.

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Other brands and product names are the trademarks of their respective owners.
COPYRIGHTS
Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Bentley Systems Incorporated. The software in this document is
furnished under a license agreement or a non-disclosure agreement. It is against the law to copy the
software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license or non-disclosure agreement.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
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permission of Bentley Systems, Incorporated. If this manual is being received electronically, you
may print one copy for each licensed user, to whom the manual relate, for informational, non-
commercial purposes, provided that any copy of this document (or any portion thereof) contains
this copyright notice.
1997-2003 Rebis. All rights reserved. (the copyright date is changed as needed to reflect dated
changes to the documentation)
AutoPLANT 1997 Rebis.
Unpublished rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States and international
treaties. All rights reserved.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PIPING? ....................................................................................................... 1-2
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS............................................................................ 1-2
HELP AND DOCUMENTATION................................................................................... 1-3
HTML HELP AND PDF TUTORIAL FILES....................................................... 1-3
HELP/DOCUMENT UPDATES ................................................................. 1-3
PIPING HELP ORGANIZATION...................................................................... 1-3
PRINTING HELP/TUTORIAL FILES ......................................................... 1-4
ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL ............................................................................................. 1-5
COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS ............................................................ 1-6
MODEL CONSTRUCTION.............................................................................. 1-6
PRE-START CHECKLIST ............................................................................... 1-6
FEATURES.................................................................................................................. 1-7
NEW FEATURES ............................................................................................ 1-8
OTHER FEATURES........................................................................................ 1-9
SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS............................................................... 1-18
TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES ................................................................. 1-20
TECHNICAL SUPPORT................................................................................ 1-20
SELECT SERVICES ONLINE ....................................................................... 1-20
SELECT PRIVILEGES .................................................................................. 1-21
BENTLEY CONSULTING.............................................................................. 1-22
BENTLEY INSTITUTE................................................................................... 1-22
THE BENTLEY INTEGRATION NETWORK.................................................. 1-22
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS ........................................................................ 1-23
PROCEDURE CONVENTIONS .................................................................... 1-23
Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial i

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 2: PROJECT MODES AND PROGRAM START

PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR ......................................................................................2-3
CREATING A NEW PROJECT ........................................................................2-3
IMPORTING DRAWINGS FROM ANOTHER PROJECT.................................2-9
STARTING PIPING ....................................................................................................2-13
CHAPTER REVIEW ...................................................................................................2-16
WHAT’S NEXT...............................................................................................2-16
CHAPTER 3: A TOUR OF THE INTERFACE

TOOLBARS..................................................................................................................3-2
DRAWING PREFERENCES ........................................................................................3-4
DRAWING MODE/REPRESENTATIONS........................................................3-5
COMPONENT PREFERENCES CONTROL ..............................................................3-10
DISPLAY MODES..........................................................................................3-11
PREFERENCES GRID ..................................................................................3-11
PROJECT PREFERENCES FUNCTIONS ..............................................3-12
COMPONENT PREFERENCES FUNCTIONS........................................3-13
NAVIGATION TREE ......................................................................................3-13
CONTEXT MENUS .................................................................................3-14
CHAPTER REVIEW ...................................................................................................3-16
WHAT’S NEXT...............................................................................................3-16
CHAPTER 4: COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................4-2
BASIC PLACEMENT PROCEDURE ............................................................................4-2
COMPONENT SELECTION.........................................................................................4-4
PIPING MENU .................................................................................................4-4
PIPING COMPONENTS MAIN TOOLBAR ......................................................4-5
DIRECTION AIDS............................................................................................4-5
BASIC PLACEMENT EXERCISES...............................................................................4-6
GETTING STARTED .......................................................................................4-6
SETTING INITIAL DRAWING AND PROJECT PREFERENCES.....................4-7
PLACEMENT IN SPACE .................................................................................4-9
CONNECTING COMPONENTS ....................................................................4-13
PLACING FROM A REFERENCE POINT......................................................4-15
PLACING COMPONENTS IN A SKEWED VIEW...........................................4-18
ALIGNING COMPONENTS ...........................................................................4-21
ATTACHING TO A CENTERLINE .................................................................4-23
AUTOMATIC PIPE PLACEMENT..................................................................4-26
ii Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INSERT INTO PIPE....................................................................................... 4-27

DISPLAY MODES...................................................................................................... 4-29
COMPLETING THE EXERCISES .............................................................................. 4-29
CHAPTER REVIEW................................................................................................... 4-30
WHAT’S NEXT .............................................................................................. 4-30
CHAPTER 5: ROUTING PIPE AND FITTINGS

OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................. 5-2
OPENING THE DRAWING .......................................................................................... 5-2
DRAWING SETTINGS................................................................................................. 5-4
PROJECT PREFERENCES......................................................................................... 5-5
LINE L1000 .................................................................................................................. 5-8
LINE L2000 ................................................................................................................ 5-12
COPYING COMPONENTS ........................................................................... 5-14
WORKING WITH REFERENCE POINTS...................................................... 5-16
THE ALIGN TO OPTION ............................................................................... 5-19
CONNECTING PIPE ..................................................................................... 5-21
ROUTING A CENTERLINE ........................................................................... 5-23
ADDING ELBOWS AT THE INTERSECTIONS ............................................. 5-27
COMPLETING THE MODEL ......................................................................... 5-29
SAVING THE DRAWING ........................................................................................... 5-30
CHAPTER REVIEW................................................................................................... 5-30
WHAT’S NEXT? ............................................................................................ 5-30
CHAPTER 6: DRAWING FUNCTIONS

OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................. 6-2
PROJECT MODE......................................................................................................... 6-2
STANDALONE MODE .................................................................................... 6-2
DISTRIBUTED MODE..................................................................................... 6-2
CENTRAL MODE............................................................................................ 6-3
VIEWING COMPONENT INFORMATION ................................................................... 6-4
EDITING COMPONENT INFORMATION .................................................................... 6-7
VIEWING THE DRAWING DATABASE........................................................................ 6-8
UPDATING COMPONENTS........................................................................................ 6-9
CLEANING THE DATABASE..................................................................................... 6-14
CHAPTER REVIEW................................................................................................... 6-15
WHAT’S NEXT? ............................................................................................ 6-15
Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 7: DRAWING PRODUCTION

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................7-2
BEFORE YOU START.....................................................................................7-2
SETTING UP PAPER SPACE ......................................................................................7-3
WORK AREA................................................................................................................7-5
WHAT IS A WORK AREA? ..............................................................................7-5
CREATING A WORK AREA.............................................................................7-8
DEFINING WORK AREA VIEWS...................................................................7-10
PLACING WORK AREA VIEWS IN PAPER SPACE ......................................7-14
DIMENSIONS.............................................................................................................7-16
ANNOTATION............................................................................................................7-22
ESTABLISHING ANNOTATION PREFERENCES.........................................7-22
VALVE ANNOTATION...................................................................................7-23
LINE NUMBER ANNOTATION ......................................................................7-25
CREATING AND ANNOTATING A SECTION ............................................................7-29
CHAPTER REVIEW ...................................................................................................7-31
WHAT’S NEXT?.............................................................................................7-31
CHAPTER 8: GENERATING A BILL OF MATERIALS

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................8-2
GENERATING THE BILL OF MATERIALS...................................................................8-3
RETURNING TO MODEL SPACE................................................................................8-8
CHAPTER REVIEW .....................................................................................................8-8
SUMMARY...................................................................................................................8-8
CHAPTER 9: SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS

OVERVIEW..................................................................................................................9-2
AUTOPLANT IMPORT/EXPORT .................................................................................9-3
PROJECT TOOLS........................................................................................................9-4
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR .........................................................................9-4
HOW ARE PROJECTS CREATED?..........................................................9-5
PROJECT OBJECT MAINTENANCE TOOL....................................................9-6
AUTOPLANT CLASS EDITOR.....................................................................................9-8
PROGRAM START..........................................................................................9-9
GETTING STARTED .......................................................................................9-9
UPDATING THE CONFIGURATION FILES...................................................9-10
SPECIFICATION GENERATOR ................................................................................9-11
WHAT IS A CATALOG?.................................................................................9-12
iv Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHAT IS A SPECIFICATION? ...................................................................... 9-12

HOW DOES IT WORK?................................................................................. 9-12
2D TO 3D CONSISTENCY CHECKER ...................................................................... 9-13
2D TO 3D CONSISTENCY REPORTER ....................................................... 9-13
AUTOPLANT 2D BROWSER ACTIVEX CONTROL...................................... 9-14
SCRIPT EDITOR ....................................................................................................... 9-15
PROGRAM START ....................................................................................... 9-15
DEBUG MODE.............................................................................................. 9-16
DIALOG EDITOR....................................................................................................... 9-17
PROGRAM START ....................................................................................... 9-17
AUTOPLANT DRAWING FLATTENER...................................................................... 9-18
EXPLORER/ID........................................................................................................... 9-20
EXPLORER PROGRAM START ................................................................... 9-20
VIEWING AUTOPLANT COMPONENT INFORMATION .............................. 9-21
INTERFERENCE DETECTION MODULE..................................................... 9-21
EXPLORER/ID PROGRAM START ........................................................ 9-21
Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial v

1 INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING, a 3D integrated piping

application which makes it easier than ever to produce and maintain
intelligent, three-dimensional piping models. PIPING combines speed and
power into an intuitive, graphical interface that makes the process of creating
models easier than ever. PIPING has been designed to make your job easier
by reducing drawing time and automating traditionally time-intensive tasks.
Project Managers will also appreciate the efficiency with which project data
is handled, and how easy it is to share data between the entire suite of
Bentley AutoPLANT products. This tutorial introduces some of the main
features of PIPING, and walks you through the creation of a simple piping
model. For information related to the use of a specific command or function
refer to the on-line help.
WHAT IS PIPING? 1-2
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1-2
HELP AND DOCUMENTATION 1-3
ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL 1-5
FEATURES 1-7
TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES 1-20
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS 1-23
Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-1

INTRODUCTION
W HAT IS PIPING?
WHAT IS PIPING?
PIPING is a powerful addition to Autodesk’s popular AutoCAD drafting package. The program
architecture takes advantage of the latest AutoCAD technology to enable you to produce
intelligent, three-dimensional production models under demanding deadline constraints. If you are
a new user of Bentley AutoPLANT PIPING, you will soon discover that PIPING provides a true
three-dimensional work environment. Objects can be viewed from any perspective, and users can
toggle between various display modes almost instantaneously, without creating duplicate objects in
the drawing or experiencing a “lag” in redraw time. What’s more, the underlying data is more
powerful than ever. Component and drawing control data is dynamically linked to an external
project database. The database information can be used to generate reports, or to globally
manipulate and revise the descriptive component data.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
You must have a CD drive or Internet access for product installation. The following prerequisites
are required to run Bentley Plant Design 2004 Edition applications.
Operating System Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, SP6a or later, OR

Microsoft Windows 2000, SP4 or later, OR
Microsoft Windows XP Professional, SP 1a or later
Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Professional Edition (Access and Excel 2000 or XP)
Internet Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 SP1a or greater
Memory 512 MB (More memory typically results in better performance.)
Hard Disk 1.5 GB minimum free hard disk space
Input Device Any industry-standard input device supported by Windows
Output Device Any industry-standard output device supported by Windows
Video Graphics Any industry-standard video card/monitor
Card
CAD Engines AutoCAD: 2000 (plus SP2), 2000i (plus SP2), 2002 (plus SP1), 2004, 2005
AutoCAD Mechanical Desktop: 6.0, 2004 (plus SP1), 2005
Architectural Desktop: 3.3, 2004 (plus SP1), 2005
Building Systems: 3.0, 2004, 2005
AutoCAD Mechanical 2004, 2005
Databases (using OLEDB/ODBC): Microsoft Access 2000 (Access 97 will be supported for Specgen)
MSDE / SQL Server 2000
Oracle 8.1.3 and 8.1.4, Oracle 9i
Before you install the Bentley Plant Design software, you should confirm that you have adequate
hardware and software capabilities to install and use the product.
1-2 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

INTRODUCTION
HELP AND DOCUMENTATION

In an effort to provide you with the best application support in the industry, Bentley documentation
is provided electronically. This important decision was made to provide a method of quickly
updating users with the latest program additions or modifications. Since this information is
provided electronically, users can simply download the latest help files from our web site, without
the delay to update and reprint hard copy documentation.
Note The latest documentatin downloads are available at http://docs.bentley.com.
HTML HELP AND PDF TUTORIAL FILES

All Bentley Plant help is provided in the latest HTML help format, while tutorials are provided
electronically in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The capability to view HTML help is automatically
built into the Windows 2000, and Windows XP operating systems. Users with Windows NT 4.0
must have Internet Explorer 5.x or later installed and functioning. To view the PDF files you must
have Adobe Acrobat Reader v.4.x or later installed and functioning.
All applications provide a Help > Contents menu selection, which will display the help for that
application. In most instances, primary application help may also be directly launched via the
Bentley > Plant > Help Files folder in your Windows Start menu.
HELP/DOCUMENT UPDATES
The Contents page of Bentley Plant help files contains an Update Now button. If you have a
connection established with an Internet provider, press this button to access the
http://docs.bentley.com web page. Bentley Plant Help and Tutorials are tracked by the build date
that displays in the Title bar of each help/tutorial window. Compare the build date on your existing
file with the build date of this file in the download area of the Bentley web site to determine if a
newer version is available.
Downloads will be provided in the form of self-extracting zip files. When you download an update,
simply save the file to the directory where the old files resides, then run the downloaded
executable. For example, if you download an update for the Bentley AutoPLANT PIPING 2004
Edition help file ATPIPE.CHM, the downloaded file will be named PIPE2004.EXE. Save the file
to your..\PLANT\HELP directory where the existing ATPIPE.CHM help file resides, then run the
PIPE2004.EXE to overwrite your existing help file.
PIPING HELP ORGANIZATION

PIPING’s Help is the source for answers to any questions you might have about program features
and functionality. All PIPING command dialogs provide a help button to quickly display context-
sensitive help on that option. PIPING Help includes the following main topic areas:

INTRODUCTION
! New Features: Provides links to new and modified features by version number.
! Getting Started: Provides an introduction to the interface, covers general placement techniques
and tools, explains the recommended method of annotating drawings, and provides a
description on how to get the most use out of the help system.
! Command Reference: This folder is organized to closely match the structure of the Piping main
menu. This should enable you to quickly locate help on a specific menu option. In general, the
help for each command resides in a separate folder under the menu name folder where it exists
in the menu. Most command folders also contain a How To sub folder, which includes a set
of procedure topics that describe how to use that command.
! 2D Piping Application Notes: The 2D PIPING application options are automatically included if
you have purchased the full 3D PIPING application. If you have only purchased a 2D PIPING
authorization, please read the topics in this area for important information.
! Technical Support: Contains information on how and when to contact our Technical Support
and Services staff. This section includes telephone and fax numbers, as well as a live web link
to the Bentley web site for the latest support information.
Help for supplemental applications is also linked into primary application help files.
PRINTING HELP/TUTORIAL FILES

The HTML format of Bentley AutoPLANT help systems makes printing easier than ever. To print
a topic, simply select it from the Table of Contents, then press the Print button. Enable the Print the
selected topic radio button in the dialog displayed then press OK. If you want to print all of the
topics that reside in a particular folder and all of its sub-folders, simply select the folder and press
Print, then enable the Print the selected heading and all subtopics radio button, then press OK. All
topics in and below the selected folder will be printed in the order that they are defined in the
folder.
PDF files may be output to a printer by selecting File > Print, and then selecting the range of pages
you would like to print.

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL
ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL

The model constructed in this tutorial is not intended to be a working piping arrangement. Instead,
the focus is on building a model that demonstrates the major features of the PIPING application.
As the model is constructed, you will learn various techniques that can be used to place and
connect components. The finished tutorial model is shown below.
This tutorial also emphasizes the use of PIPING’s Drawing Production utilities to place annotation,
dimensions, Bill of Materials, and Sections in Paper Space as shown below.

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL
COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS

Chapter 3 of this tutorial introduces the PIPING interface, while Chapter 4 introduces the basic
placement procedures. These exercises are provided to help you get comfortable with the full range
of placement options. Exercises are provided that describe connecting components, placing
components with respect to a reference point, toggling the insertion point, changing the reference
point, aligning components, etc. By the end of this section, you should be familiar with the
placement interface and be able to quickly place a component anywhere in your model with
precision.
Note If you want more information on the range of connection and placement options, refer to
the Getting Started section of the on-line help.
MODEL CONSTRUCTION
The bulk of this tutorial focuses on the construction of a simple piping model. Separate chapters
are provided on project-setup, building the model, working with model data, annotating and
dimensioning the model, and producing reports. At the end of the tutorial, you will have
constructed a sample piping model, obtained a solid working knowledge of the program, and
learned how to apply these techniques to create your own models.
PRE-START CHECKLIST
INSTALL PIPING PROGRAM FILES

Before you can begin this Tutorial, you must install the PIPING program files onto your hard disk
and configure your computer system to run PIPING.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
FEATURES
PIPING runs on top of AutoCAD as shown in the following figure (AutoCAD 2002 screens are
used throughout this tutorial), and includes pull-down menus and toolbars that contain commands
specifically designed for the creation and modification of professional piping models. The PIPING
pull-down menus are organized in a cascading style like those in AutoCAD. In addition, PIPING
provides easy access to AutoCAD commands, and support of most AutoCAD command line key-
ins.
Note Chapter 3 introduces the PIPING interface and offers suggestions for customizing the
interface to suit your working style.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
NEW FEATURES
Many new features were added to enhance the performance and operation of AutoPLANT 2004
Edition. Below is a brief overview of what upgrades have been included in this release.
BETTER INTEGRATION WITH AUTOCAD

! Supports more AutoCAD versions
! Added context sensitive menus with AutoPLANT functionality
! Tooltips that include displaying database information when pausing the cursor over a
component
! Doubling clicking on a component invokes the component's edit dialog
IMPROVED PERFORMANCE
! Database access
! Component Selection
! Import/Export including: Isogen extraction, PXF and AutoISO
ENHANCED PERFORMANCE – OVER 178 SPECIFIC ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDING:

! Change size/spec (easier to use with new "Auto" mode)
! A True single line which is correct in any view direction for all modules
NEW COMPONENTS AND CATALOGS

! Waste Water enhancements
! AWWA catalog
! American Ductile Iron joints and components
! Several new valve manufacturers catalogs

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
! Hi Purity components
! Sisto Diaphragm Valves
! Copper tubing
! NIBCO catalog
IMPROVED SPECGGEN
! Faster load times
! Faster builds
! Select multiple tables per constraint
! Expand/Minimize sections
! Expert mode per section
INTEGRATION
! Plant Core merges all shared utilities, wizards, controls, etc into a single installable object for
better compatability
! Tighter integration with Bentley ProjetWise
! New eWarehouse connector links AutoPLANT data to ESSI data warehouse
OTHER FEATURES
PROJECT DATABASE SERVER SOFTWARE SUPPORT

One of the primary capabilities of Bentley Plant applications is support for powerful databases
such as SQL Server and Oracle. Previously, only MS Access was supported and the user had to
manage their project using manual procedures. There are three modes of operation that you can
choose from for a project.
! Standalone mode: single drawing, no project database. Suitable for a one-off drawing or a
small project.
! Distributed mode: project database, with individual model MDB files. This mode closely
resembles the capabilities provided in AutoPLANT 3D v2.01 applications. Distributed mode

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
is intended for small/medium sized projects where the user wants to continue to run MS
Access or MSDE for the primary database while retaining the benefits of a managed project.
! Central mode: all data stored in central project database. Requires MSDE, Oracle, or SQL
Server.
Note Central Mode and/or Oracle & SQL Server is an additional cost item
The following databases can be used with AutoPLANT 2004.
! Oracle 8.17, 8.16, and 9i.
! SQL Server 7.0 and 2000
! MSDE 2000
! Microsoft Access 97 (Specs only) and 2000
INTEGRATION WITH AUTOPLANT P&IW APPLICATIONS

Bentley AutoPLANT 3D Plant Design (PDW) applications use the same project structure as
Bentley Process and Instrumentation (P&IW) applications with both 2D and 3D data in the same
database. There are some tables used exclusively by these product groups, and some that are
shared. Shared tables include the tag register, document register and process line list.
Note that by using this strategy, you can have a project running P&IW applications, PDW
applications, or both. It is not a requirement to have Bentley P&IW applications installed to use
the project environment.
If both application sets are used, the 3D user will see a full list of line numbers to select from when
routing piping. When placing equipment, they will be able to select equipment tags from those that
were previously placed on a Bentley AutoPLANT P&ID, or otherwise entered into the project
database.
If the user is only responsible for the detailed design phase of a project, P&IW applications such as
Data Manager and Datasheets can still be used in conjunction with the PDW data. Line list reports
or equipment data sheets can be generated from the data entered by the 3D environment.
There are additional 2D/3D tools such as the ability to browse the P&ID from within a 3D
application, set the current spec and size from a component on the P&ID, etc.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
PRODUCTIVITY
PIPING’s emphasis is on producing finished 3D models. Drawing production tools are provided to
set up work areas and views. These enable you to manage multiple drawings developed for a
particular project and generate production drawings from them. Production drawings can be
output, reports generated, and drawings created with other AutoPLANT applications, such as
EQUIPMENT or STRUCTURAL can be xreferenced in to complete the model.
A variety of features are available to automate most repetitive drafting tasks. Extensive use of
PIPING's utilities automate processes such as conversion between drawing modes, generation of
Bill of Materials, routing centerline paths, automatic placement of pipe, etc. Our goal is to
automate the processes that formerly required intensive user interaction, thereby saving you time
while ensuring accurate, clean models. Managers responsible for meeting tight production
deadlines will appreciate this important design philosophy.
TRUE 3D DESIGN
When our developers began work on PIPING, much of the emphasis was placed on creating clean
three-dimensional models. It was also a requirement that the file size be minimized, and that views
be available to support a variety of display modes without the added baggage of creating duplicate
copies of components. The result of our efforts is a true three-dimensional work environment that
does not sacrifice speed or drawing size to achieve its goal. Gone are the days of being forced to
visualize 3D objects in 2D space. Of course, the model can always be displayed in 2D mode and
optimized for plotting, but we are sure that you will find connecting components and routing pipe
lines much easier using the 3D methodology.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
COMPONENT DISPLAY AND REPRESENTATIONS

PIPING is an open-ended system, which enables you to customize almost any aspect of the
component placement process. PIPING components are constructed parametrically by executing
instructions in external Basic scripts. These scripts contain instructions to read the external
specification database and extract the parametric dimensions required to draw the component in
3D, Double Line, or Single Line drawing modes, and to write its external project database record.
With a general understanding of BasicScript syntax and terminology, you should be able to
create/modify almost any aspect of the component placement process.
Note The Basic Language Reference help file may be launched via the
Bentley > Plant > Tools group in your Windows Start menu. It provides help on the
Bentley AutoPLANT Basic Language Extensions provided to customize the system, as
well as standard Basic Language element help.
PIPING components are constructed from a group of Custom Objects. For example, a piece of
piping is created from a cylinder, while a flanged ball valve is created from two cylinders for the
flanges, two cones, and a sphere. These custom objects have four inherent display modes, which
enable you to almost instantaneously switch between display modes.
In addition, the PIPING application provides a set of representation commands that enable you to
generate and display single line, double-line, and 3D representations of specific components in a
piping line, or complete lines in the same model.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
INTELLIGENT SELECTION
PIPING models are not merely drawings. As the model is created, a project database is also
maintained, which contains a record for each component placed in the model as well as
relationships between components and specific project properties in the model. A component’s
data can be edited at any time during a drawing session.
Many PIPING functions enable you to apply the function to a selection set of components.
PIPING’s selection tool enables you to define a selection set by querying the project database as a
whole, which will select component records from all drawings based on the value of a project
object (e.g., LineNumber), or to query based on drawing attributes (e.g., color, layer). After a
selection set of components is created, you can globally revise values, change line numbers, enter
unique descriptions, etc. This is particularly useful when updating drawings due to design changes.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
SPECIFICATION-DRIVEN
PIPING provides sample database catalogs of tens of thousands of components from which
manufacturer-specific specifications may be produced. The Specification Generator program
enables you to build and customize the database specifications used with particular projects or
clients. Each specification is a subset of a catalog and is stored in its own directory. Specifications
can also be edited or modified to suit unique requirements, and any number of specifications can
be created.
The ability to select and apply one or more specifications consistently throughout one or more
drawings or projects is why we call PIPING a specification-driven application. Because PIPING
components are placed according to defined specifications, they are not merely drawing blocks.
Instead, the components are built parametrically, and therefore have a high degree of intelligence.
To expedite the drawing process, sample specifications are included. These specifications are
available in Imperial, Metric, and/or Mixed-Metric versions. A brief description of some of the
sample specs provided is given below:
! Carbon Steel: A sample carbon steel specification, based on 150-pound ANSI pressure
classification (Imperial: CS150, Metric: MCS150, and Mixed Metric: MMCS150).
! Stainless Steel: A sample stainless steel specification (Imperial: SS150, Metric: MSS150, and
Mixed Metric: MMSS150).
! Ductile Iron: The Ductile Iron Pipe module provides a set of components, which are typically
used for water/wastewater applications. A sample ductile iron specification (Imperial: Ductile,
Metric: MDUCT, and Mixed Metric: MMDUCT).
! Victaulic: The Victaulic module provides a set of components, which are typically used in
commercial building piping. A sample Victaulic specification (Imperial: Victalic, Metric:
MVICT, and Mixed Metric: MMVICT).
! High Purity: The High Purity module provides a set of components, which are typically used in
HiPurity, Food/Bev, Pharmaceutical, Dairy, Breweries, etc. A sample High Purity
specification (Imperial: TriClove, Metric: MTRIC, Mixed Metric: MMTric).
! Lined Pipe: A sample Resistoflex (RSF) specification (Imperial: RSF, Metric: MRSF, Mixed
Metric: MMRSF).
! Cable Tray: The Cable Tray module provides a standard set of cable tray components used in
most industries. A sample Cable Tray specification (Imperial: CableT, Metric: MCableT, and
Mixed Metric: MMCableT).

