Tube & Pipe pet peeve # 652

[cbenner]

When placing or replacing, or even resizing a fitting that is assembled face to face with another fitting, the fitting being modified often wants to rotate or generally change it's orientation.  This causes a pipeline (and any other runs attached to it) to basically blow up.  Best case scenario is that you get a "replace fitting error" and can't make the change.  Either way you're stuck.  Usually the fix is to break all connections defined on that fitting, do the replace/resize or whatever, and then reconnect everything.  Not only is this a waste of time and rework,.. but those re-connected connections never seem to stay re-connected.  Another change down stream can cause those connections to fail.  Again there is an intended fix for this: "Rebuild all"... except that this is hit or miss when you are talking about face to face connections in Tube & Pipe.  Usually what we have to do is Edit Connections on the fittings, and pretend we are changing the broken connection, while not actually changing anything.  Then the connection suddenly gets it's memory back... for a few minutes.

In the images below, the elbow had been connected to another fitting (not in the pic) on the lower connection, and in the orientation shown.  I broke that connection and placed the connection shown,... notice that the elbow decided to rotate 90 degrees with no input from me whatsoever.

Suggested fix:  face to face connections are very common in real world piping but do not work well in T&P.  Something needs to be done so that these fittings do not want to change orientation if being replaced or resized from the CC, or any other source... unless directed to do so by the user.  WE need to have that control.  Breaking every connection everytime I want to madify my design is not a good use of my time.

[cbenner]

Another example, just trying to connect an elbow BACK to a tee after changing size on both.

Before:

After... what?!?!

[blair]

Add it to the Obey Browser visibility when working in the T & P assembly. The other items should be shaded as well, same at when working on a sub IAM within the parent IAM file.