topic Re: P&ID layers in AutoCAD Forum

P&ID layers

nillisa2000 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:52:41 GMT

Are there any standard layers for P&IDs? If so, where can I find them. I'm having a difficult time finding anything.

Thanks.

Re: P&ID layers

lbellino4 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:00:50 GMT

From what I read, if you're using ACAD P&ID, it comes with it's own layers, but you can create your own standard layers, when you create a template drawing, if you want. Where I work, we use regular ACAD and we create our own template drawing with the standard layers we want to use and this was determined from our internal group of designers that work in these drawings daily. I don't believe there are set layers like there are for architectural drawings.

Re: P&ID layers

nillisa2000 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:07:05 GMT

This is my problem. The company I work for is not used to doing P&IDs, so they have no standard. I'm stationed at a customers site and this plant runs off their P&IDs. Problem, these layers tell me nothing. Let me put it this way, some of these drawings have not been touched in over 10 years. So, I basically starting from scratch.

Re: P&ID layers

lbellino4 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:14:45 GMT

Can you post an image of the layers/names? I'm curious how they were named and if I've seen something similar from jobs I've worked on.

Re: P&ID layers

nillisa2000 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:23:30 GMT

They are MicroStation layers from 10 years ago. They are mostly numbers, lol. I have my work cut out for me.

Re: P&ID layers

lbellino4 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:28:50 GMT

Sounds like you're going to need to create the template with the layer names you want to use going forward from project to project. Below is an example of some of the layers we use in projects, but most of our projects are for the food industry.

Re: P&ID layers

nillisa2000 — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:47:16 GMT

Thank you. We make soap. I appreciate your help. This will at least give me a baseline.

Re: P&ID layers

pendean — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 19:54:25 GMT

@nillisa2000 wrote:
Are there any standard layers for P&IDs?...

May I ask, are you just the "cad guy" trying to turn paper into not-paper, or are you specifically P&ID trained and equipped with a full library of content? And are you trying to do all of this in plain AutoCAD?

No reason not to use AutoCADPlant3D (free for subscribers to install and use) if the client is trying to do more than just transfer paper (or old system) to paper-like plain AutoCAD content, read more here

https://www.autodesk.com/support/technical/article/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-create-custom-new-layers-to-be-used-by-default-in-P-ID-drawings-in-AutoCAD-Plant-3D.html

and

https://help.autodesk.com/view/PLNT3D/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-DD6C24E7-0136-4051-8346-22A970F4C93A

then

https://www.autodesk.com/solutions/pid-software

Continue the discussion in that forum if you decide to go there, here is one of many on the topic for once you get into creating content:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-plant-3d-forum/assigning-customized-default-layers-to-p-amp-id-objects/td-p/10280172

Note: P&ID tend to have more strict requirements for layers, and limited ones to start with:

Equipment

Existing Process

Instrument

Instrument Lines

Mechanical Process

Text

HTH

Re: P&ID layers

TheCADnoob — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 21:38:40 GMT

I've worked for both owner-operators and engineering service providers regarding P&IDs. I've seen them broken out by service, size, location, etc., In other words, there isn't necessarily a wrong way to do it, but at the end of the day, I think the biggest thing to be mindful of is the P&ID symbology.

PIP PIC001 is a common standard in Process Piping (i dont think it has a layering component), but there are usually proprietary (regarding the facility designer) standards that are also followed. Who ever designed your process probably had a decent enough layering standard. I would just adopt thiers.

If you want to create your own layers, some options are to have equipment on a layer, vales on a layer, revision clouds on a layer, and Process lines on a layer. It really comes down to how the documents are used.

It quite often that we circuitized P&IDs meaning we create special layers for different needs that follow the same paths as the lines. An example would be in older plants they will have lines on the P&ID that have asbestos mitigation requirements. Showing those indications on a P&ID aren't necessarily part of the intended function of the P&ID qua P&IDs but its very help when it comes to planning. I have also seen circiuitization used for making down lines for inspection and maintenance and reliability. This is usually the biggest use of layers that I've seen in P&IDs.

I also second the use of Plant 3D. It has the some really good out of the box tools for P&IDs.