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
! Conduit: The Conduit module provides a set of thin wall tubing components, which typically
contains electrical wires and are used by most industries. A sample Conduit specification
(Imperial:Conduit, Metric: MCond, Mixed Metric: MMCond).
! HVAC: The HVAC module provides a set of components for Heating/Ventilating/Air

Conditioning. Typically, this Ductwork is used by all industries where the plant is inside a
building, including Food/Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Dairy, Breweries, etc. A sample HVAC
specification (Imperial: HVAC, Metric: MHVAC, Mixed Metric: MMHVAC).
! Tubing: The Tubing module provides a set of components, including small bore tubing used
for instrumentation lines in many industries These components are typically used in the
pharmaceutical industry, and also in mechanical design applications (pump manufacturers,
etc). A sample Tubing specification (Imperial: Swagelok, Metric: MSwglok, Mixed Metric:
MMSwglok).
PIPING’s specification-related features include a default component switch, which enables you to
force the system to utilize the spec record that you have defined as the default for a specific
component size.
Note Refer to the Spec Generator’s on-line help system for more information on specification-
related features and functions.
PIPING uses the Microsoft ACCESS (*.MDB) versions of the specs as the default.
FLEXIBLE PLACEMENT CAPABILITIES

Components can be placed with greater ease than ever before. You can automatically attach a
component to the run end of the previous component using the “fitting-to-fitting” method, place a
component a known distance from a reference point, align a component to the centerlines of two
existing components, automatically attach a component to the intersection of a polyline, insert a
component into an existing pipe segment, toggle the insertion point on a component, and change
the reference point, elevation, etc. In short, the placement tools enable you to quickly place a
component anywhere in the model with precision.
Note Chapter 4, Component Placement Basics provides an overview of component insertion

techniques.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
AUTOPLANT’S REPORT WRITER MODULE

The AutoPLANT Report Writer module provides a means to generate a wide range of reports on
the data contained in the current drawing, or across a range of project drawings. AutoPLANT
makes extensive use of the Crystal Reports™ run-time engine to process data in the external
project database. Two functions are provided with the report module. First, the Bill of Materials
function uses the module to generate and place reports on the CAD drawing. Second, the Report
Generator function uses the module to generate external reports. You can customize any of these
reports or create your own.
The Bill of Materials function generates reports for placement on a drawing. You can customize
any of these reports, or create your own. For instance, it is now a simple task to filter the selection
set of components that will be included in a report based on one or more criteria across one or
more project drawings. The Bill of Materials module shown below provides a means to generate a
wide range of external reports on the data contained in the current model, or across a range of
project models.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
The AutoPLANT Report Generator function generates fully customizable external reports. The
dialog that appears when you execute this function is shown below.
CENTERLINE ROUTERS
The Piping Tools > Centerline Routers menu provides commands to construct the geometry of a
piping line. Elevation and coordinate data are stored on the line and are applied to components
placed on them. You can also associate intelligence, including: size, spec, line number, insulation
thickness, etc. with the line so that these settings are assigned to any component placed on the line.
The Centerline Routing tools are often the easiest method of defining an entire pipe run, or all runs
in a given model.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
PROGRAM ARCHITECTURE - CUSTOMIZATION

AutoPLANT applications take full advantage of the latest AutoCAD ARX technology. An ARX
application is a dynamic link library (DLL). The PIPING application is supported by a series of
ARX applications. Within these ARX applications, AutoPLANT has implemented a BasicScript
engine.
The PIPING architecture was designed with your customization needs in mind. In addition to the
standard BasicScript function and command set, Bentley has developed a set of BasicScript API
Extensions to facilitate the creation of component drawing scripts and manipulation functions.
These extensions consist of a set of Basic data types, commands, and functions specifically
designed for the creation of AutoPLANT components. These functions, combined with the
standard BasicScript macro language, provide a full-featured environment for script development
and customization of the PIPING application.
All PIPING components, and most dialogs, are defined in open BasicScript files for easy
modification. The system architecture enables a user with a solid foundation in the Visual Basic for
Applications programming language to modify almost any aspect of the component placement
process, or to create new components or add new functions to the system.
Note The Basic Language Reference help file may be launched via the Bentley > Plant > Tools
program group in your Windows Start menu.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS
AutoPLANT software is shipped with a set of supplemental applications. These utilities are
provided in the main AutoPLANT 3D menu and toolbar as shown below. The top part of the menu
contains options to launch the primary AutoPLANT applications, while the remainder of the menu
provides access to the most commonly used supplemental applications. Options that appear
grayed-out in the menu have not been installed.
AutoPLANT Plant Design Toolbar
AutoPLANT 3D Men
Hint Directly launch all of these applications (except Import/Export) from the Windows Start
menu by selecting the start icon from the Bentley > Plant > Tools or Project Tools groups.

INTRODUCTION
FEATURES
A brief description of each of these applications is provided in the following table. A more detailed
explanation of each application is provided in Chapter 9, Supplemental Applications at the end of
this tutorial. Each of these supplemental applications has its own associated context-sensitive help
file, which can be launched from the application. Refer to the application help file for a detailed
explanation of every available feature and function.
Import/Export Import/Export is intended to facilitate transfer of CAD data between AutoPLANT

and other CAD/CAE software. The transfer is accomplished using Bentley’s Plant
Design (PXF) data format, which can either be generated or read by AutoPLANT.
AutoPLANT also supports output to a Piping Component Format (PCF) for input
to Alias Limited’s ISOGEN software.
Explorer EXPLORER must be purchased separately. It is an interactive 3D viewer for
models and sets of models that interact with these at a guaranteed frame rate. It
supports multiple formats, as well as its own native file formats. Navigation and
view controls enable the most complex model to be explored with ease.
Explorer ID EXPLORER ID must be purchased separately. The Explorer Interference
Detection add-on, is designed to help you manage clash tests and leave an audit
trail of clashes throughout the life of the project. It runs within the EXPLORER
interface.
Project Administrator AutoPLANT may operate in three primary project modes: Standalone, Central, or
Distributed. These modes determine the manner in which model data is stored
and also may limit access to specific functionality in the application based on this
selection. The Project Administrator enables you to create and manage project
data and drawing/model defaults and settings. The Project Administrator is the
tool for modifying these files and creating saved sets of configuration definitions
that can be applied to a particular project.
Class Editor The Class Editor provides a single source for the manipulation of AutoPLANT
PIPING and ISOMETRICS modules, components, and their associated
configuration files on a project-by-project basis.
Script Editor The Script Editor provides an intuitive user interface to create/customize
AutoPLANT Basic drawing scripts and functions. Context-sensitive help is
provided to almost every standard Basic and AutoPLANT Basic API Extension
command, function, data type, etc.
Dialog Editor The Dialog Editor provides an intuitive graphical user interface to
create/customize AutoPLANT-compatible Basic dialogs that may be used in your
Basic scripts and functions. The BasicScript statements that construct the dialog
instance may be inserted directly into custom scripts created with the Bentley
Script Editor.
Specification The Specification Generator is provided to enable you to create/modify the
Generator external drawing database specifications. AutoPLANT provides Imperial, Metric,
and Mixed Metric catalogs, which contain tens of thousands of components from
which your project-specific specifications can be generated.
NOTE: This application can only be launched from the Windows Start menu.

INTRODUCTION
TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES

Bentley’s Professional Services organization is dedicated to optimizing and supporting engineering
environments worldwide. This trained team of experts provides users of Bentley technology a host
of technical services that helps project teams leverage architectural and engineering information.
Bentley SELECT is your premier service and technology program. The most comprehensive
offering of its kind, Bentley SELECT streamlines the delivery and support of Bentley products into
one convenient program for its members.
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and technology subscription program of its kind. With a commitment to its users unequalled in its
industry, Bentley streamlines the delivery and support of its products to Bentley SELECT
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Organizations whose competitive advantage stems from continuous improvement rely on Bentley
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Bentley users not currently subscribed to Bentley SELECT should visit the Contacts Page at
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SELECT SERVICES ONLINE

SELECT services Online is an all-encompassing repository of technical information and support
channels. At SELECT services Online, members can access:
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INTRODUCTION
SELECT PRIVILEGES
PRODUCT UPDATES AND UPGRADES

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SELECT as soon as they are available, via Web downloads and MySELECT CD.
AROUND-THE-CLOCK TECHNICAL SUPPORT

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INTRODUCTION
BENTLEY CONSULTING
Bentley Consulting specializes in assisting organizations in:
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With the know-how that only comes from years of practical experience, Bentley Consulting team
members--located around the globe--work with firms to determine best practice standards and
assist in implementing a plan to guide their people, methods and technology. The result for you:
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BENTLEY INSTITUTE
The Bentley Institute provides ongoing training courses to help organizations achieve maximum
productivity through professional growth.
! Training courses are delivered at authorized Bentley Institute Centers worldwide.
! Professional Series courses focus on training on Bentley's Engineering Configurations. These

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accelerating the e-transformation of the engineering industry. This global network:
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Its comprehensive suite of services ranges from high-level consulting to improve business process
to customized development, implementation, training and support.

INTRODUCTION
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS
The following conventions are maintained throughout this Tutorial in order to emphasize menu
selections, user-interaction, file names, and other standards.
Convention Description
NOTE: Precedes information of general importance.
HINT: Precedes optional time-saving information.
WARNING: Precedes information about actions that should not be performed under normal operating
conditions.
FILENAMES Directory paths and file names are italicized.
Example: \AT-EQP directory, AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Program Code Excerpts from text or basic script files, script variables, and statements appear in the font
shown.
INPUT Commands or information that must be manually entered is bolded in the font shown.
Menu & Buttons Menu commands and dialog buttons appear in a sans serif font that stands out from
normal body text.
Example: After selecting the File menu, press the OK button in the dialog.
Dialogs Dialog and database table names are italicized.
Field_Name Example: The Preferences dialog.
Select Indicates that the command must be executed from a menu or dialog.
Pick Indicates an item (component or point) that may be picked on a drawing.
Throughout this Tutorial, the menu command sequence required to execute a command
will be explicitly defined in the text, while the associated toolbar button is presented in the
left margin.
PROCEDURE CONVENTIONS
Procedures are provided throughout this tutorial. Menu selections and user input are emphasized in
bold while the toolbar equivalent is shown in the margin. Refer to the example below.
> SELECTION EXAMPLE

1. Select Piping > Bends and Returns > 90°° LR Elbow.
By following the procedures, a model is constructed. Samples of how the model should look at
different stages of the tutorial are also provided. All screens and toolbar icons shown were saved
while running the application in AutoCAD 2002.

2 PROJECT CREATION AND PROGRAM
START
This chapter briefly describes the various project modes that may be used
with your Bentley AutoPLANT applications. You will learn how to create a
new project, import the Tutorial drawing into your project, then start PIPING
and select your project.
PROJECT MODES 2-2
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR 2-3
STARTING PIPING 2-13
CHAPTER REVIEW 2-16

PROJECT CREATION AND PROGRAM START
PROJECT MODES
PROJECT MODES
AutoPLANT enables you to work in one of three project modes. The project mode is determined
when you create a project. These modes control how your drawing data is managed. It also may
limit some of the application functionality available.
STANDALONE MODE
This project type may be created using MS Access as
the database provider only. It essentially treats each
drawing created in this manner as a standalone project.
Each drawing will have its own associated drawing
database (.MDB), with all drawing data stored therein.
This is a limited operating mode and will not allow you
to perform multiple drawing selections when using
AutoPLANT functions.
DISTRIBUTED MODE
This project type may be created using either MSDE,
MS Access, SQL Server, or Oracle as the database
provider. Each drawing created in this manner will be
associated with the selected project and have its own
drawing database (.MDB). All relational project data will
be stored in the project database.
Note: You must have a Project Server license in order
to create project's with an Oracle or SQL Server project
database. You may create MSDE or MS Access
projects without this authorization.
CENTRAL MODE
This project type may be created using MSDE, SQL
Server, or Oracle as the database provider. Each
drawing created in this manner will be associated with
the selected project and have all of its drawing and
relational project data stored in the project database.
Note: You must have a Project Server license in order
to create project's with an Oracle or SQL Server project
database. You may create MSDE or MS Access
projects without this authorization.

PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
The Project Administrator application is the primary application for managing AutoPLANT
projects. This application may be launched from the AutoPLANT 3D menu while in AutoCAD, or
via the Bentley > Plant > Project Tools folder in your Windows Start menu.
Hint A separate guide, Project Administrator’s Guide for AutoPLANT is provided with your
software. This document describes project setup and configuration in detail. It is provided
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and may be launched via the Bentley > Plant > Tutorials
> Project Administrator’s Guide selection in your Windows Start menu. You must have
Adobe Acrobat Reader v4.0 or later installed to view/print this document.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT

For this Tutorial, you will create a sample project on your local drive named IMPERIAL_TUTOR
{METRIC_TUTOR}.
> TO CREATE A NEW PROJECT

1. Select Project Administrator from the Bentley > Plant > Project Tools folder in your Windows
Start menu. The Project Administrator displays as shown in the following figure.

2. The navigation tree in the left pane is where you access all of your project properties. If you
click on the + button to the left of the ..\Bentley Plant Projects node, you will notice that it
expands to display three sample project nodes below it as shown above. Clicking on or
expanding an individual project node will prompt you to login to that project and will then
display its child nodes, which are the property pages for that project.
Note If you are an experienced AutoPLANT user, these properties may be familiar, as they
include the configuration settings that were available in prior releases of the software.
These configuration settings are now part of the project definition. Tools are provided in
the Project Administrator to convert your old v2.01 configurations into the new Bentley
Plant project format.
3. The ..\Bentley Plant Projects node in the navigation tree is called a project root folder. This is
the directory where the system has created the AT_PROJ.DBF file, which contains a record
for every project created under that project root. You may have as many project root
directories as you would like, and also as many projects under each root as you would like. In
this section, you will define a directory on your local drive as a new project root, then create a
new project under that root project directory.
4. Select File > Add Root to display the Browse for Folder dialog. In order for this option to be
available in the File menu, you must have something highlighted on the primary root level of
the navigation tree (i.e., PA will not let you create a project root directory under an project
directory.
5. Click on your local C:\ in the dialog then press the New Folder button. Notice that an editable
folder was created on your C:\ drive. Type TutorProject and press Enter to name the folder,
then press OK. Notice that the new project root folder C:\TutorProject now appears in the
navigation tree on the primary node level as shown in the following figure.
6. The Project Administrator provides a wizard driven interface to create new AutoPLANT
projects. The New Project Wizard displays a series of dialogs that walk you step-by-step
through the process of creating a new project. The dialogs presented by the wizard depend on
the method used to create the project. For example, if you are creating a project from an
existing project, the wizard’s Data and Documents dialog will display to enable you to specify
how the data and documents in the source project are copied into the destination project. If
you are creating a new empty project, you will not be prompted with this dialog, as the wizard
recognizes that there are no data and documents to copy.

7. In this example, you will create a new project under your C:\TutorProject root. Select the
C:\TutorProject node in the navigation tree. Right-click on this node to display the context
menu shown below.
8. Select New Project from the context menu to launch the wizard. You could have also selected
File > New Project after selecting the project root to launch the wizard.
9. The first page of the wizard prompts for the Provider Type as shown in the following figure.
This selection is used to create the new project using the provided base database structures.
Access, MSDE, SQL Server, and Oracle database types are supported. Select the Access
provider type as shown in the following figure, then press Next.

10. The Base Template and 3D Settings dialog displays as shown in the following figure. This
dialog enables you to assign the project's database format and structures as described below.
NAME DESCRIPTION
Base Schematic This selection defines the standards from which the project will be built. The
Project Template Standard Base Project selection will copy data from the provided Base project to
create your new project. This project was installed in your ..\Plant\Base directory.
Units This selection defines the 3D configuration that will be copied into the new project.
A configuration consists of a set of files that define the drawing/model defaults and
settings. These include the units, specs, drawing database format, borders,
drawing templates, module and component options, etc. These configurations
were installed in your ..\Plant\Configs directory.
Project Mode The Use Central Project Mode check box will only be available if you selected an
SQL Server or Oracle database provider on the wizard's Provider Type dialog.
Otherwise, this selection will be disabled and the Distributed project mode will
automatically be implemented.
11. Select Standard Base Project and Imperial {Metric} as shown in the previous figure, then press
Next.
Note Throughout this tutorial imperial input is provided with its metric equivalent enclosed in
brackets { }. Please be sure to enter the appropriate input based on the project type you
selected above.

12. The New Project Paths dialog displays as shown below. This allows you to define paths for
specific project information. You can edit a field directly by clicking in it and modifying the
path location.
13. Accept the default path locations and press Next to continue.
14. The Details dialog displays as shown below.
15. Type IMPERIAL_TUTOR {METRIC_TUTOR} in the Project Name field, and Imperial {Metric}
Tutorial Project in the Project Description field as shown above. Enter any desired values in
the remaining fields to complete the project details then press Finish to create the project.

16. The Login dialog displays as shown below.
17. Enter the User Name and Password that was given to you by your Project Administrator then
enable the Save Password check box and press OK. Enabling the check box instructs the
system not to prompt you with the Login dialog for the remainder of your session.
Note If this is the first time you are running this application and your Project Administrator has
not provided you with this information, you can simply enter Supervisor for both the User
Name and Password to login to the project until such time as your user information is
configured.
18. When the process is complete, the new project folder will appear under the TutorProject root
project folder. Press the + button to expand the project as shown below.
19. A record for this project has been added to the root project’s database, AT_PROJ.DBF, which
resides in the project root directory.

IMPORTING DRAWINGS FROM ANOTHER PROJECT

The Project Administrator provides two wizards to facilitate the transfer of drawings between
projects. There may be instances where you want to send a number of drawings from a particular
project for someone at another location to either review or work on. The Project Export and
Project Import Wizards are provided to accomplish this task.
The Project Export Wizard enables you to select one or more documents (including all) from a
project and create an export package, which may then be imported into another existing project
using the Project Import Wizard. All of the information needed for the documents to exist in
another project will be included in the export package. In addition, when the package is created,
you can specify whether you want to export the documents for modification or only for review.
This selection determines whether or not the user importing the package will be able to modify the
documents, or simply open them as READ-ONLY documents.
Note Imperial and Metric export packages have been provided with your installation that
contain drawings required to complete this tutorial as well as the AutoPLANT
ISOMETRICS tutorial. If you have already completed the AutoPLANT ISOMETRICS
Tutorial and created the tutorial project and imported the Export Package containing the
Tutorial drawings, you can skip to the Starting PIPING section later in this chapter.
> TO IMPORT AN EXPORT PACKAGE INTO THE TUTORIAL PROJECT

1. Select Tools > Project Import Wizard from the Project Administrator menu to display the
wizard introduction dialog shown below.
2. Press Next to continue.

3. The next dialog prompts you to select the export package location. Press the Browse button to
the right of this field, then navigate to and select the Exportpackage.zip file in your local
..\Bentley\Plant 2004\tutorial\imperial {metric} directory and press Open.

5. The Export process log dialog displays as shown below. This dialog will display the log file
generated when this export package was initially created. This enables you to review if any
errors occurred when the package was created before you import it into your project.

7. The Target project selection dialog displays as shown below. Press the Select Project button
then select your tutorial project from the Open Project dialog and press OK. Login to the
system when prompted.
8. Information on the selected project will appear as shown above. Press Next to continue.
9. The Specify target location for project documents dialog displays as shown below. The import
wizard stores the original document directory in the export package (similar to creating a zip
file and saving the directory information). When it extracts the documents, it uses this path.
The documents in this export package were originally created in the ..\TUTORIAL directory.
In order to extract these documents into a ..\TUTORIAL sub-directory under your main project
directory, press the Browse button next to the field, then navigate to and select your main
project directory (i.e., ..\TutorProject\IMPERIAL_TUTOR
{..\TutorProject\METRIC_TUTOR}). Next, you will manually create a ..\TUTORIAL sub-
directory in the selected project directory. This directory will be the target location for the
imported documents as shown below.
Note By default, the wizard will assign the first target location defined to all of the documents in
the list, You can manually set a path for a document by pressing the Browse button in
the Target Location field for that document.

10. Press Finish. You will be prompted to Login to the target project, then the wizard will begin
importing the export package. A message dialog will display when the process is complete.
Press OK. Press Yes to delete the temporary export package folder. Close the import log file
and Exit the Project Administrator application.

STARTING PIPING
STARTING PIPING
This section explains how to start the Bentley AutoPLANT Plant Design system, load the PIPING
application, and select the tutorial project that you created in the previous section.
> TO START PIPING

1. From the Windows Start menu, select Programs > Bentley > Plant > Plant Design to start
AutoCAD and load the AutoPLANT Plant Design environment. The AutoPLANT 3D menu and
toolbar have been added, which provide access to an integrated set of AutoPLANT plant
design applications and utilities.
2. Press the Piping toolbar icon to launch the application. You can also start PIPING from the
menu by selecting AutoPLANT 3D > Piping.
3. The Open Project dialog displays as shown in the following figure. AutoPLANT provides
three sample, distributed mode projects with the shipping application. These projects are not
intended for use in actual production, but are used extensively in your AutoPLANT Tutorials.
4. Select the project from the list for the environment in which you would like to complete this
tutorial (IMPERIAL_TUTOR or {METRIC_TUTOR}), then press OK.
Note Throughout this tutorial imperial input is provided with its metric equivalent enclosed in
brackets { }. Please be sure to enter the appropriate input based on the project type you
selected above.

STARTING PIPING
5. The Login dialog displays as shown in the following figure.
6. Enter the User Name and Password that was given to you by your Project Administrator then
enable the Save Password check box and press OK. Enabling the check box instructs the
system not to prompt you with the Login dialog for the remainder of your session.
Note If this is the first time you are running this application and your Project Administrator has
not provided you with this information, you can simply enter Supervisor for both the User
Name and Password to login to the project until such time as your user information is
configured.
7. The Model Setup dialog displays as shown below. This dialog indicates the project you
selected above, and displays the default units and settings from the project that will apply to
the drawing.
8. A number of configuration files were required to serve as placeholders for the definition of
project configuration defaults and settings. The Project Administrator application is provided
with your AutoPLANT software to simplify the tedious effort that would have been required
to manually edit these configuration files and create and customize projects. It provides a
highly intuitive graphical user interface with tabbed dialogs to enable you to create/modify
project configurations. This application may be launched from the AutoPLANT 3D menu or
toolbar, or via the Bentley > Plant > Project Tools folder in your Windows Start menu. The
sample project used in this tutorial was created with that application. An introduction to the
Project Administrator is provided in Chapter 9, Supplemental Applications.
9. Check to ensure that the North direction is set to 90 (degrees), and that the World Length is 100’
{30000} and the World Width is 60’ {18000} as shown.

STARTING PIPING
10. Enable the Insert North Arrow and Draw Limits Box options. The first option will insert a north
arrow symbol in the drawing, while the second causes a box to be drawn around the defined
world limits. Press Done to close the dialog and accept the remaining values.
11. A box is drawn to indicate the world limits, and the prompt
Select the location for the north arrow symbol:
displays. Pick a point in the upper left corner of the drawing to place the north arrow.
12. The Piping menu is added to the AutoCAD pull-down menu. A complete set of toolbars may
also be displayed for quick access to the most commonly used PIPING commands and
functions. The display of these toolbars is controlled via the Piping > Toolbars menu.

CHAPTER REVIEW
CHAPTER REVIEW
This chapter introduced the Project Administrator application, which is the central location for
creating and managing projects. You learned how to create a new project and how documents are
transferred between projects with the Project Import and Export wizards.
A separate guide, Project Administrator’s Guide for AutoPLANT is provided with your software
that describes project setup and configuration in detail. This document is provided in Adobe
Acrobat PDF format and may be launched via the Bentley > Plant > Tutorials > Project
Administrators’ Guide selection in your Windows Start menu. You must have Adobe Acrobat
Reader v4.0 or later installed to view/print this document.
This chapter also described the procedure to launch AutoPLANT Plant Design and start the
PIPING application.
WHAT’S NEXT
Chapter 3 provides a general tour of the PIPING application interface. You will learn how to
access the tools that enable you to define the various variables and setting used to create models. In
particular, the Drawing Preferences and Project Preferences dialogs are covered.

3 TOUR OF THE INTERFACE
This chapter provides a brief tour of the PIPING interface, and describes the
primary tools used to modify drawing, component, and project preferences.
TOOLBARS 3-2
DRAWING PREFERENCES 3-4
COMPONENT PREFERENCES CONTROL 3-10
CHAPTER REVIEW 3-16

TOUR OF THE INTERFACE
TOOLBARS
TOOLBARS
Take some time to familiarize yourself with the layout of the commands and functions in the
PIPING interface. After initial startup, you should load at least four of the PIPING toolbars. These
provide the quickest access to component placement commands and functions. The toolbars can be
“docked” along the perimeter of the drawing area as shown in the following figure, or left
“floating.”
1. Select Piping > Toolbars > Piping Components Main.

