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Change Tube and Pipe Styles after populated

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Message 1 of 16
howardlee306
3294 Views, 15 Replies

Change Tube and Pipe Styles after populated

Ive got pretty good with the tube and pipe runs now, I am making runs, drawings, and BOM way faster than I could ever have done the old way (constraining many elbows to many pipes). But After getting a whole machine modeled, drawings completed, and BOM's finished I got thrown a curve ball and 2 out of 16 runs need to change size. The only way I can think to do this is to delete those 2 runs and start over with a different style. This means redoing those two drawings, balloons, dimensions and the BOMs. If there is a way to change from, for example, 1" threaded pipe style to a 1.5" threaded pipe style? Then my drawings, balloons, dimensions and the BOMs on them would update automatically.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

15 REPLIES 15
Message 2 of 16
Brojefj
in reply to: howardlee306

I'm having this same problem, I will create a hose run and then end up having to change the size of the hose. at that point I will edit the run and activate a different style withing the run but it doesn't seem to do anything. did you ever find a solution to your problem? if so could you please post it.

Message 3 of 16
ross.hollands
in reply to: Brojefj

Hi

 

I asked the same question to my support reseller after the forum drew a blank.  They sent me helpful vidoes whoihc I am happy to share if you send your email address.  I could not upload here unfortunately.

 

Cheers

 

Ross

Message 4 of 16
cbenner
in reply to: ross.hollands

Depending on how the pipe run was created, you should be able to change styles with no problems (or few).  Especially a size only change.  Changing actual specs (welded to threaded for example) may be abit trickier, but should still work.  I do this all the time thanks to some finicky engineers.  🙂

 

If you have a specific issue please post a screen capture, or better yet an assembly that exhibits the problem behavior and we can take a look at it.

 

IV2013 Pro

Message 5 of 16
howardlee306
in reply to: howardlee306

I apologize for not posting it here. What my problem ended up being was the ribbon panel that had the size and style on it was turned off by default I guess. I watched some youtube videos and saw it. Without ever seeing it before I had no idea it wasn't there. Now that I have some time invested in it I can fly through making routes and such. Changing size still creates some headaches, but very controllable headaches.

Message 6 of 16
cbenner
in reply to: howardlee306

Message 7 of 16
poreng
in reply to: cbenner

Please furnish the link to the video.

Message 8 of 16
cbenner
in reply to: poreng


@poreng wrote:

Please furnish the link to the video.


Welcome to the group!

 

Which video are you looking for?  Did you mean the youtube video the OP mentioned above?  I'm not sure he ever specified which video provided his solution.  There are a lot of Autodesk related tutorial videos on You Tube.  A search on thier site for whatever you're having trouble with usually turns up at least one good one.

 

Is there something specific you need help with?

Message 9 of 16
poreng
in reply to: cbenner

Yes, sorry.

I am new to Tube and Pipe Routing and looking for methods to edit a manually or an auto-routed model which has been populated.

I have found several good tutorials nut can't seem to find one that addresses this.  My results have been sort of random...not controllable.

How do you slide a valve or tee over 12"?  change a segment of pipe to a different size and add reducers?

Thanks for your response.

 

Message 10 of 16
cbenner
in reply to: poreng


@poreng wrote:

Yes, sorry.

I am new to Tube and Pipe Routing and looking for methods to edit a manually or an auto-routed model which has been populated.

I have found several good tutorials nut can't seem to find one that addresses this.  My results have been sort of random...not controllable.

How do you slide a valve or tee over 12"?  change a segment of pipe to a different size and add reducers?

Thanks for your response.

 


First piece of advice is never use Auto Routes.  They don't update well when you make changes.  When an Auto Route is generated, right click and choose "Convert to Sketch".  Here, you might want to read the advice I gave in this thread:

 

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Inventor-General/Tube-and-Pipe-Getting-Started/m-p/4827803#U4827803

 

To slide a fitting in a pipe run, you have 2 options:  Right click the fitting and select Edit Fitting Orientation, then either pick a new location along the axis, or right click again and select Enter Distance.  The other option is to edit the route itself, and change the dimension to the node that is under that fitting.  Either way works.

