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Drawing Pipe Layouts

5 REPLIES 5
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Message 1 of 6
arkelec
3192 Views, 5 Replies

Drawing Pipe Layouts

Hello folks, MEP noob speaking.

 

I'm really having trouble understanding how to draw with pipes.

 

I have discovered that if I draw with the display config set to MEP Design, I can join a 15mm copper pipe to a 22mm copper pipe & it will automatically insert a T with 22/15/22 (15 being ND3).

 

If I try that with dispay config set to MEP Basic 2 Line, the above T is not available in the library.

 

 

But my biggest hurdle is, when trying to joint a 15mm pipe in the Z axis to a 22mm pipe on the Y axis (see attached snapshot), the joint is not perpendicular.

 

The blue pipe is the one in question.

 

Trying to join a new section from the right-hand vertical (15mm) to the horizontal (22mm).

 

I somehow managed it ok with the vertical pipe on the left, but the one on the right (T & short vertical section in purple) is out of whack - on a slope of -87.4°.  The X co-ord for both vertical & horizontal pipes are identical.

 

It can't seem to snap to the correct point on the Y axis.

 

I acknowledge that I haven't had an formal training with this function on MEP so might have missed some vital step in some tutorial somewhere.  It's a problem with people like me who don't follow a formal learning pattern.

 

But, I'd be grateful if anyone in the know could help me with this.

 

 

5 REPLIES 5
Message 2 of 6
mlmoore
in reply to: arkelec

I think the problem is the auto routing, when you go to connect the pipe you should see in the command line (previous, next or accept.  It is one of the things I do not like about MEP is that it never chooses the right connection the first time but it is neccessary to hit P a couple of times then accept when the correct configuration is shown.

Message 3 of 6
arkelec
in reply to: mlmoore

Than ks for the reply.  I decided to start another drawing from scratch.

 

MEP is MUCH mor difficlut to draw witch that the standard, but I guess that's down to the complciated nature of the piping system & libraries.

 

I used a combination of standard lines for setting-pout & a ton of trial & error.

 

One problen I find is that the 2014 help files are near useless & trying to search topice brings up solutions from previous versions, which due to the ribbon/command structure changes are impossible to follow.

 

My next big issue is with the parts libraries - I'm loster than a very lost mad!

Message 4 of 6
Keith.Brown
in reply to: arkelec

The first thing that i notice is that you are drawing vertically (z-plane) while the compass is in the XY plane.  Hit P to switch planes and allow the compass to be drawn vertically.  This will make your life so much easier.  Also, when drawing vertically, the pipe you are connecting to must be in the same X,Y position otherwise it will not connect or it will connect with a slope on the pipe.  I see nothing wrong with this as this is how it is in the real world.  If two pipes are not aligned vertically and you try to align them one or both of them are going to slant (slope) until they are connected.  Whether or not they can connect at all is determined by the AoD (Angle of Deflection), the distance between the two end points, and the fitting used to connect them.  That being said, sometimes you can get the two pipes to connect just by shortening the length of each pipe before using auto connect.  This will allow for a smaller angle of deflection between the two pipes and it might just be enough to get them connected.  Another option would be to make sure that the two pipes are aligned before trying to connect them.  If this is new construction then this should be a must, if this is a remodel job then good luck!! 

 

One more thing, sometimes the tooltips will show that the pipes are aligned when looking at elevations and coordinates when in fact they are not.  This is almost always caused by the settings of your UNITS.  If you have your precision set real low at 1/8" then two pipes that have 1/16" elevation difference will appear to be level when in fact this is not the case.  The solution is to always set your precision as high as possible and just modify your dimensions, tags, and labels to display at the precision you desire.  This will minimize the frustration with trying to get objects to connect together easily.

Message 5 of 6
pothied
in reply to: arkelec

I agree with Keith that when you are using the Auto-layout functionality that you usually want to use "P" for Previous to toggle to the desired routing. Often, the desired path isn't the default path. If you are in dual viewports with one in plan and one in 3D, you can easily see what path is being specified until you find the one that you want. You also want to check your routing preference to make sure that you are using a reducing tee as your default tee if you don't want to get a straight tee with a seperate reducer (or you can select a reducing tee during routing as well by changing your fitting preference in the tool palette. When connecting to horizontal pipes with vertical pipes there are a couple of tricks to make sure that you get what you want. If you are connecting from something else at a different location, you can just pick an end point on the horizontal pipe and you should be able to connect with a vertical rise/drop. If you are starting on the horizontal pipe, then pick your start point and specifiy a new elevation and the rise/drop should also be added. It is usually hard to pick the correct points in 3D views. Work in plan view as much as possible for picking points.

 

Here is a short video showing some of these points:

http://screencast.com/t/xZiaXyAsG9Ta



David Pothier

Message 6 of 6
arkelec
in reply to: Keith.Brown

Thanks chaps, the "P" option has explained a lot.

 

I've also taken note of the tolerance setting.

 

Any ideads as to how I can add a 15mm Motor Controlled Valve from the library to a 15mm copper pipe without the need steel reducers?

 

Also, whats the best way to create my own MvParts for valves etc that are not in the library?

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