2. Select Piping > Toolbars > Piping Functions Main.
3. Select Piping > Toolbars > Direction Aids.
4. Select Piping > Toolbars > Responses.
5. Experiment with the placement of these toolbars, as you will be accessing them frequently
during the tutorial drawing sessions. In the example above, the Piping Component and
Function toolbars were docked to the left of the drawing area, while the Direction Aids and
Responses toolbars were docked along the bottom of the drawing area. Toolbars will display
in the same location the next time you start PIPING.
The size of the toolbar icons may also be customized. Toggle the display of large or small buttons
according to your preference by right-clicking on any button in a toolbar, then selecting Customize
from the pop-up menu. When AutoCAD’s Toolbars dialog appears, enable/disable the Large

TOOLBARS
buttons option as desired, then press Close. Small buttons will provide a larger drawing area to
work in unless you are using dual monitors.
Hint PIPING stores each user’s preferences separately in their local ACAD.INI file. If you are
running on a network, you do not need to worry about establishing display preferences
that would interfere with other user settings.
Several toolbar selections contain “fly-outs,” which are denoted by the small black triangle in the
lower right-hand corner of the toolbar button. Fly-outs are the equivalent of cascading menus;
however, they provide the additional benefit of displaying the most recent selection as the default.
This technique enables the program to automatically display the most recent selection made from a
toolbar.
Note If a button has a triangle in the bottom right corner, it means that it contains “fly-outs.”
Once an item is selected from a fly-out, it becomes the default button at that location in
the toolbar for the remainder of the drawing session.
Hint To view the name of the command that will be executed by any toolbar button, simply
position the cursor over an item and pause. A “tool tip” will display describing that item.
If you find yourself frequently accessing the commands in one of the fly-outs, you may want to
open that toolbar individually. Select Piping > Toolbars, then select the desired toolbar from the
menu.

DRAWING PREFERENCES
DRAWING PREFERENCES
Now that you are familiar with the basic working environment, the Drawing Preferences command
will be examined. Select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences… to display the dialog shown
below. This command displays the dialog shown below, which enables you to assign values to
drawing parameters such as the component size, the specification used to draw components, the
drawing mode, line number, etc. It is important to set these parameters prior to beginning work on
a new model.
Drawing preferences control how components are placed in the model. For example, the Nominal
Size preference defines the nominal main piping size for the next component placed in the drawing.
PIPING will use the value of this parameter as part of the query used to search the spec database
indicated by the Specification parameter to locate the desired record from that spec. The spec
record contains all of the parametric data used to draw the component.
The settings in this dialog are described in the following sub-sections.
Note The defaults that appear in these fields were assigned using the Project Administrator
application for the project that you selected when you started the PIPING application.
The procedure to modify these defaults is described in the Project Administrator’s on-line
help.

DRAWING PREFERENCES
DRAWING MODE/REPRESENTATIONS
The Drawing Mode area of the dialog was re-organized in version 2.10 into Drawing Mode and
Representation areas to support the implementation of the flat 2D PIPING application. Refer to the
2D Piping Overview in your PIPING help file for more information on this application. 2D
PIPING functionality is provided automatically if you purchase the full 3D PIPING application.
Users authorized for 2D only, will have their 3D Drawing Mode and associated Representations
disabled. Users authorized for 3D will have all draw modes and options available.
The following describes the Drawing Mode and Representations areas of the dialog.
Note 3D-Double Line will be used to denote selecting the 3D Drawing Mode and Double Line
Representation.
! 3D-Double Line: this is identical to the previous full 3D Drawing Mode configuration. It
enables drawing of 3D components in 3D space using AutoPLANT’s custom objects.
! 3D-Single Line: this configuration enables drawing of Single Line component representations
in 3D space using AutoCAD entities. In general, only Pipe Components, Bends and Returns,
and Branching Components are actually drawn as single line AutoCAD entities, with a few
exceptions. All other components are drawn in standard 3D-Double Line mode.
! 2D-Double Line: this configuration enables drawing of "flat" (i.e., nothing will be drawn in the
vertical plane) Double Line representations of components using AutoCAD entities.
! 2D-Single Line: this configuration enables drawing of "flat" (i.e., nothing in the vertical) Single
Line representations of components using AutoCAD entities.
As noted above, the 2D - Double Line mode will automatically generate and draw flat 2D. It
automatically converts, during placement, a 3D component into 2D native AutoCAD objects,
which have been generated via the Hidden Line Removal (HLR) interface.
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:
! Surface Resolution: When you enable the 3D Drawing Mode radio button, the Surface
Resolution setting will be activated. This field is used to assign the value of AutoCAD’s
SURFTAB1 and SURFTAB2 environment variables, which control the mesh display of
component graphics. A number between 2 and 32766 is required, while a setting of 12 or 16 is
recommended. Changing this value does not change the Surface Resolution setting assigned to
previously inserted components. Toggle the display of the inherent mesh representation of 3D
components with the Piping Tools > 3D Display Modes > Set Mesh command.
! 2D HL Options: When you enable the 2D Drawing Mode radio button, the Surface Resolution
option will be replaced by a 2D HL Options button. Pressing this button displays the HLR
Options dialog shown below, which enables you to define how hidden line removal is handled

DRAWING PREFERENCES
for 2D-Double Line representations. Hidden line removal is handled on a per component basis
with respect to the settings defined in this dialog.
The Output Hidden Geometry check box indicates whether or not hidden line output will display for
each component. Enabling this check box will activate the Output Properties grid in this dialog.
The grid options define the manner in which hidden line output is displayed as described below:
Visibility If the "Light bulb" is ON (yellow), then visibility is turned ON and hidden lines will be visible.
Color Assigns the color of the visible hidden lines.
Linetype Selects the line type to be used for the hidden line. Only loaded line types can be used from
this selection and there will be no interface to load line types. The standard CAD interface
should be used for this purpose.
Lineweight Determines the weight of the visible hidden lines. When you click within this grid field, a
Browse button will appear. Press this button to display a dialog to assign the desired settings.
Select the desired Units, then pick the desired line weight to use for your 2D representations.
A brief description of the remaining options in the Drawing Preferences dialog is provided below.
Review the descriptions below, then set the starting values as shown in the previous figure and
press OK.
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Specification Path Displays the current project’s root specification directory path. Specification databases that
exist in this directory will appear as options in the Specification: selection list described
below. This path is defined in the project selected when you started this drawing and may
be modified using the Project Administrator application.
Specification Lists the specification databases that exist in the Specification Path shown above. Select a
spec directory from this list to make it active. New specifications can be created (or existing
ones edited) using the Specification Generator application.
Nominal Size Lists the available main nominal pipe sizes that exist in the selected specification’s PIPE
table. The selected size is applied to all subsequent components placed in the model,
provided the size is available for that component in the specification.
Insulation Thickness These settings are provided to enable you to specify the value that will be written into the
Insulation Spec component database record for each of these fields when a component is placed.
Paint Code
Note: To graphically control the display of pipe insulation, enable/disable the Show
Insulation check box in this dialog.

DRAWING PREFERENCES
FIELD DESCRIPTION
From Component Prompts you to select an existing 3D component and then automatically resets the Drawing
Preferences and Project Preferences parameter values to those from the selected
component.
This function may also be launched by pressing the From Component icon on the Setup
toolbar, or from the first fly-out menu on the Piping Functions Main toolbar.
Component Displays a dockable container that enables you to set project and component preferences
Preferences used to place components. This control is discussed in the following section.
Optimize 2D If this check box is enabled, PIPING will examine each port of a component when placed. If
Graphics the port is not horizontal, and the ports end condition are set to be optimized, then the
graphics are optimized at that port. If a vertical component port is found, the entity is
changed to the Layer and Line Type specified below.
This option may be enabled manually via the AutoCAD command line as follows:
Enable: (at_PipingSystem_setVariable "Optimized_2d_Graphics"
"1")
Disable: (at_PipingSystem_setVariable "Optimized_2d_Graphics"

"0")
You can fully customize 2D optimization settings for a project on the Piping > 2D
Optimization property page in the Project Administrator application.
Squared Elbow This check box will only be activated for the Single Line Representation. It enables you to
specify that you would like to appear as a square angle instead of the default round radius.
Component These settings determine the set of rules that define component color and layer attributes.
Color/Layer Components of the same Size, Layer, Spec, Line No., Paint, or Service value can be
colored the same in order to visually distinguish them when viewing the model. Likewise,
components can be arranged on the same layer according to their Spec, Service, or Line
Number.
Data Mode Determines how settings are applied when routing components. “From Connecting
Component,” extracts the component preferences (size, spec, line number, and insulation
thickness) from the existing component and applies them to the connecting component that
is being placed. This option overrides the Drawing Preferences dialog settings to provide an
easy method of maintaining consistency. “From Settings,” will enforce the settings assigned
in the Drawing Preferences dialog despite the preferences associated with a connecting
component.
Auto Router Mode Enable this switch to automatically connect a selected component to the run end of the
previous component. This is the fastest method of placing a series of connected
components in a continuous pipeline. If the selected component contains a branch or a
bend, you will still be prompted to specify the orientation.
Show Insulation This check box controls the graphical display of insulation on pipe components in the
drawing when they are placed.

DRAWING PREFERENCES
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Debug Mode This switch should ONLY be enabled if you are customizing/creating component placement
scripts or related functions. When enabled, this switch places BasicScript execution in
debug mode. When a Basic Script function is executed, it will display in the Rebis Script
Editor in Debug Mode to enable you to step through each step of the function as it is
executed. This is primarily used to locate/test for errors in customized Basic scripts.
Default Spec Choice When a component is selected for placement, PIPING searches the selected specification
for the component record based on the component preferences set in the Drawing
Preferences dialog and the type of component selected. If more than one match is found,
the Specification Selection dialog displays to enable you to select the desired component
from the matching records. For example, several records may exists for a component in a
specification that have the same size and type, but may have different facings, end
conditions, schedules, ratings, etc.
When the Default Spec Choice switch is enabled, PIPING will automatically place the
component marked as the default in the specification automatically, without displaying the
Specification Selection dialog. A component may be marked as the default selection by
placing a 1 in the OPTIONCODE field of the specification record using the Spec Generator
application.
Weld Gaps Welded joints determine the fastener used to connect welded components based on this
setting. If the check box is enabled, a weld gap will be inserted using the fastener basic
script at_weldedjoint_fasteners to insert AT_WELDGAP. If this check box is
disabled, then a weld gap will not be inserted, but a buttweld fastener will be inserted using
this script to insert AT_BUTTWELD.
Auto Flange If this toggle is enabled, the application determines if the component's class definition
contains the following statement when a component is inserted into the model:
ENABLE_AUTOMATE_OPTION=1
If true, then following the component's insertion, the function attempts to "automate" each
open port. It looks in the Auto_Mate specification table for a record that has MAIN_SIZE and
END_COND field values that match the open port.
If found, then a component of the class specified in that record is inserted by connecting it
to the open port.
Refer to your Specification Generator's online help for instructions on setting up the "auto"
tables for this functionality. You can open the Spec Generator help directory via the
Windows Start menu selection Bentley > Plant > SpecGen > SpecGen Help.

DRAWING PREFERENCES
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Advanced Tap Port The Advanced Tap Port Method is a tap port insertion method that will enable you to create
Method a tap port at any position and any direction. Enabling this check box and then specifying
that you want to insert a tap will prompt you for the XYZ position of the tap port, the direction
of the tap port, and the tap position projected on the centerline of the pipe (tap port origin).
Note: When you enable this check box, then press OK to close the Drawing Preferences
dialog, a dialog will display to enable you to view the help associated with this functionality.
You can enable the Never display this dialog again check box to suppress the display of this
dialog for future use of this setting.
If the Advanced Tap Port Method check box is enabled, you will be prompted to define the
tap port via the following series of prompts:
Pick component to be tapped
Toggle/<Enter to select currently highlighted port>:
Toggle base port/Align/change Ref point/ <Enter Distance>:
Tap port size dialog is displayed
Enter Position of tap
Enter orientation of tap port
Since you can define a tap off the component that was selected, you will be responsible for
the placement, direction and orientation of the tap port. If the Advanced Tap Port Method
check box is disabled, then the standard tap port methods implemented in AutoPLANT for
the various component types will be used.
Tracing Tracing is basically an electrical form of insulation. For example, it may be used to keep
fluid warm enough to flow in piping. This toggle determines whether or not the TRACING
drawing database field for components is turned ON (set =1). Used by AUTO-ISO and
ISOGEN to indicate that components that have tracing use a different linetype.
Disable Tooltips AutoPLANT now displays an informative tooltip when the cursor is hovered over a
component. This will provide a quick view of limited component information (Line Number,
Service, Size, Component identity, Schedule, Type). Enable this option to turn off the tooltip
display.
AutoPLANT Indicates whether or not the AutoPLANT Selections dialog is displayed by any
Selections command/function that requires a selection set of components. It enabled, the dialog is
displayed to enable you to used the advanced features to define a selection set of
components. If disabled, you may use standard AutoCAD command to select components.
Once these options are set, all subsequent components will be drawn in that mode until it is
changed. You can also generate existing component representations using the new settings.

COMPONENT PREFERENCES CONTROL

AutoPLANT supports relationships through the construct of project objects. These objects
inherently create relationships between all components placed based on the values of these objects.
These relationships are used by functions (e.g., Reports, BOM, Auto-Iso, Update Components,
etc.), which work on a selection set of components. For example, LineNumber is a project object.
All components you place with the same LineNumber value are therefore related.
The shipping version of the application provides several project object definitions (LineNumber,
Area, Unit, Service, and Spool). You can only define values for these objects using this Project
Preferences control, or the Project Object Maintenance Tool. You can only set the active value
that will be assigned to a component when placed with the Component Preferences control.
Note The Project Object Maintenance Tool may be launched from the Bentley > Plant > Project
Tools folder in your Windows Start menu.
The Component Preferences control shown below can be accessed by either pressing the
Component Preferences button on the Drawing Preferences dialog, or by selecting Setup >
Component Preferences command from the Piping menu.
Note Since this is a new project, no values have been defined for the required project objects.
Press Cancel when the message dialog displays prompting you to define initial project
object values. You will add values later in this tutorial.
The preferences shown in this control are defined on an application basis. For example, when
working in the PIPING application, the control will only display the project and component

preferences that have been configured for PIPING. You can change the preferences that appear by
selecting the desired application Preference Mode from the top toolbar.
DISPLAY MODES
The Component Preferences control is a dockable container that can be docked at left, top or
bottom of the AutoCAD application window. Docking at left will essentially provide the same full
view and options as the undocked "floating" container shown above. Docking at the top or bottom
will display the control in MiniBar mode as shown below.
The minibar mode does not provide options for adding, editing, or deleting preference values. It
displays the control as a toolbar, which enables you to simply select the desired values for each
setting.
You can control the preferences that appear in the minibar by right-clicking on any of the minibar
column headers and selecting Show/Hide Preferences. The Show/Hide Preferences dialog is
displayed, which enables you to toggle the display of the preferences shown in the toolbar.
The recommended workflow method is for your Project Administrator to create the available
project relationship values in full mode, then your designers may then simply dock the container
along the top of the AutoCAD application window to show the control as a minibar. From the
minibar mode, they would only be concerned with selecting the appropriate value for each
preference from the respective drop-down lists.
PREFERENCES GRID
When the control is displayed in full mode, the grid at the top of the control displays two
preference types. Project object preferences are listed at the top, while component preferences are
at the bottom. These are separated by a solid black line in the grid. A brief description of these
types is provided below.
! Project Preferences: are organized in the upper part of the control grid. These are project
relationship preferences (e.g., LineNumber, Area, Unit, and Service). These preferences are
used throughout the application to provide quick component selection for updates, reporting,
etc. Spool is not provided here as a user typically does not set a spool value to apply to a
component during placement, but instead uses the Assign Spool IDs command to assign spool
values.

! Component Preferences: are organized in the lower section of the control grid. These are the
most common component preferences that may in general also be set via the Drawing
Preferences dialog. You may also add new component preferences through this interface.
These were included to provide quick access to these settings without having to continuously
open and re-open the Drawing Preferences dialog to change these settings.
The grid area will provide three columns. A description of each of these columns is provided
below:
Preference The name of the preference.

The current setting for this preference. Clicking within this field will display a drop-down list of options
Current Setting
defined for this preference. Select the desired option to make it active.
The Filter can be set to any value. This is used to filter the preference list to display only values that
Filter
contain the specified prefix (e.g., L1* will display only those values in which that begin with "L1").
Separate toolbars are provided for the grid and navigation tree areas of the dialog. The operations
that may be performed using these toolbar commands may in general also be selected from context
menus that will display when you right-click on a particular preference type or value.
PROJECT PREFERENCES FUNCTIONS

The following table describes the operations that may be performed on project objects via the
toolbar, or the context menu that is displayed when you right-click on a project object value.
Add To add a new project object value, right-click on the project object in the grid or
navigation tree, then select the Add option from the context menu displayed. For most of
these objects, an editable node will be created under the selected parent project object
node. Type the new value then press Enter. For the LineNumber project object, the
Create New LineNumber dialog will display to enable you to add a new line number
value. If executed from the grid, a separate dialog will display to enable you to enter the
new value for each object type.
Rename To edit the value of an existing project object value, select it in the navigation tree or grid
list, then right-click and select the Rename option from the context menu displayed.
Delete To delete a project object value, select it in the navigation tree or grid list, then right-click
and select Delete from the context menu displayed.
Reassign This option is only active in the LineNumber value context menu. Select a LineNumber
value in the navigation tree, then right-click and select this option from the context menu
to display the Reassign Line Number dialog.
The capabilities provided in this dialog are similar to those in the Database Tools >
Update Component command. The dialog enables you to select a source LineNumber
value and then select a LineNumber value that you would like to reassign it to. All
component records that were assigned to the source LineNumber will be updated
(reassigned) to the new target LineNumber value.

Synchronize This option is only available from the upper toolbar or context menu when working in the
upper grid area of the control. It enables you to select a project object value from the grid
area, then execute this operation to highlight the corresponding project object value in
the navigation tree.
Note Through this interface you can ONLY manage project object values. The addition of a
project object (not a value) is considered a Project Administration function. Therefore,
this operation may only be performed using the Project Administrator application. This
application enables you to launch the Project Object Wizard to add new project objects.
COMPONENT PREFERENCES FUNCTIONS

AutoPLANT provides several examples of component preferences that may be added to the
control. This capability is provided to add your most commonly used Drawing Preferences dialog
options to this control so they would quickly be available when the control was docked in minibar
mode.
The following table describes operations that may be performed on component preferences via the
toolbar above the grid, or the context menu that displays when you right-click on a component
preference in the grid.
Add To add a new component preference, right-click on the component preference in the grid and
then select the Add option from the context menu displayed. A separate dialog will display to
enable you to define the new component preference.
Edit To edit a component preference definition, right-click on it in the grid, select Edit from the
context menu displayed. A separate dialog will display to enable you to modify the preference
definition.
Delete To delete a component preference from the project, right-click on it in the grid then select
Delete from the context menu displayed.
NAVIGATION TREE
The control also enables you to view relationship values in a navigation tree view. You can show
this tree view in the control by pressing the Relationships button at the bottom of the dialog, or
suppress the tree view by pressing the X button to the right of the tree view.
The navigation tree displays the project objects in the current project at the primary node level.
Expand a project object node by pressing the + button beside it. This will show all of the values
defined for that object in the current project.
Navigation tree operations are performed using the Relationships toolbar, or the context menu
displayed when you right-click on a project object or project object value.

The Relationships drop-down enables you to filter the display of projects in the navigation tree.
Select a project objects to display, or ALL to display all of the project objects. The remaining
toolbar options are described below:
Add To add a new project object value, right-click on the project object in the grid or
navigation tree, then select the Add option from the context menu displayed. For most
of these objects, an editable node will be created under the selected parent project
object node. Type the new value then press Enter. For the LineNumber project object,
the Create New LineNumber dialog will display to enable you to add a new line
number value. If executed from the grid, a separate dialog will display to enable you to
enter the new value for each object type.
Rename To edit the value of an existing project object value, select it in the navigation tree or
grid list, then right-click and select the Rename option from the context menu
displayed.
Delete To delete a project object value, select it in the navigation tree or grid list, then right-
click and select Delete from the context menu displayed.
Properties Currently properties are only available for LineNumber project object values. If you
select a LineNumber value, then right-click and select Properties from the context
menu, the Properties Editor dialog will display to enable you to modify the properties
for that LineNumber value.
Filter All If you click on a project object node in the Relationships navigation tree and press this
button, it displays a dialog allowing you to filter the values that will display under that
project object.
CONTEXT MENUS
A context menu of options displays when you right-click on a node in the navigation tree. The
options that display depend on whether or not a project object or project object value is selected.
When you right-click on a project object in the navigation tree, the following options are available
in the context menu.
Add Provides the same functionality as the Add toolbar option described above.
Filter Provides the same functionality as the Filter All toolbar option described above.
Sort Provides options to sort the values under the selected project object node in Ascending or
Descending order.

When you right-click on a project object value in the navigation tree, the following options are
available in the context menu.
Rename Provides the same functionality as the Rename toolbar option described above.
Reassign This option is only active in the LineNumber value context menu. Select a LineNumber value in the
navigation tree, then right-click and select this option from the context menu to display the
Reassign Line Number dialog.
The capabilities provided in this dialog are similar to those in the Database Tools > Update
Component command. The dialog enables you to select a source LineNumber value and then
select a LineNumber value that you would like to reassign it to. All component records that were
assigned to the source LineNumber will be updated (reassigned) to the new target LineNumber
value.
Delete Provides the same functionality as the Delete toolbar option described above.
Properties Provides the same functionality as the Properties toolbar option described above.
The Spool node is only provided in the navigation tree for convenience. It enables you to view the
currently defined Spool IDs in the project. Although you may ceate new Spool ID values from this
tree, they are not used by the application, since a Spool ID must manually be entered when
assigning these values to components using the Assign Spool IDs command.

CHAPTER REVIEW
CHAPTER REVIEW
! Interface: The PIPING interface has been designed to provide easy access to components and
commands. The use of toolbars, in particular, aids in component selection by providing quick
access and always displaying the most recent selection made from a component group. The
toolbars can be resized and positioned along the perimeter of the drawing area.
! Drawing Settings: The Drawing Preferences dialog enables you to customize parameters used in
a drawing session. Through a single dialog, the specification, drawing mode/representation,
main size, connectivity check, and other options can be controlled.
! Component Preferences: The Setup > Component Preferences displays a dockable control,
which enables you to add, edit, and delete project and component preference values.
WHAT’S NEXT
Chapter 4 provides an introduction to component placement commands and techniques. The entire
range of placement and connection options is discussed, and several examples are provided. A
brief discussion of drawing modes is also provided.

4 COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS
This chapter introduces basic component placement concepts and techniques.

Particular attention is given to the prompts that appear during placement, and
how to combine options and placement techniques to achieve the desired
results.
OVERVIEW 4-2
BASIC PLACEMENT PROCEDURE 4-2
COMPONENT SELECTION 4-4
BASIC PLACEMENT EXERCISES 4-6
DISPLAY MODES 4-29
COMPLETING THE EXERCISES 4-29
CHAPTER REVIEW 4-30

OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an introduction to component placement. It begins by reviewing the basic
placement procedure, then moves on to exercises that focus on the more sophisticated placement
concepts and techniques. Component placement from plan and perspective views will also be
covered in these exercises.
BASIC PLACEMENT PROCEDURE

The basic component placement procedure involves four generic steps. The prompts provided at
each stage are dependent on the component type and how it is being placed in the model.
1. Select the component: Components may be selected for placement from the toolbars or the
menu system.
2. Specify a reference and placement point: Components are always placed with respect to a
reference point. In most cases, the reference point and the placement point are one and the
same because the default reference point is always the end point of the component previously
placed in the model. You can attach a component directly to this reference point, place it a
known distance from this point, or select one of the following options:
+ “In space”: not connected to another component, centerline, or piece of equipment. In
this case, the user picks (or inputs) a new point in the model, which becomes the
reference point. You can also specify an elevation prior to picking the point.
+ Inserted on an intelligent centerline: The component run direction and orientation will be
extracted from the geometry of the centerline. The component will also assume the size,
spec, and line number attributes from the line, if they were defined.
+ Aligned with existing components: A component can be placed so that its centerline
automatically aligns with the centerlines of two existing components.
Attached to previous Placed “in space” Inserted on a centerline Tee aligned with two
component existing elbows

BASIC PLACEMENT PROCEDURE
3. Toggle insertion point: If you specify the reference point on an existing component, you can
toggle to any of the connecting component’s ports to specify the port that you want to connect
to on the existing component. For example, a tee may be inserted with respect to either of its
main run end ports, center point, or branch port as shown below (some components, such as
pipe, do not have a center point or a branch end and do not provide this prompt option).
Endpoint Centerpoint Branch
4. Orient the component: Many components have a branch or bend that must be oriented
separately (for example, when placing an elbow, the downstream leg can be placed in the X,
Y, or Z plane, or rolled along a specified angle). This prompt will only appear for component
placements that require it.
Some examples of how a Tee may be oriented
Each of these steps is covered in the exercises provided in the following sections. These exercises
illustrate how to combine the placement options to produce the desired results. After a little
practice, you will find that these options enable you to position and place components with ease
and precision.

COMPONENT SELECTION
COMPONENT SELECTION
PIPING components can be selected from either the Piping menu or the Piping Components Main
toolbar.
Note The components shown in this section are part of the default carbon steel module
shipped with PIPING. Several other component modules are also provided with your
software, and can be loaded with the Setup > Module Setup… command. Each module
provides its own component placement menu and toolbar.
PIPING MENU
The Piping menu, shown below, provides access to the complete range of components. Note that
component types are grouped together in the Piping menu in a set of "cascading" submenus.
Piping components are grouped

together in cascading menus.

