Informational research by a Civil guy

[Joe-Bouza]

Hello, I'm a civil guy and know nothing about MEP applications. I work in a multidiscipline office that has an MEP department, and I am the go-to-guy for all questions related to autocad. We have MEP in our office, yet no one in the MEP department utilizes it (fear of the unknown I believe is the culprit there). The department basically uses the software as if it were vanilla autocad, and I have been asked to explore the 3d capability of the MEP package

My question: if you use MEP to its fullest are you essentially creating a 3d model of your systems , as I, a civil guy gets working with civil3d?

I'm sure once they get the basics understood they would benefit greatly from the software, and to Para phrase a programmer friend.... It usually takes a while to get the basics down though.....

[Schmit01]

Hi Joe

Setting up ang using a program to your campany standards will always take time. It basically took me 1.5 years part time while doing my primary work to set up the program for my company needs.

Too answer your question. Yes you are always drawing in 3D. Not that you have to work in the 3D, you can stay in Plan view and just work from there. But you obviously get the full benifit of the program by working in a 3D/BIM enviroment. You may work on your enitial drawing longer due to clashes that you would not see in a 2d enviroment, but you will spend less time if at all going back to that drawing for corrections.

Unless you guys are are using a 3rd party program or Dynamic blocks. I can garentee your productivity will increase drasitically.

I attached a little example for you to check out. Title block and details removed for copy right reasons.

Ryan

MEP 2011

South Africa

[Joe-Bouza]

Hi Ryan, thanks for the input. Great looking drawing. Is that all out of the box MEP? We are not an architect so we get their backgrounds to work over - is this type of model is still achievable? And how does multi floor coordination work? Is it like a project database reference or xref overlay?

[Schmit01]

Hi Joe

Majority of the content I had to create myself, Autodesk supplies alot with the package but is obviously created for a wider scope of work than a specialized area. Depending on how detailed your drawings are weather you the consultant or the contractor. I still say you will spend considerable of time making your own content as well as time needed for setting up a template to your companies standards.

Most of the drawings I recieve are are in 2D. Its just a case of using elevations and having a good understaning of a 3D eviroment. The original drawing I recieved for that project was in 2D. I just went a step further using a combination of the Architectural and Normal 3D tools that you get standard out of AutoCAD MEP but it was more for the clients and architects understanding of how it would look than for function. Most of your final drawings you will view in plan and section anyway. But in the 3D model itself you oviously get a better understanding of how the systems are workings.

Autocad MEP comes with its own project management, others may disagree but in my opinion gave me more hasles than it was worth. I treat each level as a seperate drawing like you would in vanilla Autocad and use X-refs for coordination for things such as levels, riser positions ext based on a central point of coordinates.

Then again it would also be wise to look at what program the majority of the Architects that you work with are using. Perhaps Revit MEP is what you looking for. Or perhaps all you need is a 3rd party program. I would say it all comes down to weather you the designer or are you the manufacturar/contractor.

If you would like to know anything else or perhaps more examples just shout.

Ryan

MEP 2011

South Africa

[Joe-Bouza]

Great input, Ryan. Much appreciated. And all the way from the other side of the world!

Cheers