The way Revit handles connectors and routing is sometimes far from reality.
I think that more things have to be controled by the connectors -since it is this way in reality- rather then the system, routing, or global setting.
Let me give two examples:
- Angle tolerance: it is in Revit a global parameter. The only thing controlable by the connector itself if wethever you allow the tolerance or not, and only if the connector is set on "global". The fact is that in reality, it depends on the connector itself. The angle tolerance if different wether you have steel pipes, plastic pipes, copper pipes, etc. It is impossible to handle these differences with a global parameter in Revit.
- Flanges (and other connector types): In Revit, using flanges depends on the system. In reality it is not the case. In a same system, we will need or not flanges depending on what we are connecting.
Here is a simple example of what I have to draw everyday, for a single system: Pipe / welded union ball valve / pipe / welded transition / pipe / flanged 3-way valve / pipe / welded transition / pipe / flanged pump / pipe / welded union ball valve / pipe.
What happens is that:
- the ball-valve will always be welded by its union fitting,
- the 3-way valve can be welded by union fitting or flanged according to its size,
- the transitions (and elbows, tees, etc.) will always be welded,
- the pump can be welded by union fitting or flanged according to its manufacturer.
It is just impossible to handle if it is system related and not connector related.
It is of course the same for other connector types (victaulic, glued, etc.)
This really has to change if we want piping to become accurate in Revit.
Oh, by the way, needless to say that AutoCAD MEP handles these parameters by connector, as it should, making it an other case of "AutoCAD does it better"...