COMPONENT SELECTION
PIPING COMPONENTS MAIN TOOLBAR

The Piping Components Main toolbar is shown below. Like the menu system, the toolbar provides
access to the complete range of components, and categorizes components into similar types. The
toolbar also has the added advantage of displaying the last selection made from one of its “flyout”
toolbars. This technique enables you to quickly access the most recent component selections.
Hint Because the Piping Components Main toolbar is used so frequently, experiment with its
positioning. It can be docked at the top of the screen just below the AutoCAD toolbars, at
the bottom of the screen above the command line, or at the left or right edge of the
drawing area.
DIRECTION AIDS
The Direction Aids toolbar shown below may be used to specify the orientation of a component in
response to the component placement prompts. These tools are particularly useful when placing
components that run towards or away from the viewer in the current plane, or when working in a
skewed view.

BASIC PLACEMENT EXERCISES

This section provides some working exercises that demonstrate the range of component placement
commands. Exercises include the following:
+ Placement in space
+ Connecting components
+ Placing from a reference point
+ Placing components in a skewed view
+ Aligning components
+ Attaching to a centerline
+ Automatic pipe placement
+ Placing components into existing pipe
GETTING STARTED
The procedure to start PIPING was provided in the previous chapter. If you do not already have
the PIPING application loaded, follow the generic procedure outlined below.
> TO START PIPING

1. Select Programs > Bentley > Plant > Plant Design from the Windows Start menu.
2. Select AutoPLANT 3D > Piping to start the PIPING application.
3. When the Open Project dialog displays, select the project from the list for the environment in
which you would like to complete this tutorial (IMPERIAL_TUTOR or {METRIC_TUTOR}, then
press OK.
4. When Login dialog displays, enter the User Name and Password that was given to you by
your Project Administrator then press OK.
5. When the Model Setup dialog displays, check to ensure that the North direction is set to 90
(degrees), and that the World Length is 100’ {30000} and the World Width is 60’ {18000}. Also
ensure that the Insert North Arrow and Draw Limits Box options are enabled, then press Done.
After the dialog closes, pick a point in the upper right corner of the drawing area to place the
north arrow.
6. Open the Piping Components Main, Piping Functions Main, Direction Aids, and Responses
toolbars from the Piping > Toolbars menu.

SETTING INITIAL DRAWING AND COMPONENT PREFERENCES

In this section, you will set the initial drawing and component preferences that will be used to
insert components. Drawing preferences control how components are placed in the model. For
example, the Nominal Size field defines the nominal main piping size for the next component
placed in the drawing. PIPING will use the value of this parameter as part of the query used to
search the spec database indicated by the Specification parameter to locate the desired record from
that spec. The spec record contains all of the parametric data used to draw the component.
> SET INITIAL DRAWING PREFERENCES

1. Select Setup > Drawing Preferences from the Piping menu to display the Drawing Preferences
dialog.
2. Set the Specification to cs150 {mcs150}.
3. Set the Nominal Size to 6” {150mm}.
4. Press OK to apply the changes.
As mentioned earlier in this Tutorial, the recommended workflow method would have your Project
Administrator create the available project values (e.g., LineNumber, Area, Unit, and Service
values) available in a project, then designers would simply select the desired value prior to placing
components. Project relationship values may be created in the Project Preferences control, or
outside of AutoCAD using the Project Object Maintenance Tool application. In this section, you will
define a set of project object values that will be used in this chapter.
> CREATE INITIAL COMPONENT PREFERENCE VALUES

1. Select Setup > Component Preferences from the Piping menu to display the Component
Preferences control.
2. Press the Relationships button to display the navigation tree view if not already shown.
3. Right-click on the LineNumber node in the navigation tree, then select Add from the context
menu displayed.
4. The Create new Line Number dialog displays as shown in the following figure. Type LINE_100
as shown in the first field, then press OK to add the new LineNumber value to the project. This
LineNumber value will now be available to any drawing created for this sample project.

5. Right-click on the Area node in the navigation tree, then select Add from the context menu
displayed. An editable node will appear in the navigation tree below the Area parent node.
Overwrite the value shown by typing AREA_100 and pressing Enter.
6. Right-click on the Unit node in the navigation tree, then select Add from the context menu
displayed. An editable node will appear in the navigation tree below the Unit parent node.
Overwrite the value shown by typing UNIT_100 and pressing Enter.
7. Right-click on the Service node in the navigation tree, then select Add from the context menu
displayed. An editable node will appear in the navigation tree below the Service parent node.
Overwrite the value shown by typing SERVICE_100 and pressing Enter.
8. In the grid area at the top of the control, ensure that the following values are set in the
respective Current Setting drop-down lists so that they are active.
LineNumber LINE_100
Area AREA_100
Unit UNIT_100
Service SERVICE_100
9. Press the X button in the upper right hand corner of the control to close it.

PLACEMENT IN SPACE
In this exercise, you will learn how to place a standard piece of pipe in space.
> TO PLACE A PIECE OF PIPE IN SPACE

1. Select Piping Tools > Display Modes > Set Wireframe w/Centerline to ensure that the component
display mode is set as illustrated throughout this tutorial.
2. Select Piping > Pipe Components > Pipe. The prompt
Elevation/<Pick point>:
displays. Type E and press Enter to display the Set Elevation dialog shown below.
Ensure that the Center of Pipe radio button is enabled as shown above, then type 6’ {1800mm}
in the Elevation field and press OK to set the AutoPLANT elevation to 6-feet (1800mm).
3. The prompt
displays. Pick any point near the left edge of the drawing area.
4. The prompt:
Connect to/<Enter Length>:
displays. Note that a ghost line “rubber bands” from the initial point. You can either pick the
distance from the original point, or input a length at the command line. Type 10’ {3000} then
press Enter to specify a ten-foot {3000mm} length of pipe.
Hint By default, the Imperial Configuration uses architectural units. You can change the unit
type and precision with AutoCAD’s DDUNITS command.
5. The prompt
Up/Down/East/West/North/South/Align/<Enter direction or press Return when done>:
displays. This last step orients the component. For example, if a point is selected to the right
of the insertion point (with ORTHO ON [F8]), the pipe will extend in the +X direction from
the base point. You can also use the Direction Aids toolbar to specify this information. For
example, press the +X button on the Direction Aids toolbar then press Enter to place the pipe
as shown below.

Direction
Distance
1 Placement Point
Note The direction vector is necessary because the pipe is being placed “in space.” When
connecting to an existing component, the direction vector is determined automatically.
6. Use AutoCAD’s zoom controls to view the entire length of the pipe segment. Leave some
extra space to place additional components.
> PLACING AN ELBOW IN SPACE

2. The prompt
Current Elevation <COP 6’>:
Relative/Toggle/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit)>:
displays. Notice that PIPING assumes you want to attach the elbow to the end of the pipe.
Override this default by picking a new point in space (i.e., a point NOT on or near the existing
pipe).
3. An outline of the elbow is placed in the drawing as shown in the Figure below, and the prompt
Toggle insertion point/<Return to select>:
displays. Note that by default, the center point of the elbow is selected as the insertion point.
Insertion point symbol
Hint By default, whenever you place a bend or branching component “in space,” PIPING
assumes that you want to insert it from its center point.
4. To toggle a component’s insertion point, press the Toggle icon on the Responses toolbar, or
type T and press Enter at the command line. The Figure below illustrates how the insertion
point will toggle for an elbow and a tee.

ELBOW TEE
= Insertion point
Continue to Toggle the reference point until the elbow port shown below is selected, then
press Enter, or click the right mouse button, to accept this point.
Press the button until the

insertion icon appears as
shown.
Hint Pressing the right mouse button is the equivalent of pressing Enter. This technique is
standard to all AutoCAD operations that request the user to pressEnter at the command
line.
5. The prompt
Up/Down/East/West/North/South/Align/<Enter direction or press Return when done>:
displays, and a “ghost line” extends from the point specified in Step 4. Specify the run
direction of the elbow by selecting a point any distance to the left of the anchor point (with
ORTHO ON[F8]), or press the --X icon on the Direction Aids toolbar. Press Enter.
6. The prompt
Up/Down/East/West/North/South/Align/Rotate/reseT/<Enter orientation or press Return when done>:
displays. The Direction Aids toolbar is particularly useful for specifying an orientation that is
difficult to pick in the current viewing plane (for example, specifying that an elbow should be
oriented vertically while working in the plan view). The following Figure illustrates a few
elbow orientations that may be obtained using the Direction Aids toolbar options.
+Y -Y +Z -Z

To specify the orientation of the elbow leg, pick a point any distance below the last point
picked, or press the -Y icon on the Direction Aids toolbar. Press Enter to draw the elbow as
shown below.
Direction
2
Orientation
3 1
Placement Point
You should use the new Piping Tools > Component Manipulations Tools > Delete Components
command when you want to delete a component. This command ensures that the components
and also all fasteners and/or attachments associated with them are deleted. Delete the elbow
using this command now.
Note Later in this tutorial, you will learn how to “clean” the external drawing database to ensure
that the records in the database are synchronized with the model.

CONNECTING COMPONENTS
When connecting components in PIPING, the software can automatically “snap” to the open end
of the last component placed. This feature, along with a Connectivity Checker, helps to ensure that
components are connected properly, and that their end conditions are compatible. The following
exercises demonstrate how to connect components using the fitting to fitting method. The default
mode is demonstrated first, followed by an exercise that utilizes the AutoRouter.
> TO CONNECT COMPONENTS MANUALLY

2. The prompt
Current elevation <COP 6'>
Relative/Toggle/Insert/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Pick a point on the east end of the pipe that was drawn earlier. The reference point is
moved to that location.
3. The prompt
Relative/Toggle/Insert/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays again. Press the right mouse button (or Enter ) to connect to the end of the pipe using
the “fitting to fitting” method.
4. The prompt
displays. Pick a point straight down, or press the -Y button on the Direction Aids toolbar. Press
Enter to complete the connection as shown in the graphic below.

> TO CONNECT USING THE AUTO-ROUTER

1. Select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences… to open the Drawing Preferences dialog.
2. Enable the Auto Router Mode check box, and then press OK to close the dialog.
3. Select Piping > Flanges > Weldneck. The Specification Selection dialog displays as shown
below to enable you to specify the desired flange. In instances where there is more than one
valid record in the specification, the selection dialog will display to enable you to select the
desired component. The records in this dialog may contain different end conditions, ratings,
schedules, or other unique fields, but otherwise meet the requirements specified in the
Drawing Preferences dialog.
4. Select the 150LB RF flange record, then press OK. The flange is attached to the elbow as
shown below. Note that you did not have to specify the connection point. When the Auto
Router switch is set, PIPING automatically attaches to the previous component using the
“fitting to fitting” method.
5. Select Piping > Flanges > Weldneck again. The model appears as shown in the following
Figure.
Note If a Specification Selection dialog displays, select the first gasket record in the
Specification Selection dialog, then press OK.

PLACING FROM A REFERENCE POINT

At this point, all of the components were either placed “in space” or connected to existing
components. In this section, you will learn how to place a component a specified distance from a
reference point.
To insert a component a specific distance from the center point of another,

use the Relative option then input or pick a distance.
> TO PLACE A COMPONENT FROM A REFERENCE POINT

1. Before you start, adjust the view of the model so that you can place components south and east
of the elbow. Use AutoCAD’s zoom controls and scroll bars to obtain a view similar to the
one shown below.
2. Select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences… and disable the Auto Router Mode check box,
then press OK. Components cannot be placed from a reference point until this switch is
disabled.

3. Select Piping > Branching Components > Straight Tee. The reference point is automatically
selected at the open end of the flange.
4. The prompt
Relative/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>: R
displays. Type R and press Enter to select the Relative option.
5. The prompt
Align/change Ref point/<Enter distance or Return for fit-fit>: 5’ {1500}
displays. Type 5’ {1500} and press Enter to place the tee 5-feet {1500mm} away from the end
of the last flange.
6. The prompt
Toggle insertion point/<Return to select>: T
displays, and an outline of the component appears at the placement point. You must now
indicate whether the end point, center point, or branch point of the tee is to be placed at that
point. Type T and press Enter to Toggle the reference point to the end of the tee, then press
Enter to accept the point.
7. The prompt
Toggle alignment port/<Return to select>:
displays. Press Enter to accept the default position.
8. The prompt
displays. Orient the tee so that its branch extends eastward. With ORTHO ON, select any
point to the right or press the +X button from the Direction Aids toolbar. Press Enter to place
the tee relative to the flange as shown in the figure below.

> CHANGING THE REFERENCE DIRECTION

1. In this exercise, you will place an elbow using the center point of the tee as a reference. You
will place the elbow so that one of its legs moves away from the plan view. Select Piping >
Bends and Returns > 90°° LR Elbow.
2. The prompt
Relative/Toggle/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>: T
displays. Continue to type T and press Enter until the branch tee port is selected.
When the tee branch port is highlighted, type R and press Enter to choose the Relative
placement option.
3. The reference point becomes the center of the tee and the prompt
Toggle /Align/change Ref point/<Enter Distance or Return for fit-fit>: T
displays. Notice that there are two points highlighted: the center of the tee, which is the
reference point, and the north end of the tee, which indicates the desired run direction. Press
the Toggle option until the branch end of the tee is highlighted as shown in the graphic below.
You can now place the elbow a specified distance along the branch direction.
Reference Direction
Point Indicator
4. The prompt
Toggle /Align/change Ref point/<Enter Distance or Return for fit-fit>: 5’ {1500}
displays. Type 5’ {1500} and press Enter to pick the placement point 5-feet {1500mm} away
from the center of the tee.
5. An outline of the elbow appears at that point and the prompt
displays. Type T and press Enter until the reference point toggles to the end of the elbow, then
press Enter to accept the point.

6. The prompt
displays. Orient the elbow so that its leg runs towards the viewer in the plan view. Press the +Z
button on the Direction Aids toolbar. Press Enter to place the elbow in the model with its leg
running up in the vertical plane. In the next exercise, you will work from a skewed viewpoint.
The model, as it appears in the plan view, is shown in the following figure.
PLACING COMPONENTS IN A SKEWED VIEW

PIPING is designed to produce clean production drawings from any view (see the discussion on
Drawing Modes later in this chapter). In the development of a 3D model, piping lines may be
easier to visualize, and it may be easier to discover design flaws, while working in a different
viewing perspective. PIPING enables you to route components in a skewed view as easily as from
the Plan view. You will also find working in a skewed view makes it easier to place components
that are oriented perpendicular to the current viewing plane (i.e., oriented in the +/- Z direction).
The exercise below demonstrates this process.
You should make extensive use of AutoCAD’s View commands, and/or the View toolbar. These
commands enable you to quickly move around the model to a number of pre-defined viewing
perspectives. Particularly useful for controlling views is the View toolbar shown below. From this
toolbar, users can easily toggle between plan, elevation, and isometric viewing planes of the
current model. Refer to your AutoCAD documentation for more information.
First, you will change the viewpoint, then continue placing components on the pipe run created
earlier.

> TO CHANGE THE VIEWPOINT

1. Type VPOINT and press Enter, and then type -1,-1,1 and press Enter, or select the SW Isometric
View icon from AutoCAD’s View toolbar.
2. Zoom in around the area of the model shown below. Note that the last elbow placed is
oriented in the vertical plane.
Routing from a skewed view is no different from routing in the plan. The only difference is that
you are better able to visualize the model and can easily select objects that may be hidden when
viewing the drawing from a plan perspective.
> TO PLACE COMPONENTS IN A SKEWED VIEW

1. Select Piping > Reducers and Swages > Concentric Reducer.
2. The prompt
Current Elevation <COP 6’>
Relative/Toggle/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Whenever a component is placed from a reference point, the application will assume
that you want to route back to the original point. Select the vertical leg of the elbow to begin
routing in the vertical direction, or use the Toggle option to select the vertical port. Note that
you can pick anywhere near the endpoint of the elbow. It is not necessary to use the ENDP
osnap, as PIPING will automatically recognize any point that is selected reasonably near the
end of the elbow graphic.
3. The prompt
Current Elevation <COP 6’>
displays. Press Enter to connect using the “fitting-to-fitting” method.

4. The Specification Selection dialog displays as shown below. This dialog will always display
when placing a reducer to enable you to define the reduced size (remember, only the main size
is set from the Drawing Preferences dialog). Select the 6X4 {150 x 100} Buttweld Concentric
Reducer record from the Specification Selection dialog, then press OK.
5. The reducer is placed in the model as shown in the figure below.
6. Select Piping > Branching Components > Straight Tee to add a tee to the end of the reducer.
7. The prompt
Relative/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Press Enter, or press the right mouse button, to connect to the end of the reducer.
8. The prompt
displays. Press Enter to accept the default insertion point.
9. The prompt
displays. Press +Y on the Direction Aids toolbar to orient the branch in the +Y direction. Press
Enter to complete the tee placement as shown in the following figure.

Note Notice that a 4” {100mm} tee was connected to the reducer. One of the default settings in
the Drawing Preferences dialog enables you to automatically match the settings of the
last component placed in the drawing. Also of note is the color of the tee. A separate
setting in the Drawing Preferences dialog controls how colors are assigned in PIPING. By
default, objects that share a nominal size are colored the same so that size ranges can
be easily distinguished in the model.
ALIGNING COMPONENTS
Refer to the Figure above. Suppose you were to remove the 6” {150mm} tee that is aligned with
the flange and the upward turning elbow. To place it again, you would have to find the intersection
point between the two centerlines. In the past, this meant routing centerlines or construction lines
to determine the point, or getting out the calculator to compute the desired insertion point. With
PIPING, aligning a component to existing centerlines has never been easier.
> TO ALIGN COMPONENTS

1. To begin this exercise, erase the 6” {150mm} tee that you placed earlier. Select Piping Tools >
Component Manipulation Tools > Delete Components, then pick a point on the outline of the
tee and then press Enter. The model appears as shown below.
2. Now you will re-insert the tee using the Align option. Select Piping > Branching Components >
Straight Tee.
3. The prompt
displays. PIPING assumes you want to continue routing off the 4” {100mm} tee. Select the
open end of the flange instead.

4. The prompt
Relative/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>: R
displays. Type R(elative), then press Enter.
5. The prompt
Align/change Ref point/<Enter distance or Return for fit-fit>: A
displays. Type A(lign), then press Enter.
6. The prompt
Pick component to align to
displays. Select the open end of the upward-turning elbow.
7. The prompt
Toggle/<Enter to select currently highlighted port>
displays, and the two selected alignment ports are highlighted. Confirm that you want an
insertion point placed at the intersection of these two ports by pressing Enter.
8. An outline of the tee is inserted at the specified point, and the prompt
displays. Press Enter to place the tee at its center.
9. The prompt
displays. You can toggle the connection port so that the branch or a run end is facing toward
the flange. Press Enter to accept the default port alignment.
10. The prompt
displays. Pick a point in the +X direction, or press the +X button on the Direction Aids toolbar
to indicate the branch direction of the tee. Press Enter to place the tee aligned with the
centerline of the flange and elbow as shown in the following figure.

ATTACHING TO A CENTERLINE
Another method of component placement is to place a component directly on a centerline. PIPING
provides centerline router functions to enable you to define a piping path with a high degree of
precision. Components can then be placed directly on the line to ensure placement at proper
elevations. In this exercise, you will route a simple centerline, then place an elbow on it to
demonstrate this feature.
> TO ROUTE THE CENTERLINE

1. Zoom out to give yourself more room to draw the centerline.
2. Select Piping > Piping Tools > Centerline Routers > From Dialog to display the Router Line Info
dialog shown below. With Info Mode ON, the current drawing preferences are stored on the
line. When a component is placed on the line, settings such as main size, insulation, line
number, etc. will be automatically assigned to that component. For the purposes of this
exercise, however, enable the Info Mode Off radio button as shown below, then press OK.
3. The prompt
Exit/<Options>/Start Point: end
displays. Type END and press Enter, then select the endpoint of the tee as shown in the
following Figure.

Select the endpoint

of the tee.
If the end was not picked as shown above, type T and press Enter to toggle the selection point
until the end is selected. Press Enter when the point is selected as shown to accept this point.
4. The prompt
Exit/<Options>/Pick Point:
displays. Press Enter to display the Routing options dialog shown below.
5. To pick the next point 5-feet {1500mm}south from the end of the tee, scroll down and select
South from the Options list, type 5’ {1500} in the Distance field, then press OK to pick the
point.
6. Press Enter to return to the Router dialog.
7. To pick the next point sloping at a 45-degree angle, select Sloping from the Options list, type
45 in the Z Angle field, then press OK.
8. The Towards/Away dialog displays. Select Towards then press OK.

9. The prompt
Next point:
displays. Type @5’<0 {1500<0} at the command line, then press Enter.
10. Type E and press Enter to complete the centerline as shown below.
> TO ATTACH TO THE CENTERLINE

1. You can now place an elbow at the intersection point. PIPING will roll the elbow
automatically. Select Piping > Bends and Returns > 90°° LR Elbow.
2. The prompt
displays. Pick a point near the corner of the centerline that was just created. PIPING will
automatically recognize the intersection as the desired point and place the elbow.
Note Notice that the insertion point and orientation prompts were bypassed, and the elbow
graphic was placed without further interaction.

AUTOMATIC PIPE PLACEMENT

The AutoPipe command is provided to enable you to place straight pipe between existing fittings.
The process is as simple as selecting the components between which pipe should be placed.
> TO ROUTE PIPE AUTOMATICALLY

1. Select Piping > Pipe Components > AutoPipe.
2. The AutoPLANT Selections dialog displays. This is a common component selection dialog that
provides options to define the selection set of components for which the executed command
will apply. Options are available to select components that share user-defined attributes, or to
select components that exist in one or more project drawing (useful when generating reports or
updating a particular field value for all components in a project). In this example, you will
manually select the components between which pipe should be placed. Click on the Drawing
tab, then enable the All radio button, then press OK.
3. Connecting pipe is placed between the components. Notice that AutoPipe recognized the
branch run on the tee. Type REGEN and press Enter. The model appears as shown below.

INSERT INTO PIPE

PIPING also provides a component placement feature which enables you to insert a component
into an existing pipe segment. This feature will automatically break the pipe to insert the
component, then connect the pipe to the component if possible.
> TO INSERT A VALVE INTO PIPE

1. Select Piping > Valves > Gate > Gate.
2. The prompt
Elevation/Insert/<Pick point>:
displays. Pick any point on the first pipe segment you placed in this chapter.
3. The prompt
Relative/Insert/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Type I(nsert) and press Enter to indicate that you want to insert into the selected pipe
segment.
4. You will notice that the entire pipe segment is highlighted and the prompt
Select reference port
displays. Toggle until the port on the open end of the pipe segment is highlight, then press
Enter.
5. The prompt
Align/change Ref point/Enter distance <0.0>
displays. Type 2’ {600} and press Enter to specify the location of the valve insertion point from
the highlighted pipe segment port.
6. The Specification Selection dialog displays. Pick the first buttweld (END_COND_1=BW)
valve record, then press OK.
7. Press Cancel when the AutoPLANT Selections dialog displays to indicate that you do not want
to also insert topworks with the valve.
8. The prompt
displays. Press Enter to insert the valve using its default insertion point port.

9. The prompt
Toggle alignment port/<Return to select>
displays. Press Enter.
10. Notice how PIPING breaks the pipe segment, inserts the valve, then re-attaches the pipe to
both ends of the valve complete with buttweld fasteners as shown below..

DISPLAY MODES
DISPLAY MODES
PIPING components are constructed from a series of Rebis Custom Objects, which have inherent
display properties. PIPING provides the Display Mode options to enable you to instantaneously
display components using any of the four inherent display modes. These display modes do not
affect the size of the drawing. These commands may be executed from the Piping > Piping Tools >
Display Modes menu, or from the Display Modes toolbar (flyout of Piping Tools toolbar).
Wireframe Mode Centerline Mode
Wireframe with Centerline Mesh
Note The mesh density used to display components in the Mesh Display Mode is defined by
setting the value of the Surface Resolution in the Drawing Preferences dialog prior to
component placement.
COMPLETING THE EXERCISES

Select File > Exit and press Enter. Press No when prompted to save changes. You do not need to
save this drawing.

CHAPTER REVIEW
CHAPTER REVIEW
+ Basic Placement Procedure: To insert a component, select it from the menu or toolbar, indicate
its placement point, then orient the component for branches and bends. Within each of these
basic steps, the user has a variety of options available.
+ Fitting to Fitting: Because most components are placed using the fitting-to-fitting method,
PIPING automates many of these tasks. To connect a component to the previous one, simply
select the new component, then press the Enter key, or the right mouse button.
+ Insert into Pipe: PIPING provides a component placement feature which enables you to insert
a component into an existing pipe segment. This feature will automatically break the pipe to
insert the component, then connect the pipe to the component if possible.
+ Working in a Skewed View: PIPING is a true 3D package. To fully utilize its power, you can
work in a three-dimensional view using AutoCAD’s standard View commands and controls.
+ Other Placement Options: In addition to the automated placement capabilities, PIPING allows
components to be placed with a great deal of precision and accuracy. Toggle the Relative
command to change the reference point from which a component is placed. The Align
command can be used to orient two components along the same centerline.
+ Drawing Mode: The drawing mode switch can toggle the display of the model between various
inherent custom object display properties. Changing the drawing mode does not affect
drawing size.
WHAT’S NEXT
In Chapter 5 you will use the techniques introduced in this chapter to construct a simple piping
model. You will begin by opening an equipment drawing that is provided with your sample
project. You will then learn to connect PIPING components directly to the existing nozzles. Two
piping lines will be constructed. You will also take a closer look at some of the tools that are
available to automate piping tasks.

