Automatically determine and store operator-facing direction for valve actuators in AutoCAD Plant 3D

[ben.saa]

Description:
Currently in AutoCAD Plant 3D, while the actuator orientation (e.g. the rotation axis of a handwheel) is defined and can be exported through PCF or displayed on isometrics, there is no built-in mechanism to determine the direction in which an operator would physically stand to operate the valve.

For example, if a handwheel is mounted on the east face of a valve, the operator would logically face west when approaching it. This operator-facing direction is important for:

• Installation planning

• Ergonomic checks

• Operations and maintenance documentation

• Generating clear instructions and annotations on isometric drawings

Currently, the only workaround is to manually assign a custom property like OPERATOR_DIRECTION, which is time-consuming and error-prone. It also introduces inconsistency, especially across large projects or automated workflows.

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Request:
Add native functionality in AutoCAD Plant 3D to:

1. Automatically determine the operator-facing direction based on valve and actuator geometry at insertion.

2. Store this direction in a property (e.g. OperatorDirection) that can be:

   • Exported into PCF

   • Used in Data Manager

   • Displayed in annotations on isometric drawings

3. Optionally provide a visual cue in the model for operator-facing side during design.

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Benefits:

• Reduces user error by removing manual data entry

• Enhances accuracy of fabrication and operation documents

• Enables more intelligent data automation (e.g. for scripts or exports)

• Provides consistent metadata across large projects