Revit MEP Line Numbering

[jwrampe]

Is Revit configurable to carry line number data that is typical for process/power plant piping design (see attachment)?  Our company is evaluating whether to use Revit for all disciplines, and this is a critical part of our deliverables.  We've used other data-centric (BIM) systems for years that are more piping/isometric focused, but we generally do not produce piping isometrics for construction documents.

Note that the pipeline annotations shown refer back to a P&ID drawing, so it is important to track the size, specification, system code and line number on the construction documents.  We have used AutoCAD Plant 3D for this deliverable, but I'd like to gauge how difficult it might be to use Revit in this fashion.

Thanks!

[Jrobker]

You bet.

Revit uses bidirectional associatively.

You create the necessary project/shared parameters and you're good to go.

[embolisim]

Hi JW,

Yes you can tag your lines in this fashion as JR said. There are a few ways to achieve it. I would look at putting the line number in the system name & tagging your lines with the system name.

There are some things that revit will NOT do, that I understand you can do in the AutoCAD based packages.

You CAN make a 3D view of your pipework & tag it with the same data as in your plan, its essentially just a different view of the same pipe so all the info is still there.

You can NOT link back to a traditional PID which might have the piping shown in abstract form for clarity. If you are using this kind of drawing, either stick with what you are using now, or accept that your PID will not be associated with your model.

I've done some plant pipwork design in Revit & it went pretty well. Our Plant Enrineering leaders are encouraging me to get Plant 3D installed so they can use me on more projects because thats their preferred software. I said yes & now I'm waiting for then to supply me with a 64 bit version lol.

[jwrampe]

Thanks for the responses.  That at least gives me an idea that it is possible.  

To drill a bit deeper:  how does Revit handle changes in this new line number property?  It will obviously not stay the stay throughout the system, so based on some user comments I'm concerned that when I connect piping that has differing properties one will be overwritten.  A "feature" of Revit, maybe?  🙂

Also, does Revit offer any fabrication drawing exports?  Something like a PCF file? 

We will evaluate whether or not the link to P&ID is worthwhile.  Right now, we use SmartPlant P&ID alongside Plant 3D, so we're doing projects "unlinked" anyway.  There are more considerations than that, but you made an astute observation.  I personally believe P&ID->3D validation is a very useful tool that we should implement.

[Ray.Bolton]

What was the outcome of your investigation and if you tried Revit or are using Revit for process & power plant design?

[jwrampe]

We are using Revit for process piping design. The line input is manual, so not ideal. I understand Autodesk has some integration between the different platforms that would help correlate the data, but it's not yet rolled out.

[Ray.Bolton]

Thanks JW! We are too, but we're pretty new at it. I'm assuming that by line input you mean line number service etc. I was hoping to find a better way for that sort of thing. Also, have you found a way or an add in to perform such tasks like isolate by line number and some sort of better method of component for piping instrunents etc than the long long lists that the browsers turn into?