5 ROUTING PIPE AND FITTINGS
This chapter contains several exercises that explain how to build a simple
model. The focus is on providing an overview of the major PIPING
placement functions.
OVERVIEW 5-2
OPENING THE DRAWING 5-2
DRAWING SETTINGS 5-4
COMPONENT PREFERENCES 5-5
LINE L1000 5-8
LINE L2000 5-12
SAVING THE DRAWING 5-30
CHAPTER REVIEW 5-30

ROUTING PIPE AND FITTINGS
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This chapter builds upon the connection methods discussed in Chapter 4. A drawing has been
provided with your sample project that contains the vertical and horizontal vessels shown below.
You will begin by connecting pipe directly to the nozzles on these vessels, then execute various
connection and placement techniques to construct the simple pipe run shown here. At the
completion of this chapter, you will be capable of placing any arrangement of components as
shown below.
The simple model shown at right

will be created during this chapter.
Individual exercises focus on
different aspects of the piping
interface and on placement
techniques.
OPENING THE DRAWING

You imported the sample drawing that will be used in this section of the Tutorial in Chapter 2.
This two-vessel drawing was created using AutoPLANT EQUIPMENT, and contains vessels and
nozzles with pre-defined line numbers. This will help to demonstrate the advantage of sharing
model data between AutoPLANT applications. For example, the LineNumber and Size settings are
automatically extracted when connecting PIPING components to EQUIPMENT nozzles. To open
the equipment drawing, follow the procedure outlined below.
Note You can also connect to xreferenced drawings, which share the same Workspace.
Workspaces allow several designers to share each other’s models. This powerful feature
of AutoPLANT is discussed in greater detail in Chapter 7, Drawing Production.
> TO OPEN THE PIPE_TUTOR {PIPEM_TUTOR} MODEL

1. Select Programs > Bentley > Plant > Plant Design from the Windows Start menu.
2. Select File > Open. Press No when prompted to save the current drawing. When the file
selection dialog appears, navigate to the …\TutorProject\IMPERIAL_TUTOR\TUTORIAL
{…\TutorProj\METRIC_TUTOR\TUTORIAL } directory on your local drive. Open the file
PIPE_TUTOR.DWG {PIPEM_TUTOR.DWG}.

OPENING THE DRAWING
3. Press OK when the proxy graphics dialog displays.

4. Select AutoPLANT 3D > Piping to start the PIPING application.
5. You may have noticed that you were not prompted to select a project. This is because the
system automatically resolves that the PIPE_TUTOR {PIPEM_TUTOR} drawing belongs to
your tutorial project.
6. Select Piping Tools > Display Modes > Set Wireframe w/Centerline to set the display mode used
in this Tutorial. Type Regen and press Enter, then Zoom Extents to display the model as shown
below. Note that there are two nozzles on the horizontal vessel and one on the vertical vessel.
These vessel's and their associated nozzles were created using the AutoPLANT EQUIPMENT
application.
7. Open the Piping Components Main, Piping Functions Main, Direction Aids, and Responses
toolbars from the Piping > Toolbars menu if not already displayed.

DRAWING SETTINGS
DRAWING SETTINGS
An overview of the Drawing Preferences dialog was provided in Chapter 3 of this Tutorial. The
first step in beginning a new drawing session is to establish the initial drawing preferences that will
define the search criteria used to place components. For example, PIPING will use the values
specified for Nominal Size and Specification to locate the component record in the specification
that matches the criteria. This record contains the parametric information used by PIPING to draw
the component.
> TO ESTABLISH INITIAL DRAWING SETTINGS

1. Select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences… to display the dialog shown below.
2. You will initially use the drawing preference values shown above. Ensure that your drawing
preferences match those shown above, and then press OK. These settings will enable you to
place 3D 6” {150mm} components from the CS150 {MCS150} specification.
Note The default values in this dialog are saved on a project-by-project basis. You can modify
these defaults using the Project Administrator application, which can be launched from
the main AutoPLANT menu or toolbar.
The specification used in this tutorial, CS150 {MCS150}, is the IMPERIAL_TUTOR

{METRIC_TUTOR} default spec. You can create your own specifications using the Spec
Generator application, and then access those records for use in your own projects by
setting the active specification in this dialog. Specifications must be stored in the directory
listed in the Specification Path field, which is also saved with the project configuration.

COMPONENT PREFERENCES
PIPING uses the value of several project objects to form relationships between components,
documents, etc. in a project. The Project Preferences control provides a tool to manage the values of
these project objects. The shipping version of the application provides four project objects that
must be defined: LineNumber, Area, Unit, and Service in order to place components. Definition of
Spool project object values is optional for component placement
As noted earlier in this Tutorial, the recommended workflow method would have your Project
Administrator create the project values (e.g., LineNumber, Area, Unit, Spool, and Service values)
available in a project, then designers would simply select the desired values prior to placing
components. In this workflow method, designers would not need access to the full set of
Component Preferences control features and should simply dock the container along the top of the
AutoCAD application window to show the control as a MiniBar. From the MiniBar mode, a
designer would only be concerned with selecting the appropriate project object values from the
drop-down lists.
When the PIPE_TUTOR {PIPEM_TUTOR} model that you opened at the start of this Tutorial was
created, values were added to the project for the LineNumber project object in order to place the
nozzles that are connected to the vessels.
Select Setup > Component Preferences to display the control. If you open the LineNumber project
object’s Current Setting drop-down list, you will notice that line numbers L1000 and L2000 are
already available in the project. These were the LineNumber values assigned to the vessel nozzles.
In order to conform to our recommended workflow method, you will create the remaining project
object values used by this Tutorial now. You will then be able to dock the control so that it
displays as a MiniBar, then simply select the desired values for the project objects as you progress
through the Tutorial.
As noted previously LineNumber values L1000 and L2000 exist in the project database. You will
add LineNumber L3000, and then values for Area, Service, and Unit.

> TO CREATE THE TUTORIAL PROJECT OBJECT VALUES

1. Select Piping > Setup > Component Preferences to display the control shown below (if it is not
already open).
2. Right-click on the LineNumber node in the navigation tree or the LineNumber preference in the
grid area of the dialog, then select Add from the context menu displayed.
3. Type L3000 in the Create new Line Number dialog as shown below, and then press OK.

This will add the new LineNumber value to the project. A node for this LineNumber will
appear in the navigation tree and will be available for selection in the Current Setting drop-
down list.
4. Right-click on the Area node in the navigation tree or the Area preference in the grid area of
the dialog, then select Add from the context menu displayed.
5. An editable node will be added below the Area parent node in the navigation tree. Overwrite
the default value by typing PT1000 and pressing Enter.
6. Right-click on the Unit node in the navigation tree or the Unit preference in the grid area of the
dialog, then select Add from the context menu displayed.
7. An editable node will be added below the Unit parent node in the navigation tree. Overwrite
the default value by typing U1000 and pressing Enter.
8. Right-click on the Service node in the navigation tree or the Service preference in the grid area
of the dialog, then select Add from the context menu displayed.
9. An editable node will be added below the Service parent node in the navigation tree.
Overwrite the default value by typing S1000 and pressing Enter.
10. Now that your project objects are defined, you can dock the control. Drag the control to the
top of the AutoCAD display area, and then release your mouse button. If the control will not
dock at the top of the display, right-click on the Preference column heading in the grid, then
select Allow Docking from the context menu displayed. Now drag and drop the control to the
top of the AutoCAD display area to dock it. The docked control will appear as shown below
(imperial project illustrated).

LINE L1000
LINE L1000
Create a zoom window around the horizontal vessel as shown below. Be sure to leave enough
room to route pipe and fittings on the South end of the vessel. You will begin by attaching a
weldneck flange to the nozzle on the West end of the vessel, then place an away-facing elbow four-
feet from the end of the flange. Connecting pipe will then be placed between the two fittings.
West Nozzle East Nozzle

L1000 L2000
Zoom around the horizontal vessel as shown. Throughout this tutorial, we refer to the “West” and “East” nozzles.
> CONNECT A FLANGE TO THE WEST NOZZLE

1. As noted previously, values for project objects LineNumber, Area, Unit, and Service must be
set prior to placing a component in PIPING. An exception to this rule is when you are
connecting to an existing component and have the Drawing Preferences Data Mode set to
From Connecting Component. In this instance, PIPING will read the values for these objects
from the connecting component automatically. However, when connecting to an existing
EQUIPMENT component, only the LineNumber project object value can be determined from
the EQUIPMENT nozzle, therefore, you must still set values for the remaining project objects.
From the Component Preferences minibar, set the project object and drawing preference
values as shown below.

LINE L1000
2. To connect a weldneck flange to the west nozzle, select Piping > Flanges > Weldneck. The
prompt
Current elevation <COP 0">
displays. Select any point on the face of the West nozzle. As long as a point is selected near
the outline of the nozzle, PIPING will automatically recognize that you want to connect to the
end of it.
3. The prompt
displays. Press Enter to place the flange using the “fitting-to-fitting” method. The flange will
be placed as shown below.
In the following procedure, you will use the Relative placement option to place an elbow, 4-
feet {1200mm} south of the flange.

LINE L1000
> PLACE AN AWAY-FACING ELBOW 4’ {1200MM} FROM THE FLANGE

2. A reference point displays at the end of the flange to indicate where the default placement
point is located. Normally, you could simply press Enter to connect the two components using
the “fitting-to-fitting” method. However, in this exercise you want to place the elbow 4-feet
{1200mm} away from (relative to) the end of the flange. The prompt
Relative/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit)>:
displays. Press the Relative button on the Responses toolbar, or type R and press Enter. The
prompt changes to read
Align/change Ref point/<Enter distance or Return for fit-fit>:
Type 4’ {1200} at the command line then press Enter.
3. An outline of the elbow is drawn four-feet {1200mm} away from the flange, and the prompt
displays. Note that the reference point appears on the center of the elbow. Press Enter to
accept the default center-point insertion.
4. The prompt
Enter orientation:
displays. Press the -Z button on the Direction Aids toolbar to specify that the opposite leg of
the elbow moves in the -Z direction. Press Enter to complete the elbow placement as shown in
the following figure.
4’{1200mm}

LINE L1000
> PLACE PIPE BETWEEN THE FLANGE AND THE ELBOW

Now that you have connected the flange to the nozzle and placed the elbow, you will connect pipe
between the two components. In this step, the Connect To command will be demonstrated.
1. Select Piping > Pipe Components > Pipe.

2. The prompt
Relative/Toggle/create taP/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit)>:
displays. Notice that the default reference point is the end of the elbow that points toward the
flange. Press Enter to accept this point as the reference point and connect to it.
3. The prompt
displays. Type C and then press Enter.
4. The prompt
Select component:
displays. Pick the open end of the flange. Connecting pipe is placed between the two
components as shown in the following figure.
Select the open end of the

flange when the “Connect
to” prompt is displayed.
Hint In this example, pipe was placed between two existing components. A separate
command, AutoPipe, is available for placing connecting pipe between several
components. This feature will be demonstrated later in this chapter.

LINE L2000
LINE L2000
The nozzle on the east end of the horizontal vessel is the starting point for line L2000. In this
exercise you will turn ON the Auto Router toggle switch, then add a valve/flange assembly to the
nozzle. Afterwards you will copy the away-facing elbow placed earlier and assign it to this line.
Note The east nozzle was assigned the Line Number L2000 when it was placed on the vessel
in AutoPLANT EQUIPMENT. Since the From Connecting Component option is enabled in
the Drawing Preferences dialog, the line number will be automatically reset once you
attach a component to this nozzle.
> ATTACH THE VALVE

1. Select Piping > Valves > Gate > Gate.
2. The prompt
displays. Since you are not continuing to route off the last component (the away-facing elbow
on line L1000), you must specify a new reference point. Pick the open face of the east nozzle.
3. The prompt
Relative/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit)>:
displays. The reference point symbol is now centered on the east nozzle. Press Enter to accept
the fitting-to-fitting designation and attach the gate valve at this location.
4. Select the first gate valve record from the Specification Selection dialog then press OK. The
AutoPLANT Selections dialog displays to enable you to connect an operator to the valve. Press
Cancel for no topworks. The valve will be placed as shown in the following figure.
5. All of the components placed in the model to this point were inserted without using the Auto
Router. To enable this function, select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences…. Enable the Auto
Router Mode check box, and then press OK to close the dialog.
6. Attach a flange to the valve by selecting Piping > Flanges > Weldneck. Notice that you are not
prompted to pick or accept the default insertion point at the end of the gate valve just placed.

LINE L2000
With the Auto Router switch enabled, PIPING automatically assumes that you want to connect
to the endpoint of the last component. The flange is placed with no further input from the user
as shown in the following figure.
Note Enabling the Auto Router will only require additional input from the user during placement
if there are more than one record for a component in the spec, or if a branching
component is being inserted. In the case of the branching component insertion, you will
be prompted to specify the branch direction before continuing to route components.
7. Select Piping > Setup > Drawing Preferences…, disable the Auto Router switch, then press OK
to close the dialog.

LINE L2000
COPYING COMPONENTS
PIPING components can be copied, moved, mirrored, or arrayed just like any other AutoCAD
entity. When components are copied, a separate database record is created for each component. A
dialog also displays to enable you to change/revise the line number drawing database field values
for the copied components. In the tutorial model, the two nozzle centerlines are 6-feet (72”)
{1800mm}apart. Since this design calls for away-facing elbows equidistant from the vessel shell,
you can use AutoCAD’s COPY command to copy the existing elbow.
> TO COPY THE ELBOW

1. Type COPY at the command line and press Enter.
Warning Do NOT use AutoCAD’s Edit/Copy command or its associated icon on the AutoCAD
toolbar. These commands are members of the COPYCLIP family, and are related to
Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) functions. OLE operations are not supported in the
current version of PIPING.
2. The prompt
Select objects
displays. Pick the away-facing elbow on line L1000 and then press Enter.
3. The prompt
Specify base point or displacement, or [Multiple]
displays. Pick any point near the elbow.
4. The prompt
Specify second point of displacement or <use first point as displacement>:
displays. Type @6’<0 {@1800<0} at the command line, then press Enter. The copied elbow is
placed six-feet {1800mm} in the +X direction from the selected elbow as shown in the
following figure.
6’

LINE L2000
5. The message
Rebis post-copy/explode component update in progress…
Retrieving copied components...
Updating database links...
Re-establishing connectivity...
Updating component data...
displays on the command line, and the following dialog displays to enable you to change the
LineNumber project database value for the copied elbow.
Since the copied elbow will actually be part of LineNumber L2000, select L2000 from the Edit
Value list as shown above, then press OK. The elbow is placed and associated with
LineNumber L2000.
6. Finally, you will place connecting pipe between the flange and the elbow using the same
technique you learned earlier. Select Piping > Pipe Components > Pipe.
7. The prompt:
Relative/Toggle/create taP/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Pick the elbow and toggle to the open end that lies in XY Plane facing the flange,
then press Enter.
8. The prompt
Connect To/<Enter Length>:
fsdisplays. Type C and press Enter, and then pick the open end of the flange. The model
appears as shown in the following figure.

LINE L2000
WORKING WITH REFERENCE POINTS

In this exercise you will route from an isometric view of the model, and learn other methods of
placing components relative to one another. Of particular note in this exercise is the capability to
automatically align a single component with others that have already been placed.
1. Change the viewpoint in order to get a better working view of the model. Press the SW
Isometric View button (or type vpoint -1,-1,1 at the command line), then zoom around the
horizontal vessel to obtain a view similar to that shown below.
Select a point on the end of

this elbow to begin routing

LINE L2000

3. The prompt
displays. Pick the open end of the elbow on Line L1000 as shown in the Figure above. A
reference point is placed on the end of the elbow and the prompt
displays. Type R(elative), then press Enter.
4. The prompt
Align/change Ref point/Elev/<Enter distance or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. Note that the reference point now becomes the center of the elbow. PIPING assumes
that you want to use the center point as the reference (when needed, you can change the
reference point using the change Ref point option). Type E and press Enter to display the Set
Elevation dialog shown in the following figure.
Enable the Center of Pipe radio button, then type 2’ {600} in the Elevation field and press OK to
insert the elbow at an elevation of 2-feet {600} relative to the selected elbow.
5. The prompt
displays. Press Enter to accept the default and insert the elbow at its center point.
6. The prompt
displays. Press the +X direction button on the Direction Aids toolbar to set the orientation.
Press Enter to complete the placement as shown in the following figure.

LINE L2000
Elev: 2’
4’

LINE L2000
THE ALIGN TO OPTION

In this exercise, you will place a tee at a point directly below the away-facing elbow on line L2000,
which will also align with the centerline of the elbow that you just placed. This section will
demonstrate the powerful Align To feature in PIPING, which enables a component to be placed so
that it aligns with two existing components, even if those components lie at different planes and
elevations.
> TO ALIGN A TEE

1. Select Piping > Branching Components > Straight Tee.
2. The prompt
displays. Use the Toggle option to toggle to the horizontal port of the elbow placed above
(point PT1 in the following Figure).
In Step 5, select the open

PT2 end of the elbow that turns
down on line 102A.
In Step 2, select the end of

PT1 the elbow that runs in the
horizontal plane.
3. The prompt
displays. Press the Relative button on the Responses toolbar (or type R then press Enter).
4. The prompt
Toggle/Align/change Ref point/<Enter Distance or Return for fit-fit>:
displays. In this example, you want the tee’s branch to align with the elbow on line L2000.
Press the Align button on the Responses toolbar (or type A(lign) and press Enter).

LINE L2000
5. The prompt
Pick component to align to:
displays. Select the away-facing elbow on line L2000 (point PT2 in the Figure above).
6. The prompt
displays. The reference point symbols are imposed on the selected objects. Press Enter to
insert the tee at the intersection of the selected component’s centerline paths.
7. An outline of the tee is placed in the model, and the prompt
displays. Press Enter to insert the tee at its center point.
8. The prompt
displays. Branching components have more than one alignment port as illustrated below. For
example, the tee could be oriented vertically or horizontally and still align with the selected
components. Press Enter to accept the default and orient the tee with its branch aligned with
the elbow above it, and its run direction in the X plane.
The two alignment ports which can be associated with the

tee are shown here. The next step is to orient the branch.
9. The last step determines how the branch is oriented. Press the +Z button on the Direction Aids
toolbar, then press Enter to set this orientation and place the tee as shown.

LINE L2000
CONNECTING PIPE
Earlier in this chapter, you used the Connect To placement option to connect two components that
were placed in the same plane. In this section, the PIPING's AutoPipe command will be used to
place connecting pipe between all of the “floating” components in the model.
> TO PLACE CONNECTING PIPE

1. Select Piping > Pipe Components > AutoPipe.
2. When the AutoPLANT Selections dialog displays, click on the Drawing tab as shown below.
This dialog enables you to define a selection set of components via a number of options. The
All option performs the operation on all components in the model, the Manual option enables
you to select components individually, and the Advanced option expands the dialog to create a
selection set based on a user defined query. This utility will be covered in more detail later in
this tutorial. Enable the All radio button then press OK.
Connecting pipe is automatically placed between all open-ended components that have
another component with an open end lying in the same plane as shown in the following Figure.
This elbow
belongs to L2000
Connecting pipe
is not placed
This tee belongs
to L1000

LINE L2000
3. Notice that connecting pipe was not placed between the downward turning elbow and the tee.
This is because the elbow belongs to LineNumber L2000 while the tee belongs to LineNumber
L1000. AutoPIPE will not automatically resolve differences in these values. This prevents
faulty assignment of line number identifiers. Select Piping > Pipe Components > Pipe.
4. The prompt
create taP/Elevation/Insert/<Pick point>:
displays. The first component you pick in this step determines the line number assigned to the
pipe. If you pick the elbow, the pipe will be assigned to line L2000. If you pick the tee, the
pipe will be assigned to L1000. Select a point on the open end of the elbow.
Note In Chapter 6, The Drawing Database, you will learn how to edit the line number assigned
to a component.
5. The prompt
Relative/create taP/Elev/<Pick point or Return for fit-fit>:
display. Press Enter to connect to the elbow.
6. The prompt
displays. Type C and press Enter, then select a point on the branch of the tee. The model
appears as shown below.

LINE L2000
ROUTING A CENTERLINE
Another method of component placement involves routing a centerline to define the piping path,
then placing components directly on the line to ensure proper alignment. This method has the
advantage of laying out the entire pipe run at the outset.
A centerline in PIPING may be intelligent, meaning that the application can read the positional
data stored on these lines to insert components. Preferences can also be saved with the line and
automatically applied to any components placed on it. In this section, you will route a centerline to
connect the open end of the tee with the nozzle on the vertical vessel. Afterwards, you will add
elbows at the intersections and then use the AutoPipe feature to complete the model.
> TO ROUTE A CENTERLINE

1. Change the display view so that both the end of the tee and the nozzle on the vertical vessel
display as shown in the following Figure.
2. Attach a gasket and flange to the nozzle on the vertical vessel. Select Piping > Flanges >
Weldneck.
3. The prompt
displays. Select the open end of the nozzle on the vertical vessel, then press Enter to attach the
flange, gasket, and bolts to the nozzle at the reference point as shown in the following figure.

LINE L2000
4. Select Piping > Piping Tools > Centerline Routers > From Dialog.
5. The Router Line Info dialog displays as shown below. The Info Mode determines the polyline’s
degree of intelligence. Enable the Info Mode On radio button, then press OK.
6. The Centerline Preferences dialog displays as shown below. This dialog enables you to define
preferences that will be stored with the line and applied to all components that are placed on
the line. When you click in the Line Number field, a list of LineNumber values that have been
defined in the project will appear in a selection list. This list is filtered based on what you type
in the Line Number field in this dialog (e.g., type L1 to show all LineNumber values starting
with L1). Set the dialog values as shown below, then press OK.

LINE L2000
7. The prompt
Exit/<Options>/Start Point:
displays. Type END and press Enter, then select the end of the flange connected to the vertical
vessel’s nozzle. The Router will automatically extract the elevation parameters from that
point.
The prompt
displays. This prompt enables you to change the port of the flange that was picked above. If
the port on the open end of the flange is selected, press Enter, or if it is not, type T until it is
selected.
8. The prompt
Exit/<Options>/Pick Point:
displays. You can either input points directly from the command line using standard AutoCAD
techniques, or press Enter to open a dialog of options. In this instance, use the command line:
Type @2’<135 {@600<135} and then press Enter. A line is drawn 2-feet {600mm} from the
end of the flange.
9. Press Enter to open the Routing dialog shown below.
Select Box Router Pick from the Options section of the dialog, then press OK. The Box Router
Pick option will draw a temporary box between the current point and a user-selected point.
This makes it a simple matter to route 90-degree changes in direction between two points
which lie at different elevations.
10. The prompt
Pick End Point of Box:
displays. Type END and press Enter, then pick the end of the tee as shown in the following
figure.

LINE L2000
Select the endpoint on the tee as the

reference point.
11. The prompt

displays. Make sure that you have selected the open end of the tee as shown above, then press.
You can type T to toggle to this end if required.
12. A temporary box is placed on the screen between the selected points. The prompt
Exit/Connect/Redraw Box/Points/Slope/Increment/Auto/Keep/<Next>:
displays. Type A and then press Enter. The Automatic option will offer suggested routes
between the two points.
13. The prompt
Exit/Redraw Box/Manual/Keep/<Next>:
displays. Note that a yellow line is routed between opposite corners of the box. Press Enter to
accept the <Next> option and cycle through the available paths until the route shown in the
following figure displays.
14. Type K and press Enter to accept (<Keep>) the highlighted centerline path. The centerline is
routed between the selected points.

LINE L2000
15. The prompt

Exit/<Options>/Pick Point: E
displays. Type E then press Enter to exit the router. The drawing appears as shown below.
ADDING ELBOWS AT THE INTERSECTIONS

Now that you have routed a centerline, you can use its intelligence to place elbows at each of the
intersections. In this exercise, the intersections where elbows will be placed are referred to by the
numbers shown in the following figure.

LINE L2000
> TO ADD THE ELBOWS

2. The prompt
displays. Select a point near Intersection 1 to place the elbow. Notice that you were not
required to specify the direction or the orientation because this information was extracted from
the geometry of the centerline.
3. In PIPING you can always repeat the last command by simply pressing Enter (or the right
mouse button). Press Enter to place another elbow. The prompt
displays. Select a point near Intersection 2 to place the second elbow.
4. Press Enter to re-execute the elbow command, then select a point near Intersection 3 to place
the third elbow. The elbows are placed on the centerline as shown in the following figure.

LINE L2000
COMPLETING THE MODEL

In this section, you will complete the tutorial model by placing connecting pipe between the
fittings on the centerline.
> TO FINISH THE MODEL

1. Select Piping > Pipe Components > AutoPipe to display the AutoPLANT Selections dialog.
2. Click on the Drawing tab then enable the All radio button and press OK.
3. Connecting pipe is placed at the proper locations as shown in the figure below.
4. Use AutoCAD’s Zoom All command to get a better look at the model. Select
Piping > Piping Tools > Display Modes > Set Wirefame, then type HIDE and press Enter to
display the model as shown in the following figure.

SAVING THE DRAWING
SAVING THE DRAWING

Select File > Save to save the model. If you examine the directory containing the
PIPE_TUTOR.DWG {PIPEM_TUTOR.DWG} file, you will note that there is also a file named
PIPE_TUTOR.MDB {PIPEM_TUTOR.MDB}. This is the MS-Access formatted external drawing
database file created when working in a Distributed Mode project. You will be working with
database information in the next chapter.
CHAPTER REVIEW
The following important features and/or concepts were introduced in this chapter.
+ Specification Selection: If more than one valid record exists in the current specification, a
dialog displays to enable you to choose the desired component.
+ Relative Placement: The Relative placement option allows components to be placed a given
distance away from an existing component. Toggle options are available to place the
component with respect to its centerpoint or endpoint.
+ Copying Components: PIPING components can be copied just like any other AutoCAD entity.
Separate records are created in the drawing database, and the user is prompted to (optionally)
change the line number associated with the copied component.
+ Align To: The Align to option (available when placing components using the Relative command)
enables you to place bends or branching components so that the centerlines are aligned with
the centerlines of selected components.
+ AutoPipe: The AutoPipe feature automatically places connecting pipe between selected
components.
+ Centerline: The Router dialog contains options for drawing centerlines. After a piping path is
defined, components can be placed directly on it to ensure proper connectivity and elevation
settings. If the router is initiated with Info Mode set to ON, component preferences defined
when the line was drawn are applied to any component placed on it.
WHAT’S NEXT?
In the next chapter, you will explore the commands associated with viewing and editing the
external drawing database information. You will add a tag value to a valve, view the database
record, and learn how to clean the external drawing database so that it accurately reflects the
components contained in a model.

