Tube and Pipe - Auto resize of length?

[paul.carsonVQFZ9]

I have a route in tube and pipe which I'm trying to connect and so far I've been using auto route but convert to sketch afterwards.

I have a fixed tee which I'm trying to join to a length with a cut elbow (110 degreees or so).

Auto route is making a mess of it, creating 5 segments, I think however, if I could get the length to adjust (red arrow) automatically, they should meet. I've tried deleting the measurement on the length but it wont adjust to make the shortest route. Any suggestions?

[johan.degreef]

Not much of a help to you, but if skip using "Pipe and Tubing" in Inventor is an option - do that.

[paul.carsonVQFZ9]

Skip using it all together you're saying?

I'm starting to use it now without auto route, I've had a few cases where the pipes had 0.0 delta x and y between them and still the auto route would create 5 segments to get there. Maybe theres a <1 degree error in my model somewhere but I can't see it.

[A.Acheson]

That whole corner should be done in one route as much as possible. Autoroute like you said may not be helpfull so just sketch it in manaully from both connection points untill they start to intersect then use constraints such as colinear  and coincident etc. I assume your using 45's and 90's just rotated to make the angles your talking about? If you want to manually attach the fittings you will need to keep measuring untill you have one segment left and preferably you don't leave the corner segments as you will have 2 lengths to deal with. Alternatively I sometimes use a mate constrained to line up a pipe that has driven constraints. 

Can you sketch the exact angles your trying to replicate? A little hard to see with the camera angle. 

[paul.carsonVQFZ9]

Do you mean use route in manual mode and then constrain those points?

I've tried using 3d sketches with parallel to my route sketches etc. but it doesnt seem to work out.

[A.Acheson]

Yes use in manual mode start at the top tee route out and specify your standard angles untill you almost meet the second tee. It doesn't have to be accurate. Don't connect the points as it will likely fail because of an odd angle. Remember there is no real constraints at this point so it will take the shortest route. Now use include geometry to  constrain any line segments you want to follow a horizontal and vertical plane usually xyz planes of the run. This will stop the route going into violation. Dimension what you can while leaving movement where needed.

Next start from the second lower tee and place a route say 100mm long . Now use the colinear and coincident  constraints to constrain the first route to the second. Join the nodes and then delete. 

I can put up a few screenshots once in front of a computer. If you can sketch out the angles and dimensions you have post them here to get an accurate sample. 

[A.Acheson · Accepted solution]

I made an attempt to explain the procedure in the images below. Your specific angles and your custom cut elbow might make this more difficult on your end. I started with an autoroute and converted to sketch the path wasn't too far off the mark. Then deleted dimensions restricting movement and constrained the segments in this case vertically to use a 90^ fitting. 

[cadman777]

I don't use T&P, so maybe this comment is 'out to lunch'?

Maybe you can author a cut elbow at the correct angle, add it to the CC, and use it in T&P?

Or maybe you can make an adjustable elbow for use in T&P?

That's what I do when making pipe runs manually.

Maybe it can work w/T&P?

Reminds me when I first used T&P 'back in the day'.

Many of the runs were @ 1° slop (steam), and there was no way I could get elbows in T&P to be miter cut 1°.

What a PITA!

I had to re-plan my runs to accommodate the 1° slope in the pipe runs.

Imagine? I had to do piping to fit the CAD software, instead of doing piping they way the fitters do it!

But IF I could have authored an adjustable elbow, that would've saved me a ton of time and headaches.

[paul.carsonVQFZ9]

Thanks I think this will be the way forward with including geometry, I'll have to revisit this to try it out at a later stage but if I can include the geometry of the elbow itself I might have a chance.

As well as the parallel option, I'd like to give the line an angle relative to a plane, didn't have much luck with that though.

[paul.carsonVQFZ9]

As far as I can tell, the only elbows you can add are 90 degree and 45 degree. It would be nice to add a custom "degree" elbow for these cases. Or better yet, have the elbow cut itself to a free angle.

[cadman777]

That's what I figured.

After all these years, this hasn't been fixed.

Sad!

Another idea:

Can you place a custom elbow and then pipe to it?

Scenario based on my manual method:

Make a 3d sketch of the pipe run.

The angle of any non-standard elbows is driven by the Parameter taken from the 3d sketch of the pipe run that is Derived into the elbow part. In the 3d sketch a Driven dimension is placed on the two lines that make the non-standard elbow angle. Use that dimension angle value to cut the elbow to the correct angle. That way if the pipe run changes, which will make the elbow angle change, it will update in the elbow.

So maybe if you can make a custom elbow and place it in the pipe run, and pipe up to it, that may work??

[A.Acheson]

For the angle relative to a plane you can use another work plane (Angle to plane around edge). In the Run( not the route Inventor will crash....) add a workplane with inputs ofworkplane and an axis. Project geometry of this plane in the route then use parallel constraint to the route. The only down side is you need to move a long the pivot axis based on where you start from. 

Also if this is gravity drain lines you can define gravity and maybe have custom angle fittings in there. Haven't use this functionality but if you search you might fine some literature.