 

To change sizes, you can change either the entire route or just one segment.  The route size is controlled by the pipe style you selected when you created that route.  Changing the style, will chnage the size of the entire route, but not any fittings you placed inline after the route was generated.  To change just one segment, simply right click and select Change Size.  Again, this will not change any fittings.  Also, if you change the size of one segment and then add a fitting in the middle of that segment,... one or both of the resulting new segments may revert back to the original size set up in the pipe style for that route.

 

Reducers are no different than any inline fitting, but they do NOT change the line size downstream.  this is probably my biggest wish list item,... but right now it doesn't do that.

 

Hope this helps.

Message 11 of 16
HPsteam
in reply to: cbenner


@cbenner wrote:
  The route size is controlled by the pipe style you selected when you created that route.

I am new to T&P in Inventor and was looking for more info on styles, which brought me here... If i am reading this correctly @cbenner , i need a separate style for each size of the run ???? and if i need different flange type i need again different set of styles? So if i want to be covered i would need to have probably few hundreds of styles that i could save externally and load them up to current project as needed ? Is this correct ? Unles i want to route without styles, which is more tedious...

 

I work on systems that can have plenty of variables:

- any size between 1/2 and 36

- any type of flange

- butt, socket-welded or threaded..

- different schedules

- different material...

 

 

Using Inventor 2018

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Message 12 of 16
Mark.Lancaster
in reply to: HPsteam

@HPsteam

 

Number of styles needed depending on the pipe route size and the components that you define in the style.  Lets say for example,  I have a ANSI flange connection that starts a 4in and reduces down to 1 1/2 in size somewhere in my pipe run (flange connection at both ends).   At this point I could have a single pipe run that has 2 pipe routes in it. One pipe route would have a style for 4in information and the other route would have the 1 1/2 inch.  Since I'm not defining flange components in my style, I could use these styles anywhere I wanted to in my model.   Now if you start mixing in components that have flange components and gasket defined within the style well that would mean another style.

 

@cbenner any additional info?

 

Update:  @HPsteam  In the end you could end up having numerous styles if the piping requirements are varying in your design.   There's no way around this.  But at the same time (just speculating) you may be thinking too deep regarding this.  Its something you will learn over time.  In addition you have the ability to set your standards up and import these styles when needed.  Although you can configure the provided T&P template (assy) with all your styles, I wouldn't recommend do so.

Mark Lancaster


  &  Autodesk Services MarketPlace Provider


Autodesk Inventor Certified Professional & not an Autodesk Employee


Likes is much appreciated if the information I have shared is helpful to you and/or others


Did this resolve your issue? Please accept it "As a Solution" so others may benefit from it.

Message 13 of 16
cbenner
in reply to: Mark.Lancaster

@HPsteam

 

@Mark.Lancaster covered it pretty well.  You may indeed have to create quite a few T&P Styles, depending on how many different pipe specs, sizes, materials, flanges, gaskets etc you need to work with.  I have probably close to 100 styles defines.  I usually make all of mine flanged styles though, and define a flange and gasket.  But there lies part of my collection... 150# vs 300# flanges; rubber vs PTFE gaskets, lined steel, welded steel, threaded steel, stainless etc... sizes from 1/4" - sometimes as high as 36" (pretty rare).  The combinations are almost endless.

 

Most important thing to remember is to create the styles in your T&P template so they will be available to all new assemblies.  Otherwise you have to re-create them each time.