6 DATABASE FUNCTIONS
PIPING creates intelligent models. There is a dynamic link between the

components in the model and the associated records in the external project
database. You can query this data to produce reports or to modify the
records. This chapter introduces you to some of PIPING’s database
manipulation and editing tools.
OVERVIEW 6-2
PROJECT MODE 6-2
VIEWING COMPONENT INFORMATION 6-4
EDITING COMPONENT INFORMATION 6-7
VIEWING THE DRAWING DATABASE 6-8
UPDATING COMPONENTS 6-9
CLEANING THE DATABASE 6-14
CHAPTER REVIEW 6-15

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This chapter demonstrates two (2) database edit methods. The first involves the simple
modification of a single component; the second method involves updating the attributes of several
components simultaneously. In addition, you will learn how to clean the drawing database to
ensure that the records in the database are synchronized with the components in the model.
First, an overview of how data is stored in the external database based on project mode will be
discussed.
PROJECT MODE
When a component is placed in a PIPING model, a record is written to an external database. The
manner in which this data is stored is dependent on the project mode selected when the project was
created. A description of this process is provided below for each project mode.
STANDALONE MODE
If working in Standalone Mode, all data will reside in an external MS Access (*.MDB) drawing
database. In this mode no project effectively exists. In reality, all project data that would normally
exist in the project database will reside in the drawing’s MDB. Therefore, it is very much like the
running in Central Mode, except that only the individual document exists in the project.
If working in Standalone Mode, each drawing will have its own associated drawing database
(drawing_name.MDB). There will be multiple tables in this single drawing database file. The
primary table for PIPING component information is the PIPING table. Relationship data, such as
which components exist in a particular Area or on a particular LineNumber, is stored in the
drawing database.
Working in this mode limits your ability to perform operations on multiple drawings, since access
to the drawing database is only available for the individual drawing (since it is the only drawing in
this standalone “project’). For example, you cannot select multiple drawings to generate reports.
DISTRIBUTED MODE
Distributed Mode is similar to the method used to store data in AutoPLANT v2.01. Like
standalone mode, the drawing and its associated database exist as separate files. However, the
drawing is part of a project, where all project specific data (e.g., relationships, etc.) are stored in
that project database (PROJDATA.MDB).
In addition, a record for each document in the project will exist in the project’s document register
(DOC_REG table in PROJDATA.MDB). Bentley AutoPLANT functions (e.g., report generation,
Auto-Iso, etc), may be performed on a selection set of drawings that exist in the project. The
relationships that are now established by working in a true project environment enable
AutoPLANT to now provide options in the selections tool, which enable you to quickly select, for

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
PROJECT MODE
example, all components in all drawings in a project that have the same LineNumber, Area,
Service, or Unit.
The PIPING table will still exist in the drawing’s database, but relationship data will be stored in
the project’s PROJDATA.MDB database. This enables you to execute AutoPLANT commands that
perform queries across all project data.
CENTRAL MODE
Central Mode may only be setup for MSDE, SQL Server, and Oracle database configurations. If
running in Central mode, all data for all drawings in a project will reside in a central project
database. No individual drawing database will exist. Central mode and/or SQL Server and Oracle
is an additional cost item.
Note A separate guide, Project Administrator’s Guide is provided with your software that
describes project setup and configuration in detail. This document is provided in Adobe
Acrobat PDF format and may be launched via the Bentley > Plant > Tutorials > Project
Administrators’ Guide selection in your Windows Start menu. You must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader v4.0 or later installed to view/print this document.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
VIEWING COMPONENT INFORMATION

In this section, you will examine the database records for the gate valve shown below. If you have
closed the drawing from the previous chapter, re-open it now and zoom in to the area of the model
shown below.
By simply pausing the cursor over the gate valve, some basic component information will display
in the drawing as shown in the figure. However, in the following exercises, you will view and edit
additional database information for the valve using the Edit Component command.
> TO VIEW COMPONENT INFORMATION (PAGE 1)

1. Select Piping > Database Tools > Edit Component. The prompt
Select the component, press return when done:
displays. Pick any point on the outline of the gate valve to display Page 1 of the Valve
Information dialog as shown below.
Note You can also double-click on the valve to display the dialog.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
(Imperial Version of Dialog)
Separate Component Information dialogs are provided for most component types. These are
defined in the component script files that reside in your ..\MODULES\BASE\COMMON network
directory. Each dialog displays the General Information from the database in the top area of the
dialog, and the Class Information in the bottom area. The tile window at the top right of the dialog
displays an illustration of the component type and the points where ports are located. Ports are
points that contain connection and vector data as you will see in Page 2 of this dialog.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
> TO VIEW COMPONENT INFORMATION (PAGE 2)

1. Press the Next Page button at the bottom of the dialog.
2. Page 2 of the Component Information dialog displays as shown below.
(Imperial Version of Dialog)
This dialog is divided into two sections. The top list box displays port information. The
coordinates for the ports are listed along with the vector information that defines the run direction
of the component. The Main Size, End Condition, Facing, and Pressure Class associated with the
ports are also listed.
The bottom text box lists all of the component’s drawing database fields and their values. You can
select an item in the bottom list box to edit its value. If an item is not editable, a warning message
will be issued indicating that the field is READ-ONLY.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
EDITING COMPONENT INFORMATION
EDITING COMPONENT INFORMATION

The following procedure explains how to enter a new Tag field value for the valve and save it to
the component record. In the next chapter, you will place this value as annotation.
> TO EDIT THE VALVE’S COMPONENT INFORMATION

1. Press First Page to return to the first page of the dialog.
2. Press the Create Tag button to display the New Tag dialog shown below.
3. As you can see from this dialog the tag format for a gate valve has been defined to consist of
two parts, Code and Num. From the first page of the Valve Information dialog, type A2R in the
Code field and 1 in the Num field, then press OK to close the dialog.
4. Notice that the Tag just entered now appears in the Valve Information dialog.
5. Press OK to close the dialog. The prompt
Select the component, press return when done:
displays. This command automatically remains active until it is terminated. Select the valve
again to re-display the dialog. Note that the new tag value has been saved in the component
database record.
6. Press OK to close the dialog then press Enter to terminate the Edit Component command.
Warning Exercise extreme caution when using a database editor to edit component records
directly. We recommend using the Edit Component or Update Component commands to
edit values, as doing so will ensure compatibility with other operations of the program.
When using an editor, do NOT edit values that provide dimensional information about the
component. You should also not modify project object values manually.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
VIEWING THE DRAWING DATABASE
VIEWING THE DRAWING DATABASE

The View Database command enables you to view all or selected component records in the external
drawing database in a dialog within the PIPING application.
> TO VIEW THE DRAWING DATABASE

1. Select Piping > Database Tools > View Database… to display the AutoPLANT Selections dialog.
Click on the Drawing tab then enable the All radio button and press OK.
2. After creating your selection set, the Database View dialog displays as shown below. Use the
scroll bar to view the entire list of component records (Imperial project shown below).
(Imperial Version of Dialog is Shown)
Hint You can select a record in this dialog and press the Go To button to zoom into the
selected component and center it within the display, or press the Edit button to execute
the Database Tools > Edit Component function on the component.
3. Press Cancel to close the dialog.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
Bentley AutoPLANT applications make extensive use of databases to track and manage
component data. This includes the use of specification databases to extract the parametric data
used to draw components, as well as a project and drawing databases to store component
information (based on the project mode you have selected). By storing component information in
an external database, a high level of control can be maintained over the components in a drawing.
For example, an engineer may determine that the pressure rating of a given line must be upgraded
because of the demands of the system, or that the material of a given line should be changed from
carbon steel to stainless. The Update Component function enables you to create a selection set of
components that match user-defined criteria, then to specify a new value for a selected database
field and apply that value to update the drawing database records for all selected components.
Changes can be made to component records in the current drawing, or to component records in any
number of drawings that belong to the same project. The selection tool has also been upgraded for
this release to support the manner in which data is stored for the new project relationship objects
(e.g., LineNumber, Area, Unit, and Service). A new Project tab has been added to the tool’s
interface to enable you to quickly create project-wide selections based on values for these
relationships.
For example, you can now quickly select all components that reside in all drawings that exist in a
project that have the same LineNumber project object value. The following example demonstrates
how to create a selection set of components from the current drawing, and then update the
LineNumber relationship value for every component in the selection set.
> TO REVISE A LINE NUMBER

1. Select Piping > Database Tools > Update Components… to display the AutoPLANT Selections
dialog shown in the following figure.
2. This is the same dialog that appeared when you selected the AutoPipe command earlier in this
tutorial. This selection dialog displays whenever a command may be applied to more than one
component.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
3. Enable the Advanced radio button to expand the dialog to create your search criteria. This
option enables you to create a selection set of components based on a 3D Piping Data field
value, specific project database relationship value, or on drawing attributes, such as Color or
Layer. In this example, you will define a query to select all components in the model whose
LineNumber project relationship value is L1000.
Hint Press the dialog’s Help button for a detailed explanation of every dialog option.
4. The right pane of the dialog will display a separate node for every drawing in the current
project. If you want to include a drawing in the search, you should enable the check box to the
left of that drawing in this list. The check box next to the current drawing is enabled by
default.
5. The Query Selection area of the dialog enables you to select a query from those that have been
previously defined, or were included with the shipping version of the software. Since you only
want to apply this query to the current drawing and do not want to save it for future use, you
can ignore the settings in Query Selection area of the dialog.
6. The Define Query area of the dialog is where you define the condition that will be used to
select the component records. The Type field indicates the data type that you want to search.
Since you want to base this search on the value of the project relationship object LineNumber,
select Relationship.
7. The Attribute Field drop-down list will now list all project objects defined in the project.
Select LineNumber from this list.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
8. The Constraint field defines the relationship between the Attribute Field and its value. For
example, you can specify that you want to search for all component records whose line
number is equal to L1000 (LINENUMBER = L1000), or all component records whose line
number is NOT L1000 (LINENUMBER != L1000). Select the equal “=” Constraint.
9. Specify the desired field value in the Attribute field. There are two methods available to
specify the value: you can type it directly in the space provided, or select it from a list. Press
the browse button (shown at left) to display the dialog shown in the following figure.
When Browse is pressed, PIPING will compile a list of unique values for the selected attribute.
The Filter field enables you to filter the list of entries displayed in the dialog. For example, if
you have a large drawing that contains hundreds of line numbers and only want to select from
line numbers that begin with the characters L1, you can filter the display of line number
entries in this dialog by entering L1* in the Filter field, then pressing Reselect. The "*" implies
a wild card of any number of characters. Select L1000 then press OK.
10. The last step is to add the query to the active list, then execute the query. As each query is
defined, you must add it to the Active Queries list. In this manner, you can construct a highly
detailed search consisting of multiple queries in combination with the And and Or operators
(refer to on-line help for more information). This example is a simple one: press Add-> to add
the query to the Active Queries list as shown below.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
11. Press OK to execute the query.

12. The Update Component dialog displays as shown in the following figure. In this example, you
want to change the LineNumber relationship value for all components related to LineNumber
L1000 to LineNumber L3000. Select L3000 from the Edit Value drop down list then press OK.
Note Remember, you added the LineNumber project relationship value L3000 to the project
earlier in this Tutorial.
13. All components in the current drawing whose LineNumber project object value was previously
related to L1000 are updated so they are now related to LineNumber L3000. All project

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
UPDATING COMPONENTS
relationships have also been updated to indicate that these components now belong to
LineNumber L3000.
To check the update, select Piping > Database Tools > Edit Component, then select one of the
components previously belonging to L1000 (For example, any segment of pipe between the
tee and the vertical vessel). Confirm that L3000 now appears in the Line No. field, then press
OK to close the dialog. Press Enter to end the Edit Component command.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
CLEANING THE DATABASE
CLEANING THE DATABASE

As components are placed, the drawing database is continually updated. If a component is placed
in the model and then later erased, the drawing database would contain a record for a component
that no longer exists in the drawing. In order to ensure the database accurately reflects the current
state of the model, you should clean the database periodically.
> TO CLEAN THE DATABASE

1. Select Piping > Database Tools > Clean Database to display the dialog shown below.
2. A brief description of each of these options is provided below.
NAME DESCRIPTION
Clean Database Enable this check box to synchronize the external drawing database so that it will
Records match the contents of the current drawing. Any database record that exists without a
corresponding graphic component is removed.
Clean Enable this check box to remove both the CAD and external database entries for
Fasteners those fasteners that are no longer joining two components together. For example, if a
weld is connecting a pipe and an elbow and the elbow is removed, the weld is left,
unless also manually removed. This operation will clean up such fasteners.
Clean Graphics On rare occasions a graphic component is created without a corresponding database
Data record. This implies there is no intelligence associated with this component. Enable
this check box to move those graphical components that exist without an associated
database record to the piping_orphan layer.
Display Status This enables you to "quietly" clean the database. Current cleaning statistics are still
Dialogs reported to the command line, but the total information dialog will not be reported if this
option is left unchecked. This enables an operator to request the clean operation and
allow the entire process to be executed without interaction.
Enable all of the check boxes then press OK. Status messages will display on the command line to
indicate changes to the drawing during this process.
Select File > Save to save the changes made in this chapter.

DATABASE FUNCTIONS
CHAPTER REVIEW
CHAPTER REVIEW
The following important features and concepts were introduced in this chapter.
+ Viewing Component Information: A component’s database information can be viewed

directly with the Edit Component command. A two-page dialog will display general
component information, port information, and a list of drawing database field values for
the selected component.
+ Editing Component Information: Component data can be edited from the same Edit
Component dialog. Editable fields can be distinguished as white text boxes in the dialog.
Input the new value and press OK to update the record. If you attempt to modify a project
object value in this dialog, a selection list of values available in the project will appear.
+ Viewing the Drawing Database: Component records in the drawing database can be
viewed directly from within PIPING. Select Piping > Database Tools > View Database….
A dialog displays a list of component records in the database.
+ Updating Components: The Piping > Database Tools > Update Components… function can
be used to update the value of a database field for a selection set of components. The
update function can work in the current model, or may include any number of
components that exist in the current project. The selection tool enables you to base your
search criteria on project relationship object values, 3D Piping Data values, or drawing
attribute values.
+ Cleaning the Database: As a drawing is constructed, records are written to the drawing
database. If a component is erased from the model, a record still exists in the drawing
database until it is removed using the Clean Database command. This command should be
executed periodically to keep the drawing database synchronized with the model.
WHAT’S NEXT?
In the next chapter, you will learn how to use PIPING’s Drawing Production commands to setup tiled
viewports in Layout View (Paper Space), then place dimensions and annotation text in the
drawing. Bentley encourages the use of layouts (paper space) to perform these activities as it
ensures the model will be kept clutter-free. It also helps to visualize how the final production plot
will look and enables you to conveniently manipulate several views of your drawing in one
environment.

7 DRAWING PRODUCTION
This chapter explains how production drawings are created from a PIPING
model. The concept of a Work Area is explained, and two saved Work Area
views are inserted into Paper Space. Each of these viewports is dimensioned
and annotated to create a Plan and Sectional view of the model on the same
drawing sheet.
OVERVIEW 7-2
SETTING UP PAPER SPACE 7-3
WORK AREA 7-5
DIMENSIONS 7-16
ANNOTATION 7-22
CREATING AND ANNOTATING A SECTION 7-29
CHAPTER REVIEW 7-31

DRAWING PRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This chapter introduces PIPING’s drawing production commands. Two key concepts: Work Space
and Work Space Views, are discussed in detail. Two Work Space Views are defined and placed in
Paper Space as a Plan and Sectional view. Later in the chapter, dimension and annotation tools are
demonstrated. After completing these exercises, your drawing will look similar to the one shown
below.
BEFORE YOU START

Before you begin these exercises, open the drawing created in the previous chapter. If you have not
completed the model created in Chapter 5, return to that section of the tutorial and create it. You
will be extracting the updated valve tag and line numbers assigned in Chapter 6, and placing these
values as annotation.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
SETTING UP PAPER SPACE

Bentley encourages its users to dimension and annotate in Paper Space (Layout). For those of you
unfamiliar with Paper Space, it provides an environment to construct several views of your
drawing and place them on a virtual “sheet” of paper. To facilitate the use of Paper Space, drawing
production tools have been provided, which make it easy to create and place single or multiple
orthogonal projections of the model on the same drawing sheet. It is then a simple matter to add
dimensions and annotation.
Another advantage of paper space is that it keeps the model clutter-free. You can place dimension
lines, annotation, and Bill of Materials in paper space, without worrying about freezing these
layers in order to view a “clean” representation of the model.
The remaining exercises in this chapter (and the next) rely on the use of Paper Space.
> TO SETUP PAPER SPACE

1. You should still have the PIPE_TUTOR.DWG {PIPEM_TUTOR.DWG} model open. Type
PLAN and press Enter twice to view the entire model.
2. Move into Paper Space using one of the following methods:
+ Click on the Layout1 tab, or
+ Type tilemode 0 at the command line
The Page Setup dialog displays when you click on the Layout tab to enable you to setup the
Layout’s plotter and paper size. Click on the Plot Device tab. For this tutorial, select the
PublishToWeb DWF.pc3 plotter driver from the plotter Name list. This plotter driver provides
the page size options required to complete this tutorial. Click on the Layout Settings tab, then
select ANSI D (34.00 x 22.00 inches) from the Paper Size drop-down list. Metric users can use
the ISO expand A2 (594mm x 420mm) paper size. Press OK to accept the plotter configuration.
Type E and press Enter, then select a point on the border of the default viewport placed on the
layout and press Enter to delete it. You will add viewports using AutoPLANT Drawing Production
commands later in this exercise.
3. Select Piping > Drawing Production > Drawing Setup….
4. The prompt
Align/Create/Scale viewports/Workarea views/Options/Title block/Undo:
displays. Type T, then press Enter to insert a standard AutoCAD title block.
5. The prompt
Delete objects/Origin/Undo/<Insert title block>:
displays. Press Enter to display the title block selection dialog shown below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
Note The title block drawings shown in this dialog are controlled by the current configuration.
In the configuration you can define the directory used to display the available border
drawings.
6. Select the dbord.dwg {a2bord} border file, then press OK. The Edit Attributes dialog displays
as shown below. You can input the drawing name and file name in the fields provided to
include them in attribute blocks in the border. Type PIPING TUTORIAL MODEL in the
DOC_NAME field then press OK. The string entered in the DOC_NAME field will
automatically be placed on the title block when it is inserted.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
7. The ANSI-D {ISO-A2} Size title block is placed as shown in the following figure. Press Enter
to end the title block insertion command.
Note It may be necessary to use AutoCAD's Move command to re-position the title block so it
is aligned correctly
8. To return to model space, click on the Model tab.
WORK AREA
Now that the title block has been placed in Paper Space, you can return to Model space to define
the areas of the model that will be placed on the sheet.
WHAT IS A WORK AREA?

During the generation of plant models and drawings, it is frequently necessary to xreference
drawings from a variety of disciplines. Xreferencing a drawing enables you to visualize how
elements from various models will look when overlayed, and ensures proper connectivity among
these elements.
For example, before placing piping elements, you might normally xreference steel and equipment
drawings in order to ensure placement at the proper coordinates (i.e., connecting a flange directly
to an xreferenced equipment nozzle). Similarly, drafters and designers from these other disciplines
might need to xreference the piping drawing. The Drawing Production utilities drastically simplify
this process by providing a mechanism to define a common Work Area. Individual drawings can
be added to a Work Area in order to create a set of saved xreferenced drawings that overlay each
other.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
After the Work Area is defined, three-dimensional viewing cubes can be defined and associated.
These views represent coordinates within the Plant Model which are shared by the set of
referenced drawings. The view direction, scale, front and back clipping planes, etc. can also be
saved with the view.
Step 2: Define the 3D Views (Clipping Planes) from the Work Area Views dialog.
View Area 2
VV-IN
View Area 1
HV-OUT = Named View with Front,
Back, and Elevation clipping
After the Views are created, they can be:
+ Applied: When in Model Space, an applied Work Area View is similar to a saved View Name
that includes the set of referenced drawings. The result is a working view, which can be shared
among all team members, or across multiple drawings.
+ Inserted: When in Paper Space, Work Area Views can be inserted as tiled viewports. Match
lines and plant coordinates can be automatically placed along with the graphic, and users can

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
edit the orthogonal projection of the view. The ability to create and edit orthogonal views is
useful in generating a variety of sectional views from the same Work Area.
Step 3: Place the named views in Paper Space or view them in Model Space
The Work Area tools are versatile and powerful. The next several exercises demonstrate how to
create Work Areas, assign Views to the Work Area, and then how to place these views in Paper
Space.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
CREATING A WORK AREA

In this section, you will define a new Work Area. The file that is created by this process is a
*.RWA file that can be saved on a local or a network drive. Drawings added to the Work Area as
Members will be available to any other drawings that share the same Work Area. Drawings that join
as Guests will xreference the specified set of drawings without becoming a permanent member of
this group. Each of these concepts will be explained during the following procedure.
> TO CREATE A WORK SPACE

1. Select Piping > Drawing Production > Work Area Setup… to display the Work Area Setup dialog
shown below.
2. Press New. A standard Windows file selection dialog displays as shown below. Navigate to the
directory where your tutorial drawing file is stored (e.g.,
..\TutorProject\IMPERIAL_TUTOR\Tutorial). Type TUTOR in the File name field, then press
Save. The Work Area file is automatically saved with the .RWA extension.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
3. The filename specified in the previous step now appears in the Work Area Setup title bar.
4. In the Title field, type TUTORIAL WORK AREA.
5. For this tutorial, the current drawing is the only one defined in the Work Area. Enable the
Member radio button from the Membership Status area. Notice that the current drawing is
immediately added to the list of referenced drawings. The Member Status determines the
relationship between the current drawing and the Work Area’s referenced drawings as follows:
STATUS DESCRIPTION
Guest The current drawing is not added to the list of drawings associated with the Work Area.
Joining as a Guest allows you to view how the current drawing is positioned in relation to
the referenced drawings; however, your drawing will not be visible when this same Work
Area is opened from one of the Member drawings.
Member The current drawing is permanently added to the list of referenced drawings, and will be
visible when the Work Area is opened from one of the other Member drawings.
Non- When this option is selected, the drawings in the Work Area are not visible inside the
Member current drawing. Use this option to recall saved views or to place view ports in Paper
Space using the coordinates associated with the selected Work Area (without including
reference drawing information or graphics).
6. Notice that when a drawing in the Reference Drawings list is highlighted, the Insertion Point
fields are enabled. This enables you to insert a drawing in the Work Area at specific
coordinates. You can specify the coordinates manually. Use the Pick option to graphically
designate the point, or accept the default origin (0,0,0). In this tutorial, you will accept the
default.
Note The Reference Drawings area contains a list of the drawings associated with the Work
Area. Files are added to this list by pressing Add and selecting the file. Drawings
referenced in this way are linked to the current drawing using AutoCAD’s XREF/Overlay
command (as opposed to XREF/Attach).
7. Press Save to save the Work Area definition, then press Done to close the dialog. The Work
Area is now defined. Once the dialog is closed, the referenced drawings overlay the current
drawing. In this example, since there is only one drawing, there are no xreferenced elements
visible after closing the dialog.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
DEFINING WORK AREA VIEWS

A set of views can be associated with a saved Work Area. In this section, two Work Area Views
will be created: The first view is a top (plan) view of the entire model. The second is a front view
section of lines L2000 and L3000.
> TO CREATE A PLAN VIEW

1. Select Piping > Drawing Production > Work Area Views….
Note If the Work Area Views command is selected and a Work Area has not been opened in
the current drawing, you are prompted to select an RWA file. Otherwise, the dialog opens
the last Work Area that was active.
2. The Work Area Views dialog displays as shown below.
3. Note that there are no views associated with this Work Area. Press Add from the Views group
to define a new Work Area View.
4. The View Properties dialog displays as shown below. This dialog enables you to define a
three-dimensional cube within the plant/model world. The coordinates are defined in the 3D
Envelope area of the dialog. Once the cube is defined, you can specify the side (view) that will
display in the Work Area View. The active projection is illustrated by a red box in the tile
window. These views can be applied in Model Space, or placed as tiles in Paper Space.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
5. In the View Title field, type AREA 1 - PLAN VIEW.

