How to model steel pipes in low slope/curved building

[LuisaPieper]

Has anyone found a good workaround (other than cutting the pipes into small pieces and rotating them manually one by one) to deal with buildings where the inclination is around 1-2 degrees?

I have not found a way to make the pipe fitting have an inclination of less than 6 degrees (which in this case is a lot). Plus with every small change in architecture or structure modifying this is a real nightmare and, in reality these pipes will be steel pipes that go through machines like the one below to be bent on site, so they are actually continuous, not with all of these fittings.

I have thought about using flex pipe, but this type of family doesn't allow for a change of appearance...

Suggestions and experiences are more than welcome

[LuisaPieper]

Has anyone found a good workaround (other than cutting the pipes into small pieces and rotating them manually one by one) to deal with buildings where the inclination is around 1-2 degrees?

I have not found a way to make the pipe fitting have an inclination of less than 6 degrees (which in this case is a lot). Plus with every small change in architecture or structure modifying this is a real nightmare and, in reality these pipes will be steel pipes that go through machines like the one below to be bent on site, so they are actually continuous, not with all of these fittings.

I have thought about using flex pipe, but this type of family doesn't allow for a change of appearance...

Suggestions and experiences are more than welcome

[iainsavage]

If you’re talking about slope, you should be able to slope the pipes at pretty much any angle, percentage (0 to 100%) or rise/fall ratio.

If your talking about curvature the way that I do it is by creating a bend fitting with very long radius and calling it something like “Formed Bend” - you’re correct that strictly speaking these are not pipe fittings but in BOMs and BoQs they should still be counted to allow the labour and plant required for forming them to be costed.

You can also use Pick Lines option in Model in Place sweep to create a family along a curved path but it won’t be pipe category it would need to be pipe fitting or pipe accessory. You can do similar using Dynamo.

There are other posts on the same topic e.g.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-mep-forum/placing-pipe-along-curved-path/td-p/5982242

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-mep-forum/pick-lines-pipe-family/td-p/10396142

[iainsavage]

If you’re talking about slope, you should be able to slope the pipes at pretty much any angle, percentage (0 to 100%) or rise/fall ratio.

If your talking about curvature the way that I do it is by creating a bend fitting with very long radius and calling it something like “Formed Bend” - you’re correct that strictly speaking these are not pipe fittings but in BOMs and BoQs they should still be counted to allow the labour and plant required for forming them to be costed.

You can also use Pick Lines option in Model in Place sweep to create a family along a curved path but it won’t be pipe category it would need to be pipe fitting or pipe accessory. You can do similar using Dynamo.

There are other posts on the same topic e.g.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-mep-forum/placing-pipe-along-curved-path/td-p/5982242

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/revit-mep-forum/pick-lines-pipe-family/td-p/10396142

[iainsavage]

There's also this setting which affects the minumum bend angle, but any value less than 5 degrees seems to be ignored and if you try to create a bend less than 5 degrees it will snap back to a straight pipe - as far as I know that is hard coded and can't be altered.

[iainsavage]

There's also this setting which affects the minumum bend angle, but any value less than 5 degrees seems to be ignored and if you try to create a bend less than 5 degrees it will snap back to a straight pipe - as far as I know that is hard coded and can't be altered.

[LuisaPieper]

Yes, that would be an option, but we are also doing a bill of quantities from it and then Model in lace wont have a trustable parameter for length of this "Pipe" (right?)

[LuisaPieper]

Yes, that would be an option, but we are also doing a bill of quantities from it and then Model in lace wont have a trustable parameter for length of this "Pipe" (right?)

[iainsavage]

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@LuisaPieper wrote:
Yes, that would be an option, but we are also doing a bill of quantities from it and then Model in lace wont have a trustable parameter for length of this "Pipe" (right?)

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So use the first option that I suggested?

"If your talking about curvature the way that I do it is by creating a bend fitting with very long radius and calling it something like “Formed Bend” - you’re correct that strictly speaking these are not pipe fittings but in BOMs and BoQs they should still be counted to allow the labour and plant required for forming them to be costed."

[iainsavage]

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@LuisaPieper wrote:
Yes, that would be an option, but we are also doing a bill of quantities from it and then Model in lace wont have a trustable parameter for length of this "Pipe" (right?)

---

So use the first option that I suggested?

"If your talking about curvature the way that I do it is by creating a bend fitting with very long radius and calling it something like “Formed Bend” - you’re correct that strictly speaking these are not pipe fittings but in BOMs and BoQs they should still be counted to allow the labour and plant required for forming them to be costed."