 

Look over the handout from my T&P class on basics, I cover this early on.  Good luck and happy piping.  LOL

Message 14 of 16
HPsteam
in reply to: Mark.Lancaster

Thanks for the reply Mark. But basically you are confirming  my assumption. If i, for the sake of argument, on a regular basis am using 10 different pipe sizes, 3 different schedules, 3 different flange types, i would need  10 x 3 x 3 = 90 styles to prepare (assuming that all flange types go with all sizes, which we know is not accurate). And again, this is if i want to use styles..

 

Edit. i was typing at the same time as cbenner.

 

 

Why wouldn't we select a style based on type, why it has to be size specific?... i am typing and realizing that this is probably due to the file management, and that inventor needs a separate file for each size, which again makes no sense..

 

Overall, in my short experience, T&P module in Inventor is ridiculously bad and not user friendy. I was complaining like a spoiled brat while i was using SolidWorks , but now i regret it and wish i could go back to it. SW has this covered so much better.

 

 

In any case, thank you both for prompt replies. Will be helping me in the future for sure.

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Message 15 of 16
Mark.Lancaster
in reply to: HPsteam

@HPsteam

 

How you term different flange in your pipe run makes all the difference..  Meaning you could only need 30 styles in the end.

 

For example look at this image

 

2017-10-17_10-40-52.jpg

 

I could make a style (for my entire pipe run) that when I placed a flange component into my pipe run the flanges and gasket come along.  If all that information is changing yes more styles needed.  Or I could just run a pipe route so far.  Place a flange connection and the other stuff and then continue another pipe run from it. (Update 2: Meaning keeping my T&P styles generic enough which allows me to use them in multiple places/models).

 

Pipe styles in T&P in my opinion are designed to make an entire given pipe run the same.  When you look at any Autodesk example of T&P that's how it portrayed. But in most piping conditions that's not really true.

 

For example (in the above image) the elbow that has a flange on one side, it's not a good placement for flange information within the style.  The end treatments are not the same and that's how a T&P styles works.  Everything has to always be the same.  So  I am assuming at this point a given pipe run for you has different components and etc.

 

Yes T&P has its issues and quirks and @cbenner and I and others have been pushing for improvements but without getting into and learning it, don't knock it.  You may end up liking it over other CAD applications that do the same thing.   In addition I don't know what your piping models look like but you may want to consider Autodesk Plant3D if you are designing large piping layouts/infrastructures.

 

Update:  Don't take this the wrong way..  But you are getting bogged down with the number of styles that need to be created.  Creating a style takes seconds to do.  The number of styles you may require should not impact whether to use routed system or not.  For me I could care less if I had to make 5 styles for one model compared to another model that needs 50 different styles.  Smiley Very Happy

 

Mark Lancaster


  &  Autodesk Services MarketPlace Provider


Autodesk Inventor Certified Professional & not an Autodesk Employee


Likes is much appreciated if the information I have shared is helpful to you and/or others


Did this resolve your issue? Please accept it "As a Solution" so others may benefit from it.

Message 16 of 16
HPsteam
in reply to: Mark.Lancaster

I hear ya. I know i i am hung up on a no so important part of the T&P but, that what i was investigating at the time 🙂

 

In any case, there are some nice features in the package but plenty of "why don't you have that implemented already" head scratches. Right now the biggest WTF is the fact that you technically can't place fitting-to-fitting... which is so common in any piping system nowdays...

 

 

 


@Mark.Lancaster wrote:

 

Or I could just run a pipe route so far.  Place a flange connection and the other stuff and then continue another pipe run from it

 

 


This is how i am running it at this time. But irritates me that you need to go to CC to fetch the parts and it is not that fast, nor intuitive, while using generic PC not optimized for this type o work... 

 

 


@Mark.Lancaster wrote:

@HPsteam
 

 In addition I don't know what your piping models look like but you may want to consider Autodesk Plant3D if you are designing large piping layouts/infrastructures.

 

 


Working on smaller process skids, similar to photo you posted... so AutoPlant is not the best option either 🙂

 

 

 

 

In any case, thank you  for  your help. I do appreciate it no mater how much i vent 😄

 

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