6. The View selection list determines the view direction. For example, after defining the
geometry of the three-dimensional view (in the 3D Envelope area of the dialog), you must
choose a side of the cube to view. Only orthogonal projections are permitted (Front, Back,
Left, Right, Top, Bottom). Select Top to display the plan view.
Note The graphic on the left is updated based on the selected View. For example, if you select
Front, the front side of the cube is highlighted in red.
7. Set the Scale to ½”=1’0” {1:30}. The scale applies when placing Work Area Views as tiled
viewports in Paper Space.
8. The View Options are annotation and layer control options that are applied when the Work
Area View is placed as a viewport in Paper Space. The Match Line setting draws a border
around the viewport in Paper Space. The Coordinates display the plant world coordinates
from which the view was “cut,” provided the Match Line option was enabled. The Clipping
options exclude components (or parts of components) that do not lie within the boundaries of
the 3D Envelope. The Viewport Visible option causes ALL AutoCAD viewport borders to
become visible in the drawing. This option must be enabled if you want to be able to re-
position viewports after they have been inserted. Make the following selections:
The View Options are

only applied to Work
Area Views placed in
Paper Space
9. The next step is to specify the 3D Envelope settings. These points define the boundaries of the
three-dimensional viewing cube. The First Point and Second Point fields determine the
opposite corners of a box projected on the model from the plan. You can input these

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
coordinates manually, or interactively select them from the plan view of the model. The
Elevation fields determine the Top and Bottom clipping planes, which define the height of the
three-dimensional Work Area View. Input the following values:
First Point East 7’ {2100}
North 28’ {8500}
Second Point East 36’ {11085}
North 4’ {1240}
Hint You can pick these points manually by selecting the Pick View Area by Window option,
then picking the window from the Plan view of the model. If you are creating a Top view,
it is not necessary to specify elevation values. However, if you are creating a sectional
view (Front, Left, Right, Back), you must specify Upper and Lower values to designate
the height of the box. A sectional view is created later in this chapter.
10. Press OK to save the view and close the View Properties dialog. Changes to the view
properties are saved automatically.
11. Control is restored to the Work Area Views dialog. Notice that AREA 1- PLAN VIEW is now
listed in the window. Select the new view and press Preview.
12. The dialog temporarily closes, and a dashed red line is drawn around the defined view. Press
Enter to return to the dialog. In the next section, you will create a Front View section.
> TO CREATE A FRONT SECTIONAL VIEW

1. From the Work Area Views dialog, press Add to display the View Properties dialog.
2. Type AREA 1 - FRONT VIEW in the View Title field.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
3. From the View selection list, choose Front. Notice that the tile graphic to the left changes to
indicate that a Front View projection has been selected.
4. Set the Scale to ¾”=1’ {1:20}.
5. Choose the following View Options:
Note The Coordinates option, which was not selected in the previous view, will annotate the
plant coordinates of the projected view.
6. Input the following values to define the 3D View Envelope. Note that Elevation values are
required for the Front View projection.
First Point East 11’ {3200}
North 23’ {6742}
Second Point East 28’ {8375}
North 12’ {3758}
Elevation Upper 8’6” {2580}
Lower 1’3” {450}
7. Press OK to close the View Properties dialog and add the front view to the Work Area.
8. Press Preview to confirm that the new view encloses the two pipe lines in the model.
9. Press Enter to return to the Work Area Views dialog, then press Close to exit. REGEN to
remove the dashed view envelope.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
PLACING WORK AREA VIEWS IN PAPER SPACE

In this section, you will place the two Work Area Views in Paper Space. Later in the chapter, the
viewports will be dimensioned and annotated.
> TO PLACE VIEWS IN PAPER SPACE

1. Click on the Layout1 tab.
2. Select Piping > Drawing Production > Work Area Views….
3. Select AREA 1 - PLAN VIEW from the list, then press Insert in Drawing.
4. The dialog closes, a ghost image of the tile is anchored to the crosshairs, and the prompt
Insert point of viewport
displays. Select a point to locate the view as shown below, then click the right mouse button.
5. The plan view of the tutorial model is placed in Paper Space as shown below, and the Work
Area Views dialog displays.
6. Select AREA 1 - FRONT VIEW then press Insert in Drawing.

7. The dialog closes, a ghost image of the tile is anchored to the crosshairs, and the prompt
Insert point of viewport
displays. Position the second viewport as shown below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
W ORK AREA
8. Press Close to exit.

9. Examine the drawing. Note the effect enabling the Coordinates option had on the second tile.
Coordinates appear along the border of the viewport. These specify the East, West, and
Elevation values from which the section was generated.
Note The size of the coordinate text is determined by the current value of AutoCAD’s DIMTXT
system variable.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
DIMENSIONS
PIPING relies on AutoCAD for dimensioning tools. In general, you should refer to your AutoCAD
documentation for instructions on using their dimension commands and the capabilities of these
features. In this section, a few exercises are presented to illustrate the dimension placement
process.
Note For users already accustomed to the use of Paper Space, you should be aware that we
have defined the DIMLFAC environment variable. This variable sets a global scale factor
for linear dimensioning measurements. All linear distances measured by dimensioning
(including radii, diameters, and coordinates) are multiplied by the DIMLFAC setting
before being converted to dimension text. This means that even though you will be
selecting points from within paper space, the dimension values will reflect the distances
in the model.
> TO PREPARE THE MODEL FOR DIMENSIONING

Before beginning these dimension exercises, establish the dimensioning and annotation preferences
outlined below in the AutoCAD environment indicated.
1. Type DDIM and press Enter to display AutoCAD’s Dimension Style Manager dialog.
2. Press Modify to override the current settings.
3. On the Lines and Arrows tab, type 1/8” {3} in the Arrow size field.
4. Click on the Text tab, then type 1/8” {3} in the Text height field.
5. Click on the Primary Units tab. Ensure that the Unit format is set to Architectural {Decimal} and
that the Fraction format is set to Horizontal. Set the Precision to 1/16” {0.00}.
6. Press OK, then press Close to exit.
You are now ready to dimension the drawing. The annotation settings were also established when
you set the annotation text height.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
> TO PLACE DIMENSIONS

1. Zoom Window around the boundaries of the first viewport as shown below.
2. The quickest method to execute AutoCAD’s dimensioning commands is through a toolbar.

Select View > Toolbars… to display the Customize dialog. Enable the Dimension check-box to
open the Dimension toolbar shown below then press Close to exit the dialog.
Hint You can either dock this toolbar to the perimeter of the screen or leave it floating,
depending on your preference and working style.
3. Select Tools > Drafting Settings… to display the Drafting Settings dialog, then select the Snap
and Grid tab and disable the Snap On check box to turn the snap mode OFF for this exercise.
Press OK to exit the dialog.
4. Press the Linear Dimension button on the toolbar.
5. The prompt
Specify first extension line origin or <select object>:
displays. The following Figure serves as a guide to the picks required to place the first
dimension line, which runs from the centerline of the horizontal vessel to the centerpoint on
the elbow on Line L1000. Type END and press Enter, then select PT1.
6. The prompt

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
Specify second extension line origin:

displays. Type CEN and press Enter, then select PT2.
7. The prompt
Specify dimension line location or [Mtext/Text/Angle/Horizontal/Vertical/Rotated]:
displays. Pick point PT3 to the left of the pick points to place the dimension line and text. The
drawing appears as shown in the following Figure.
8. To continue dimensioning from the last point, press the Continue Dimension button on the
Dimensioning toolbar. The prompt
Specify a second extension line origin or (UNDO/<Select>):
displays. Type END and press Enter, then select the point labeled PT4 in the Figure above. The
second dimension line is placed as shown below. Press Enter twice to end the command.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
9. Now you will dimension the points shown below. Select the Linear Dimension command, type
END and press Enter, then pick the vessel reference seam labeled PT5 in the Figure below.
10. Type CEN and press Enter, then pick PT6.

11. Place the dimension line approximately at PT7.
12. Press the Continue Dimension button. The prompt
Specify a second extension line origin or (UNDO/<Select>):

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
displays. Using the AutoCAD snap overrides for each point shown in the figure, pick points
PT8-PT10. Press Enter twice when finished dimensioning. The drawing appears as shown in
the Figure below.
In this last phase, you will place an angular dimension to highlight the angle of the nozzle
connected to the vertical vessel.
> TO PLACE AN ANGULAR DIMENSION

1. Press the Angular Dimension button on the toolbar. The prompt
Select arc, circle, line, or <specify vertex>:
displays. Press Enter.
2. The prompt
Specify angle vertex:
displays. Type Cen and press Enter, then select any point on the outline of the vertical vessel
shell to pick the point in the center of the outline.
3. The prompt
Specify first angle endpoint:
displays. Type NODE and press Enter, then select the node on the away-facing elbow near the
vessel’s nozzle.
4. The prompt
Specify second angle endpoint:

DRAWING PRODUCTION
DIMENSIONS
displays. With ORTHO ON[F8], select any point on the dimension line attached to the west
end of the vertical vessel.
5. The prompt
Specify dimension arc line location (Mtext/Text/Angle):
displays, and a ghost image of the 45-degree angular dimension is centered on the crosshairs.
Position it as shown below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
ANNOTATION
In this section, you will place annotation on the drawing. You will annotate the valve’s Main Size
and Tag, and place Line Number annotation on the two lines running from the horizontal vessel.
Like dimensions, annotation should be placed in Paper Space.
ESTABLISHING ANNOTATION PREFERENCES

Unlike dimensioning, a special set of annotation commands have been provided which are unique
to the PIPING application. Annotation commands enable you to extract drawing database values
and properties associated with a selected component and insert this information as text in the
drawing. Preferences can be established so that annotation is placed with or without leader lines,
drawn with a container around the text, associated with a block, etc. The method for controlling
these preferences is the Annotation Preferences dialog, shown below. To open this dialog, select
Piping > Annotation > Preferences….
Notice that when the dialog first opens, Default Settings is listed in the Annotation Style field. You
can establish settings that are applied to all annotation types, or select a specific type from the
Annotation Style list box to define properties unique to that type. In the first several exercises, you
will be using the default values. Press OK to close the dialog. Later you will re-open this dialog to
place rotated text as the default. (If using a Metric configuration, accept the default settings also).

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
VALVE ANNOTATION
In this section, you will annotate a valve’s main size and tag.
> TO ANNOTATE THE VALVE’S MAIN SIZE

1. Zoom into the area shown in the Figure below.
2. Select Piping > Annotation > Database Fields > Main Size. Notice that as soon as the annotation
command is selected, the drawing switches to Model Space. This enables you to select the
component in Model Space. When the annotation is placed, PIPING automatically switches
back to Paper Space for the placement of the annotation.
3. The prompt
Select the component:
displays. Pick a point near the center of the gate valve.
4. The prompt
Annotation location:
displays. You can select multiple leaderline points to position the annotation. Pick a point to
the right of the valve, then press Enter to complete the definition of the leader line and place
the annotation as shown below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
5. The prompt
Format/Edit vertex/Rotate/Move/Annotation/eXit <X>:
displays. The placement prompts enable you to control how annotation is placed. You can
rotate the text, format it, insert blocks, etc. Press Enter to complete the placement.
Hint If you prefer to place annotation without seeing this prompt, you can select another
Placement Method from the Annotation Preferences dialog.
6. The prompt
displays. The annotation command is automatically repeated to enable you to place several
instances of size annotation in your drawing. To end the command, press Enter.
Hint To exit the command immediately after placing annotation, choose a different Placement
Method from the Annotation Preferences dialog.
> TO ANNOTATE THE COMPONENT TAG

In the previous chapter, you defined a valve tag using the Edit Component command. In this
section, the Tag value will be extracted from the drawing database and placed as annotation.
1. Select Piping > Annotation > Tags > Component Tag. The prompt
Select component:
displays. Select the center of the gate valve.
2. A dialog displays showing the current Tag field value for the selected component. To accept
the current value, A2R-1, press OK. The prompt
displays. You can select multiple leader line points to position the annotation. Pick a point to
the left of the valve, then press Enter. Press Enter again to complete the definition of the leader

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
line and place the annotation as shown below. Press Enter, then press Enter to exit the
command.
LINE NUMBER ANNOTATION

Now you will annotate the line numbers of the piping lines connected to the horizontal vessel. If
you remember from previous exercises, the line on the west nozzle was revised from L1000 to
L3000, while the line on the east nozzle remains L2000.
> TO CHANGE THE ANNOTATION PREFERENCES

1. Select Piping > Annotation > Preferences….
2. We’re going to revise the annotation preferences associated with line numbers. From the
Annotation Style list box, select LineNo.
3. Type 90 in the Text Rotation field, then disable the following options:
+ Container
+ Hookline
+ Arrowhead
4. Set the remaining options as shown below, then press OK to save the new values and close the
dialog. (For Metric configuration, set the Height to 3mm).

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
> TO ANNOTATE LINE NUMBERS

1. Zoom out to display both lines off the horizontal vessel as shown below.
Imperial
Metric
2. Select Piping > Annotation > Line Number > Line No. Short to display the prompt:
Type CEN and press Enter, then pick a point at the center of the away-facing elbow on line
L3000.
3. The prompt
displays. Select a point below the dimension line and then press Enter to place the annotation.
4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for the away-facing elbow on line L2000. When complete, the line
numbers are annotated as shown in the Figure below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
ANNOTATION
Imperial
Metric

DRAWING PRODUCTION
CREATING AND ANNOTATING A SECTION

Earlier in this chapter, you created the AREA 1 - FRONT VIEW Work Area. This view was placed in
Paper Space to create a sectional view of the model. Using the annotation and dimensioning
techniques demonstrated on the first viewport, you should be able to obtain a section that appears
as shown below.
Imperial
Metric

DRAWING PRODUCTION
Zoom extents to view the entire drawing sheet as shown below.

DRAWING PRODUCTION
CHAPTER REVIEW
CHAPTER REVIEW
+ Working with Paper Space (Layouts): Paper Space is the recommended work environment for
placing dimension lines and annotation text. It keeps the model clutter-free, and enables you to
define and arrange several viewports on a single sheet for plotting.
+ Work Area Definition: A Work Area is a set of referenced drawings that share the same
physical location in a plant layout. Members of the Work Area can view each others’ drawings
and data. Guests of the Work Area can only view drawings that are permanent to the group.
Work Area Views can be associated with Work Areas.
+ Work Area Views: A Work Area View is a three-dimensional cube that exists at defined
coordinates that is specific to a saved Work Area. Members of the Work Area can apply saved
views to their current drawings. In model space, this creates shared working views. Placing a
Work Area View in Paper Space will ensure consistency in production drawing output among
various members of a Work Area.
+ Dimensions: Dimensioning in Paper Space relies on AutoCAD’s dimensioning commands.

After the Paper Space is properly configured, dimensioning is a simple matter of picking the
points in the drawing between which dimension lines and distance text should be placed. The
use of AutoCAD’s DIMLFAC command ensures there is a proper correspondence between
paper space and model space units.
+ Annotation: Like dimensions, we encourage you to place annotation in Paper Space. When an
annotation command is selected, the model will automatically switch into Model Space to
enable you to select a component to annotate. An Annotation Preferences dialog enables you
to specify whether or not leader lines are included, containers are placed around the text, and
other variables that can be associated with individual annotation styles.
+ Creating a Section: In PIPING, a section is created by defining an Elevation Work View, then
placing this view in Paper Space. Commands are available in the View Properties dialog to
place coordinates along the boundary of the view. This helps to annotate the relative
coordinates from which the section was created.
WHAT’S NEXT?
In the next chapter, you will remain in Paper Space to place a Bill of Materials. The options in the
Bill of Materials dialog will be discussed, as well as the placement procedure.

8 GENERATING A BILL OF MATERIALS
In this chapter, you will learn how to generate a Bill of Materials and place it
on the drawing sheet.
OVERVIEW 8-2
GENERATING THE BILL OF MATERIALS 8-3
RETURNING TO MODEL SPACE 8-8
CHAPTER REVIEW 8-8
SUMMARY 8-8

GENERATING A BILL OF MATERIALS
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
Bentley AutoPLANT’s report function enables you to either generate a Bill of Materials (BOM)
for placement on your drawing, or to generate external reports.
A Bill of Materials may be placed in either Model or Paper Space; however, as in previous
chapters, the emphasis here will be on placing this report in Paper Space. This exercise
demonstrates how to generate a standard BOM and place it on your drawing sheet. Other report
options are available to generate reports that can be viewed on-screen, sent to a file, or sent to a
printer. You can also generate equipment lists, nozzle schedules, and create customized reports.
For more information on generating reports, refer to PIPING’s on-line help file.
Several options are available to generate the BOM, including the ability to ignore components
marked as “existing” and to recalculate cutlengths. Formatting options are also available to control
the appearance of the BOM. After you generate and place the Bill of Materials in this chapter, the
drawing will appear as shown below.
Note Before beginning these exercises, you should have completed all exercises in the
previous chapters.

GENERATING THE BILL OF MATERIALS

In this section, a Bill of Materials will be generated from your tutorial model. PIPING makes
BOM placement easy. After the command is selected, PIPING examines the drawing database and
compiles a list of the piping components in the model. You are then prompted to select a
placement point.
> TO GENERATE THE BOM

1. Select Piping > Reports > Bill of Materials….
2. The Bill of Materials dialog displays. This dialog provides access to Bill of Materials
reporting and configuration options. Select CAD Standard from the Report drop-down list then
set the remaining dialog values as shown.

Descriptions of these options are provided below:
FIELD DESCRIPTION
Report Select the desired report type. For PIPING and ISOMETRICS, available reports
are as follows:
CAD Standard: BOM with accumulated cutlengths for insertion in the drawing.
CAD CutLengths: BOM with individual cutlengths for insertion in the drawing.
CAD Maintenance: BOM with individual cutlengths and all other components
listed individually.
CAD Rounded: BOM that will round up cutlengths to the nearest foot or meter.
CAD CutLengths Shop/Field: BOM with individual cutlengths with components
sorted according to Shop/Field designations.
CAD Cutlengths Only: BOM including only individual cut lengths only.
CAD Spool Cutlengths Only: BOM including only individual spool cut lengths.
CAD Spool: BOM with individual spool cut lengths.
CAD Total: BOM with accumulated cutlengths and weight.
CAD Weight: BOM with accumulated weights for each component type.
CAD Shop/Field Total: BOM that splits shop and field components.
Report File Displays the file name associated with the selected Report Type.
Units The units reported on the Bill of Materials. The BOM units can be different than
the units in the current drawing. The choices are Metric, Imperial, and Mixed
Metric.
Precision Select the level of numeric precision reported for pipe lengths.
Suppress 0 These options are read-only, and display the settings as set for by AutoCAD’s
Feet/Inches DIMZIN environment variable. Only the imperial (architectural) settings are
currently honored. Refer to your AutoCAD documentation for more information.
Bore Precision Assigns the precision of the display of the bolt nominal size.
Omit Codes When you place an AutoPLANT component the SORT_CODE value from its
spec record is written to its drawing database record (e.g., SORT_CODE=17 for
pipe, and SORT_CODE=1 for Weldneck Flange). This value controls whether
components will be omitted from B.O.M. processing. Components whose sort
order code is greater than this value will be omitted from the BOM.

FIELD DESCRIPTION
Ignore Existing PIPING components can be marked as Existing using the Edit Component
Components command to distinguish components that already exist in the field, and those that
are part of a new design or revision. You may then update the drawings
associated with a particular system, and generate a Bill of Materials that contains
only those components that did not previously exist.
Enable the Ignore Existing Components field to omit components marked as
Existing from the BOM.
Clean Database This option removes those fasteners that are no longer used for connecting
Fasteners components. For example if a pipe is welded to an elbow and the elbow is
removed but the weld is left, this action will remove the weld from the pipe.
Append Pipe End Specifies whether or not Pipe End Preparations will be appended to the Pipe
Preparations Description in the BOM.
Append Topwork Specifies whether or not Topwork Descriptions will be appended to Valve
Descriptions Descriptions in the BOM.
Ascending If this check box is disabled, then the BOM records are sorted from largest to
SORT_CODE Order smallest component SORT_CODE value. If this check box is enabled, the
records are sorted smallest to largest component SORT_CODE value.
Material Tag Options: When the BOM executes in PIPING it will update the necessary material tag fields
according to the selection made. However, material tag balloon annotation will only be placed in
ISOMETRICS/AUTO-ISO. When tagging attempts to create balloons for the tags in a PIPING drawing a
warning message is issued, indicating that the material database tags have been updated only (no
graphics will be generated). If you want to place material balloon tags in a PIPING drawing after a BOM
has been generated, you may do so using the new Annotation > Tags > Material Tags command.
Tag Format This option enables you to specify how the material balloon tags are formatted.
Two options are available.
Starting Tag Number This field enables you to specify the starting tag number for material tag
placement and numbering.
No Material Tags Enable this option to disable the placement of material tags on each component.
Enabling this radio button will automatically disable the associated Show
Material Tags, Fastener Tags, and Support Tags options.
Update Material Tags Enable this option to update the MAT_MARK field with the new material tag for
component records in the external drawing database.
Reinsert Material Tags This option is disabled in PIPING, and applied to ISOMETRICS drawings only.
Enable this option to automatically update existing material balloon tags that may
have been placed from a previous BOM run.
Do Not Update This option is disabled in PIPING, and applied to ISOMETRICS drawings only.
Existing Material Tags Enable this option to leave the existing tags and use them in the BOM, then only
generate and place material tags for new items that were not tagged from the
previous BOM run.

FIELD DESCRIPTION
Show Material Tags The Show Material Tags option is only available when generating a BOM with
Show Support Tags AutoPLANT ISOMETRICS or AUTO-ISO. If enabled, the system will attach a
Show Fastener Tags material balloon tag to each component in the report selection set. This
technique makes it easy to pair components in the drawing with records in the
report. If this check box is enabled, the Show Fastener Tags and Show Support
Tags option will also be made available to enable you to optionally display tags
for supports and fasteners. (These options are disabled in PIPING)
3. Press Options to display the Bill of Materials configuration dialog as shown in the following
figure. Notice that the dialog contains several tabs to modify the elements that control how the
BOM is placed and formatted in the drawing. From the General tab, select Standard from the
Format selection list, then enable By Pick Placement option and the Lower Right radio button
Placement Corner option. Press OK when the dialog appears as shown in the following figure.
Select Standard,
then enable the
By Pick and
Lower Right
options.
4. Press OK to close the configuration dialog. Press OK again to execute the BOM. The
AutoPLANT Selections dialog displays. This is the same tool used throughout this tutorial to
create a selection set of components.. For example, it would be possible at this point to limit
the BOM so that only components from Line L2000 would appear on the report, or to
manually select the components that should be included. To generate the BOM on all the
components in the drawing, click on the Drawing tab, enable the All radio button, and then
press OK.
5. After the model is analyzed and the report prepared, the prompt
Select lower right point:
displays. Type INT and press Enter, then pick the point where the border intersects the top of
the title block.
Hint After the BOM is placed, you can move it as an entire block to reposition it more
precisely.

Note The BOM can be customized so that it is placed using another method (i.e., by its upper
right point), or at a specific coordinate location. Refer to the on-line help file for more
information.
6. The BOM is placed in the drawing. Zoom Window around the Bill of Materials to examine it
more closely as shown below.
(Imperial Version is Shown)
Note The Annotation > Tags > Material Tag command may be used to annotate the value
shown in the No. column above for selected components in the drawing.

RETURNING TO MODEL SPACE
RETURNING TO MODEL SPACE

In Chapters 6 and 7, you placed annotation text and graphics in Paper Space. In the procedure
below, you will return to Model Space to see how these additions affect your model.
> TO RETURN TO MODEL SPACE

1. Click on the Model tab.
2. AutoCAD returns you to the original view of the model as indicated by the UCS icon in the
lower left corner of the drawing area. Notice that the annotation, dimension lines, and Bill of
Materials do not appear in the model. These items were placed in Paper Space, and therefore
do not appear in Model Space, reducing drawing clutter.
CHAPTER REVIEW
+ Generating a BOM: Select Reports > Bill of Materials to generate the standard BOM. Your
model is immediately analyzed, and you are prompted to select a point for insertion.
Additional reports include the ability to generate equipment lists, nozzle schedules, and to
create custom reports. The Reports > Generate Reports option is also available to generate
reports that will not be placed on the drawing sheet.
+ Clean database: The Database Tools > Clean Database option may be executed in order to
remove any reference to components which may have been deleted from the model, but have
not yet been removed from the drawing database. This option is automatically invoked when
you run a BOM.
+ Customization Options: A separate dialog has been provided for customizing the Bill of
Materials. This dialog controls placement options, as well as variables such as linetype and
scale.
SUMMARY
This completes the drawing phase of the PIPING Tutorial. You should now be familiar with the
basic commands and techniques used to complete a model. Combine these techniques in your own
models to suit your working style. For specific command reference and more information on
customization options, refer to the on-line help provided with each application.

9 SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS
This chapter introduces the Supplemental Applications that are either

shipped free of charge with your Bentley AutoPLANT software, or are
available for purchase. These utilities are used for program customization,
project configuration, migration from previous release drawings, model
visualization, interference detection, specification generation, etc. Each
application is shipped with its own on-line help file, which covers the
available features or functions.
OVERVIEW 9-2
AUTOPLANT IMPORT/EXPORT 9-3
PROJECT TOOLS 9-4
AUTOPLANT CLASS EDITOR 9-8
SPECIFICATION GENERATOR 9-11
2D TO 3D CONSISTENCY CHECKER 9-13
SCRIPT EDITOR 9-15
DIALOG EDITOR 9-17
AUTOPLANT DRAWING FLATTENER 9-18
EXPLORER/ID 9-20

OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW
This chapter provides an overview of AutoPLANT supplemental applications. Most of these
applications can be launched directly from the AutoPLANT 3D main menu or toolbar after you start
AutoPLANT Plant Design, or directly from the Windows Start menu. Each of these applications
ships with its own context-sensitive on-line help that provides detailed explanations of every
available feature and function.
In general, these help file may be displayed by selecting Help > Contents from the application’s
menu, or by running the help file directly from the AutoPLANT > Supplemental Tools menu in your
Windows Start menu.
The Contents page of every primary AutoPLANT application help file contains an Update Now
button. If you have a connection established with an Internet provider, press this button to access
the http://docs.bentley.com web page where you can then locate the latest documentation for
AutoPLANT applications.
Help file builds are tracked by the build date that displays in the title bar of each help system
window. Compare the build date on your existing help file with the build date of the file available
from the download area of the web site to determine if a newer version is available.
Note Refer to Chapter 1 for instructions on the download procedure.

