Wish to have "zone model views" (something new?) for zones in a model (these views are not in a layout) and the way they are made is just like the way you make them in Plant 3D ortho views. This is where you get a "cube" in the model, to make a zone model view, resize it, then pick the view you want, top, bottom, left, right, front, back, SE iso, SW iso, NE iso, NW iso and so on to view the model in, locate in the model where you want its location, have it so you can enlarge it (or make it smaller just like in a layout). Then place these views in the model space apart form the model itself, activate them just by clicking in them, have a border around them to show if they are active or inactive and perhaps in a different border color, name them, manage them, but have them all visible all at once (where they were last set to) so the user can readily identify which one you want to readily go to. AND THE USER CAN WORK IN ANY ONE OF THEM.
I believe if you can "zone" a plant (parallel), say a plant that is 4 levels high, 12 zones deep, and 20 zones wide this would be great or you could divide up the zones differently. This would make viewing and modeling a "master model" so much easier especially if you could create these zones with a "cube" just like the one used in Plant 3D ortho and perhaps a "created zone view window" where you can view all 7 views at once(?) to see if you got what you want, done by a popup window of some sort.
I realize things like "ram memory" might be a problem but the benefits would be tremendous. But the ram memory loss would be kept to a minimum because all the model zone views are not be active so only the ram needed to portray these views in 2D (even though they are a model view) is needed. Once you click outside the view you are working in then that would activate that view and deactivate the rest.
Benefits, just to name 1 are; if you are working on pump piping that is on the 3rd level, 3rd zone deep, 6th zone wide and most of the piping is better seen in the left (or perhaps a ISO of this zoned area) view you can readily get to it (if you divide all the zones up that you have a lot of work in) rather then turn a zillion layers on/off or go thru a zillion layer filters just to see what you are doing and you may need perhaps a few of these layers and filters turned on/off to route piping in such a confined area. Or you can create these model zone views as you need to then delete them but the master model still has the changes in it.
or if anyone knows how to do something like this right now (and if you do I would be highly embarrassed) please email me at donald_walker_oldmanone@yahoo.com and we can get in touch perhaps if needed for an informative verbal exchange on this.
Another way I have done this in the past is by xref. Every pipe nut and bolt is its own drawing. They are also on there own layer. So in order to route a pipe you have to xref all kinds of stuff into the new drawing (that you need to have to properly visualize and miss running into anything else) that you are routing your new pipe in. This is very time consuming in most cases but it saves on the "ram memory."
And make this available in "AutoCAD" not just Plant 3D.