AUTOPLANT IMPORT/EXPORT
AUTOPLANT IMPORT/EXPORT
The AutoPLANT Import/Export utility is intended to facilitate transfer of CAD data between
Bentley’s AutoPLANT PIPING and AutoPIPE stress analysis CAD/CAE software. The transfer is
accomplished using our proprietary Plant Exchange Format (PXF), which can either be generated
or read by AutoPLANT.
Import/Export also supports output to a Piping Component Format (PCF) for input to Alias
Limited’s ISOGEN software for the automatic generation of ISOGEN isometrics. Purchasing a
license for AutoPLANT PIPING 2004 Edition SR1 now includes full ISOGEN support.
The application is provided free of charge when you purchase AutoPLANT PIPING and/or
EQUIPMENT. The Import/Export application is launched as follows:
1. Start AutoPLANT Plant Design.
2. Select Import/Export from the AutoPLANT 3D menu. The Import/Export menu is added to the
AutoCAD menu system.
Hint Refer to the Import/Export on-line help for a detailed explanation of every available
feature or function.

PROJECT TOOLS
PROJECT TOOLS
One of the primary features of Bentley AutoPLANT 2004 Edition is the ability to support SQL
databases such as SQL Server and Oracle. Previously, only MS Access was supported and you had
to manage your project using manual procedures. There are three modes of operation that you can
choose from for a project.
! Standalone mode: single drawing, no project database. Suitable for a one-off drawing or a
small project.
! Distributed mode: project database, with individual model MDB files. Most like 2.01
application. Distributed mode is intended for small/medium sized projects where the user
wants to continue to run MS Access or MSDE for the primary database while retaining the
benefits of a managed project.
! Central mode: all data stored in central project database. Requires MSDE, Oracle, or SQL
Server.
Note Central Mode and/or Oracle & SQL Server is an additional cost item
In order to support this new project implementation, several new tools were developed and some
prior version tools have been replaced. The following sections introduce many of these tools.
In AutoPLANT v2.01 the concept of 3D configurations was supported. A configuration was
basically a set of files in which drawing and model defaults were stored based on a particular unit
(Imperial, Metric, or Mixed Metric). This design enables you to define the units, specs, drawing
database format, borders, drawing templates, module and component options, etc. in a specific
configuration. The Configuration Editor application was provided to manage these configurations.
The 2004 Edition (and v3.0) provides full project support. In these versions, the configuration data
has been moved into the project structure. The Configuration Editor has been replaced by the
Project Administrator application, which in addition to providing utilities to create and manage
projects, also provides the same functionality that was previously available through the now
obsolete Configuration Editor application.
This project implementation provides full integration support between Bentley’s Process and
Instrumentation (P&IW) suite of products and Bentley Plant Design (PDW) products.. These
applications now share the same central project data repository.

PROJECT TOOLS
HOW ARE PROJECTS CREATED?

Projects are created using the Project Administrator application. When you create a project you
will be asked to specify the desired project mode (as explained above), the Database Type (MS
Access, MSDE, Oracle, or SQL Server), the Base Schematic Project Template and the 3D Model
Units.
The Base Schematic Project Template contains what was previously used by the P&IW suite of
applications as the base project data and project standards used to create a project. The 3D Model
Units selection provides Imperial, Metric, and Mixed Metric options and indicates which set of 3D
configuration data files will be used to create the project, thereby giving the project a units
designation.
The Base Schematic Project Template files used to build the project are copied from your
..\Plant\Base directory when you create a project. The 3D Model Units selected indicates the
configuration data files that will be copied from your installation’s ..\Bentley\Plant\Config
directory to create the new project.
Note If you are currently using AutoPLANT v2.01 and have created custom configurations, you
can use these to create 2004 Edition projects with the Project Administrator. The Project
Administrator displays configurations in its navigation tree under the Configurations
folder. Project Administrator reads the CONFIGS.INI file in your ..\Config directory to
determine the configurations displayed. If you have custom configurations that you want
available, you should add group records for these configurations to CONFIGS.INI. You
can then create a custom project from any of your custom configurations by simply
dragging the custom configuration folder in the navigation tree into a project root
directory.
The Project Administrator’s Tools menu provides access to a set of project tools that execute
wizards to simply these processes. A brief description of these wizards is provided below.
NAME DESCRIPTION
Project Document The Project Upgrade Wizard provides a streamlined dialog interface that enables you to
Upgrade Wizard take an existing set of AutoPLANT documents created in AutoPLANT v2.01 or earlier and
import them into an existing AutoPLANT 2004 Edition project database.
Project Type The Project Type Conversion Wizard will enable convert an existing Central mode project
Conversion Wizard to a Distributed mode project or vice-versa. This wizard will only work on Central and
Distributed projects initially created using SQL Server or Oracle database types (i.e., you
cannot convert a Distributed project that was initially created using Access or MSDE
database types).
Project Export The Project Export Wizard enables you to select one or more documents (including all)
Wizard from a project and create an export package, which may then be imported into another
existing project using the Project Import Wizard. This wizard will include all of the
information needed for the documents to exist in another project in the export package.

PROJECT TOOLS
Project Import The Project Import Wizard is provided to enable you to import documents contained in an
Wizard export package created with the Project Export Wizard into another project.
The Project Export Wizard creates an export package zip file that contains the
documents that were selected and all of the data associated with those documents. The
export package will also contain any other data (configuration data, specs, etc.), that was
selected when the package was created.
PROJECT OBJECT MAINTENANCE TOOL

The Project Object Maintenance Tool may only be started via the Bentley > Plant > Project Tools >
Project Object Maintenance Tool selection in your Windows Start menu.
When you first start the Project Object Maintenance Tool, you will then be required to select a
project that you want to modify. Next, the standard AutoPLANT Login dialog will display
prompting you to login to the system.
The project implementation in the 2004 Edition provides the concept of project objects. The value
of these objects is used to form relationship between the components in the current drawing as well
as across all drawings in that project.
For example, LineNumber is one of the project objects defined in the default project
implementation. New LineNumber values may be added to a project using the Project Object
Maintenance Tool, or via the Component Preferences control while in a Bentley AutoPLANT
application. A component may not be placed unless you have set a value for LineNumber in the
Component Preferences control. This will associate the active LineNumber to the component when

PROJECT TOOLS
it’s placed, thereby forming a relationship between that component and the assigned LineNumber.
Any components placed with the same LineNumber value will be related.
This tool was designed to provide a central location for a Project Administrator to manage
AutoPLANT project relationship values (e.g., LineNumber, Unit, Area, Service, and Document) on
a project-by-project basis. In general, the workflow for AutoPLANT was designed to enable a
project administrator to create all of the project relationship object values that will be used on a
project at the start of the project outside of AutoCAD. This workflow method provides the Project
Administrator with control over the values for these properties on a project-wide basis. It also
enables designers to simply select from the provided list of values when creating their models.
The capability to add new project object values is also provided within AutoPLANT applications
via the Component Preferences control. This option was provided for those organizations that may
want an alternate workflow method. It is expected that in the near future AutoPLANT will provide
security settings that will enable a project administrator to control whether or not this functionality
is visible to designers within AutoPLANT's Component Preferences control.
This tool is also the only place where a document may be deleted from a project. Deleting a
document will delete all of its associated component records and relationships from the project
database.

AUTOPLANT CLASS EDITOR

A module is defined in Bentley AutoPLANT as a set of files that define the components that may
be placed when the module is loaded in the PIPING or ISOMETRICS applications. PIPING and
ISOMETRICS share module and component class configurations. The following modules are
provided with your software.
+ Carbon Steel (default)

+ Cable Tray (PIPING only)
+ Conduit (PIPING only)
+ HVAC (PIPING only)
+ Ductile Iron
+ High Purity
+ Instrumentation
+ Lined Pipe
+ Plastic
+ Tubing
+ Victaulic
The AutoPLANT Class Editor is a tool that enables you to manage these modules on a project-by-
project basis. The procedure to start the Class Editor is provided in the next section. The three
sections that follow give a brief overview of Class Editor operation and the files involved in this
process.
The Class Editor (CE) works hand-in-hand with the Project Administrator application. As noted in
the description on project tools earlier in this chapter, a project is created by copying a set of
template files based on the units you specify in the project creation wizard. By copying these files
into the project, the source template files are preserved and should not be modified. By this same
context, a module and its associated component script files should not be modified. The intent of
the system design is for you to use the Project Administrator to create your projects, then use the
Class Editor to create/modify the module and component scripts and methods for that project. All
modified files are stored in your custom project directory structure, therefore, maintaining the
integrity of the shipping version files.
When you create a new drawing in PIPING/ISO, and select a project, the system will search your
custom project directory path for custom version of all files first. For example, if you used the
Project Administrator to create a project named MY_PROJ, then used the CE to modify the
drawing script for a gate valve in your MY_PROJ project; CE will save the modified gate valve
script within your MY_PROJ project directory structure. When you create a new drawing in
PIPING/ISO, and select the MY_PROJ project, then attempt to place this gate valve, the system
will search for the gate valve drawing script in your MY_PROJ directory path first, thereby using

your custom script to place the gate valve. If the system does not find a custom file for any
component placement, it will use the original source file.
PROGRAM START
The procedure to start AutoPLANT Class Editor (CE) is provided below. This application can be
launched from the AutoPLANT 3D menu/toolbar, or from your Windows Start menu.
1. Select Class Editor from the AutoPLANT 3D menu, or select

Bentley > Plant > Tools > Class Editor from your Windows Start menu.
The remainder of this section provides an overview of Class Editor operation. Refer to the on-line
help for a more detailed explanation of every available feature and function.
GETTING STARTED
When the Class Editor first loads it reads the AT_PROJ.DBF file to get a list of projects in the last
active project’s root directory. For example, the figure above shows the Class List dialog that
opens when CE reads the project list from the provided sample project root folder.
The project drop-down list enables you to select the project under the indicated project root folder
that you want to modify. When you select a project, the navigation tree will automatically be
updated to reflect the modules and associated components available in that project. You can also

open an entirely new Class List for a different project root using the File > Open Project Root
command.
When a project is selected from the list, CE locates the project’s MODULES.INI, then extracts the
module group records into a temporary database, CE.MDB. From the data in this temporary
database, CE creates a navigation tree to enable you to view/configure the module and its
component methods. The modules defined in MODULES.INI are denoted by the symbol in the
navigation tree.
Each module’s main directory is defined in its MODULES.INI record. This tells CE where the
component class, methods, ports and specification search criteria control files are located. These
files define the components available in the module.
A component is defined by its class record in the file CLASS.INI. In general, a component class
defines the Basic Script methods or functions executed to associate intelligence and draw the
component. Several components may be assigned to the same class, which defines the base
methods that apply to all components assigned to that class. For example, all valves are assigned to
the same parent class, which enables you to assign a set of methods that are common to a number
of components to a parent class, then assign this parent class to each of these components instead
of repeatedly assigning the same methods to all of these similar components.
CE extracts the information in each module’s CLASS.INI, METHODS.INI, PORTS.INI, and

SPECKEY.INI files into the temporary database to build the navigation tree for each configuration.
Parent class records are depicted in the navigation tree by the symbol, while individual
component class records are noted by the symbol.
UPDATING THE CONFIGURATION FILES

As you make changes to the module and component configuration files, CE stores these changes in
the temporary CE.MDB database. The File > Save option may be executed at any time during a CE
work session to update the project configuration files with changes that have been stored in the
CE.MDB database. If you modified one of the provided files (i.e., a gate valve placement script),
then CE will save the modified version of this file in your project directory structure, thereby
maintaining the integrity of the provided file in its original location.
Since a temporary database stores all of your changes during a CE session, you can play around
with the program, then exit without saving to keep your original system intact while experimenting
with the Class Editor application.

SPECIFICATION GENERATOR
The Spec Generator is a stand-alone application whose primary function is to generate
specifications for use with Bentley's latest AutoPLANT and AutoPIPE applications. These
catalogs and specifications are created in Microsoft Access MDB database format. This file format
allows for a catalog/specification’s component tables to be stored in a single file with multiple
tables.
When designers build a model, the set of components and size ranges available is determined by
the active specification. All catalog and specification information is stored in an MDB (MS
Access) database. The Spec Generator is used to build this database and assign unique IDs to each
component in the specification, which is required by the latest AutoPLANT applications.
In addition to its primary function of generating specs, the Spec Generator is also a Catalog Editor.
Use it to add to the set of records contained in an existing catalog, or edit existing catalog records.
You can also define the types of input allowed in certain fields, add new tables to an existing
database, delete fields from existing tables, and a variety of other customization features.
The Spec Generator may be launched from your Windows Start menu by selecting Bentley > Plant
> SpecGen > Specification Generator.
Note Refer to the Spec Generator on-line help for a complete description of every available
feature and function. This help also describes the process of updating your previous
AutoPLANT version specs to work with v3.0

WHAT IS A CATALOG?
A catalog is a Microsoft Access database that contains a rich selection of component records from
which manufacturer specific specifications can be created. Bentley provides several sample
working catalogs of tens of thousands of components from which manufacturer-specific
specifications may be produced.
WHAT IS A SPECIFICATION?
A specification is a Microsoft Access database that is basically a subset of a catalog. Specifications
can be edited or modified to suit unique requirements, and any number of specifications can be
created. In addition to the sample catalogs, Bentley provides several sample specifications for
Imperial, Metric, and Mixed Metric units. The Spec Generator program enables you to build and
customize the database specifications used with particular projects or clients.
HOW DOES IT WORK?

If you have used previous versions of the Spec Generator, you will appreciate the simplicity of the
new program architecture. This architecture is based on a working method generally more familiar
to piping designers, the spec sheet. A spec sheet is generally broken into component sections as
illustrated in the figure from a spec sheet below.
The Spec Generator uses this working method to generate specifications from the selected
catalogs. You basically add a section for each component type you want included in your spec,
define the constraint, or query used to extract the selection set of records from the catalog(s) for
each section, and then build the spec based on these constraints. This architecture also simplifies
the update process, by enabling you to review/modify each component section individually. If you
need to make a change, simply modify the constraint for the desired section, then rebuild the spec.

2D TO 3D CONSISTENCY CHECKER
The AutoPLANT 2D to 3D Consistency Checker is a tool that enables items in AutoPLANT P&ID
to be compared with equivalent components in AutoPLANT PIPING and EQUIPMENT.
Note You must have AutoDesk’s Volo™ View Express installed in order for this function to
work.
There are two main user interfaces that may be used to perform consistency checks:
2D TO 3D CONSISTENCY REPORTER
The 2D to 3D Consistency Reporter is an application that enables you to select a project, perform
consistency checks, graphically review the consistency check results, and generate printed reports
of the results.
The application is launched by selecting Bentley > Plant > Project Tools > 2D to 3D Consistency
Reporter from your Windows Start menu.

AUTOPLANT 2D BROWSER ACTIVEX CONTROL

The AutoPLANT 2D Browser ActiveX control is a control that may be docked in an
AutoCAD/AutoPLANT session or in any other application that supports embeddable ActiveX
controls. This control enables you to perform consistency checks, and graphically see the
consistency check results.
The control is launched by selecting 2D to 3D from the Piping or Equipment menus.
The non-user interface parts of the system for which you may be interested are the 2D-to-3D
mapping tables that reside in the project database. These tables enable you to customize the
mapping of 2D items to 3D according to his/her specific needs.

SCRIPT EDITOR
SCRIPT EDITOR
AutoPLANT provides an intuitive and highly functional script editor to create/customize
BasicScript function and component drawing scripts. The Script Editor highlights keywords,
commands, etc. to simplify the script construction process. You may elect to use this editor, or one
that you are already more familiar with to create your basic scripts.
PROGRAM START
The procedure to start Script Editor is provided below. This application can be launched from the
AutoPLANT 3D menu/toolbar or from the Windows Start menu.
1. From your Windows Start menu, select Bentley > Plant > Tools > Script Editor to start the Script
Editor application. This editor highlights standard Basic language data types, controls,
functions, and comments to simplify the editing process.
2. Context-sensitive help is provided for most standard Basic language elements by simply
placing the cursor within the element you need help on and then pressing the F1 function key.
For example, select File > Open then open the VALVES.EBS file from your
...\MODULES\BASE\PIPING\DRAW directory. Scroll down the file and move the cursor into
one of the standard Basic elements, which will be highlighted in blue as shown below, then
press F1 to display its help.

SCRIPT EDITOR
3. This functionality is also available for the AutoPLANT API Extensions to the Basic language.
Most of these extensions are easy to identify within a script because they start with the string
“at_”. For example, select Edit > Find and type at_Component_getPoint and then press Find
Next. Move your cursor anywhere within this function call, then press F1 to display its help as
shown below.
DEBUG MODE
The Script Editor can also be placed in debug mode by enabling the Debug Mode check box in
PIPING’s Drawing Preferences dialog. If this switch is enabled when you execute a PIPING
component placement command, the drawing scripts that are executed will display in the Script
Editor to enable you to step through each statements that is executed to draw the component.
This switch should only be enabled when you are modifying or customizing PIPING component
placement or function Basic script files.

DIALOG EDITOR
DIALOG EDITOR
The Dialog Editor provides an intuitive graphical user interface to create/customize AutoPLANT
compatible Basic dialogs that may be used in your Basic scripts and functions. These dialogs can
be inserted directly into custom scripts created with the Script Editor.
PROGRAM START
The procedure to start Dialog Editor is provided below. This application can be launched from the
1. From your Windows Start menu, select Bentley > Plant > Tools > Dialog Editor from the
AutoPLANT 3D menu or toolbar to start the Dialog Editor application shown below.
This application can also be launched directly from within the Script Editor by selecting the Edit >
Insert New Dialog command. This command will start the Dialog Editor, enable you to define a new
dialog instance, then exit the Dialog Editor and automatically insert the Basic statements that
define the dialog instance into your script in the Script Editor.
You can also modify a dialog that is already defined in a script by simply selecting the statements
that define the dialog in the editor, then selecting the Edit > Edit Dialog command. This will display
the dialog instance in the Dialog Editor. When you have finished modifying the dialog, select File >
Update to update the dialog statements in the script. Then select File > Exit and Return to close the
Dialog Editor.

AUTOPLANT DRAWING FLATTENER

The AutoPLANT Drawing Flattener is a standalone application, which must be purchased and
authorized separately. AutoPLANT PIPING/RACEWAYS provide a set of commands in their
Drafting Tools > Hide Viewport submenu that contain a minimal subset of this functionality on an
individual drawing/viewport basis.
The Drawing Flattener enables you to create flat DWG file that corresponds with a user-selected
model layout stored in the source drawing (DWG file) with a user-defined scale. The drawing
layout is a rendering of the flat drawing in the view only and cannot be edited. The Drawing
Flattener creates AutoCAD 2D entities for the flattened drawing enabling you to edit the result.
Therefore, you will see the creation of lines, arcs, circles, etc. in the flattened output.
This application will operate with AutoCAD drawings (DWG files) only. The source for the
application is DWG file(s) with layers, while the destination is DWG file(s) created according to
the selected layer and scale of the drawings.
To start the flattener, select Bentley > Plant > Tools > Drawing Flattener from your Windows Start
menu.
The Flattener main dialog provides a streamlined interface. The main dialog consists of a grid with
columns that describe how each source drawing will be flattened, and a set of menu commands that
enable you to configure these settings and additional flattening preferences. The display of the Log
and Status areas at the bottom of the dialog may be toggled ON/OFF via the View menu.
The grid is where you setup the drawings to be processed by the flattener. Drawings are
add/removed from the grid using the File > Add Files to List and Remove Files from List options. The
drawing name will appear in the Source column.

The Dest. Folder column indicates the location where the flattened drawings will be stored. This
may be changed for drawings individually by double-clicking within the field, or may be changed
for a group of drawings by highlighting the drawings in the grid, then executing the Group Edit
Selected command from the Edit menu.
The Dest. Filename column indicates the name for the flattened output drawing file. You can
modify this file name for each file individually by double-clicking within the field, or you can
assign a prefix and/or suffix that will automatically be added to the actual file name via the Edit >
Preferences dialog.
The Layout column provides a list of AutoCAD layouts that were created in each source file. Click
within this field, then select the layout that you want to use to create your flattened drawing. If you
add additional layouts to a file, you can use the Refresh Layouts for Selected command in the File
menu to update the drop-down list of layouts shown for the selected files.
The Scale column indicates the scale that will be applied in the creation of the flattened output file.
You can double-click within this field and manually enter a scale value, or leave the default Auto
scale, which will use the source layout's last view port scale. The default value may be assigned for
this field via the Edit > Preferences dialog.
The remaining commands in the menu are primarily provided to enable you to manipulate the
column data in the grid. The only exception is the Edit > Preferences command, which enables you
to set up defaults, and more importantly assign the hidden line removal parameters used by the
application.

EXPLORER/ID
EXPLORER/ID
EXPLORER, which may be purchased separately, is an interactive 3D viewer for large models and
sets of models as shown below. You can load multiple models varying from thousands to millions
of triangles in size and interact with them at a guaranteed frame rate.
EXPLORER supports multiple file formats via a plugin mechanism. As well as its own native file
formats, AutoCAD’s DWG and DXF files and 3D Studio’s 3DS files are supported.
A range of navigating and viewing controls enable even the largest and most complex model to be
explored with ease.
EXPLORER PROGRAM START

The procedure to start Explorer is provided below. This application can be launched from the
1. Select Explorer from the AutoPLANT 3D menu, or select

Bentley > Plant > Explorer ID > Explorer from your Windows Start menu.

EXPLORER/ID
VIEWING AUTOPLANT COMPONENT INFORMATION

AutoPLANT component information can be viewed within EXPLORER. To view this data, select
an AutoPLANT component in the EXPLORER view, then either select Edit > Properties, or click
your right mouse button and select Properties.
INTERFERENCE DETECTION MODULE

The EXPLORER ID interference detection add-on module may be purchased separately. It
provides a re-sizable modeless tabbed dialog as shown below.
EXPLORER/ID PROGRAM START

The procedure to start Explorer ID is provided below. This application can be launched from the
1. Select Explorer ID from the AutoPLANT 3D menu, or select

Bentley > Plant > Explorer ID > Explorer ID from your Windows Start menu.
2. All of the options provided with standard Explorer are available in Explorer ID. The only
difference is that a Check Interferences option has been added to the Tools menu to enable you
to perform interference detection in the ID module.
3. Open an AutoPLANT drawing then select Tools > Check Interferences to display the following
dialog.

EXPLORER/ID
Explorer ID checks your model and shows you any areas where the models interfere or ‘clash ’
with each other. Explorer ID is a tabbed dialog box accessed through the Tools menu, allowing you
to manage your test and results. From the Explorer ID dialog box you can set up your clash tests,
view the results, sort the results and produce a report.
Managing a series of clash tests can get complicated, especially if you have a whole set of different
layers you want to clash separately. The Explorer ID is designed to help you control these clash
tests and leave an audit trail of clashes throughout the life of the project.
One simple but time-saving way it does this is by remembering the names of clashes throughout
the project’s life so you don’t have to go through each clash every time you do a test to figure out
whether it’s a new clash, or one you’ve already seen and approved.
The Explorer ID also allows you to assign a status to a clash and can update this status
automatically, informing you of the current state of the clashes in the model.
You can set up a batch of clash tests that you could run overnight, every night and for each test,
choose the objects to clash against, along with the options for the test. These batches can be saved
as *.nwx files, independently of Explorer files.

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B ENTLEY A UTO PLANT ®

AutoPLANT is a registered trademark of Rebis.

ISOGEN is a registered trademark of Alias Ltd., United Kingdom.

AutoPLANT 1997 Rebis.

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial i

CHAPTER 2: PROJECT MODES AND PROGRAM START

CHAPTER 3: A TOUR OF THE INTERFACE

CHAPTER 4: COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS

ii Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

INSERT INTO PIPE....................................................................................... 4-27

CHAPTER 5: ROUTING PIPE AND FITTINGS

CHAPTER 6: DRAWING FUNCTIONS

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial iii

CHAPTER 7: DRAWING PRODUCTION

CHAPTER 8: GENERATING A BILL OF MATERIALS

CHAPTER 9: SUPPLEMENTAL APPLICATIONS

iv Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

WHAT IS A SPECIFICATION? ...................................................................... 9-12

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial v

Welcome to Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING, a 3D integrated piping

WHAT IS PIPING? 1-2

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 1-2

HELP AND DOCUMENTATION 1-3

ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL 1-5

TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND SERVICES 1-20

DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS 1-23

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-1

Operating System Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, SP6a or later, OR

1-2 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

HELP AND DOCUMENTATION

Note The latest documentatin downloads are available at http://docs.bentley.com.

HTML HELP AND PDF TUTORIAL FILES

PIPING HELP ORGANIZATION

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-3

PRINTING HELP/TUTORIAL FILES

1-4 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

ABOUT THIS TUTORIAL

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-5

COMPONENT PLACEMENT BASICS

INSTALL PIPING PROGRAM FILES

1-6 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-7

BETTER INTEGRATION WITH AUTOCAD

! Added context sensitive menus with AutoPLANT functionality

! Doubling clicking on a component invokes the component's edit dialog

! Import/Export including: Isogen extraction, PXF and AutoISO

ENHANCED PERFORMANCE – OVER 178 SPECIFIC ENHANCEMENTS INCLUDING:

NEW COMPONENTS AND CATALOGS

1-8 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

! Sisto Diaphragm Valves

! Select multiple tables per constraint

! Expert mode per section

! Tighter integration with Bentley ProjetWise

! New eWarehouse connector links AutoPLANT data to ESSI data warehouse

PROJECT DATABASE SERVER SOFTWARE SUPPORT

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-9

The following databases can be used with AutoPLANT 2004.

! Oracle 8.17, 8.16, and 9i.

! SQL Server 7.0 and 2000

! Microsoft Access 97 (Specs only) and 2000

INTEGRATION WITH AUTOPLANT P&IW APPLICATIONS

1-10 Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial

Bentley AutoPLANT® PIPING Tutorial 1-11