AutoCAD PLANT 3D 2015 System Tools Variables Cadgroup

Bruce Trevena,

Plant Solutions Consultant,

Cadgroup Australia,

November 2014

AutoCAD Plant 3D System Tools & Variables

Updated for 2015 SP2

Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables

2

Cadgroup Australia Pty Ltd P: 1300 765 654 E: [email protected] W: www.cadgroup.com.au

CONTENTS

A. AUTOCAD P&ID SYSTEM FUNCTIONS ........................................................... 4

1. GENERALINSTRUMENTROTATE .................................................................................... 4

2. SLINENOZZLEERASE ........................................................................................................ 4

3. SLINEORTHO ....................................................................................................................... 4

4. VGRIPS .................................................................................................................................. 5

B. PLANT 3D SYSTEM FUNCTIONS...................................................................... 6

5. COMPRESSPROJECT ........................................................................................................ 6

6. PLANTAUDIT ........................................................................................................................ 6

7. PNPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER .................................................................................. 7

C. ADDITIONAL SYSTEM TOOLS .......................................................................... 8

8. SQL DATABASE MAINTENANCE ..................................................................................... 8

9. CATALOGUE BUILDER ...................................................................................................... 8

D. PLANT 3D SYSTEM VARIABLES ....................................................................... 9

10. PLANTBENDENABLEALLPIPETYPES ............................................................................ 9

11. PLANTCOGVALIDATIONSWITCH .................................................................................... 9

12. PLANTCONNECTIONMARKER ...................................................................................... 10

13. PLANTCONTENTFOLDER ............................................................................................... 10

14. PLANTDEFAULTLAYER ................................................................................................... 10

15. PLANTDYNTOOLPALETTE ............................................................................................. 11

16. PLANTERRORLEVEL ....................................................................................................... 11

17. PLANTINSULATIONDISPLAY .......................................................................................... 11

18. PLANTINSULATIONMODE .............................................................................................. 12

19. PLANTFITTINGSTICKFACTOR ....................................................................................... 12

20. PLANTGRIPEDITMODE.................................................................................................... 12

21. PLANTLOCKFADECTL ..................................................................................................... 13

22. PLANTLOCKPOINTOFSUPPORT .................................................................................. 13

23. PLANTMAXBENDANGLE ................................................................................................. 14

24. PLANTOFFSETCONNECT ............................................................................................... 14

25. PLANTPORTDISPLAY ...................................................................................................... 15


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26. PLANTSELECTCOGSWITCH .......................................................................................... 15

27. PLANTVALIDATEDEMANDCLOSE ................................................................................ 15

28. PLANTPCFUNICODE ........................................................................................................ 15

29. PLANTPIPESILHDISPLAY................................................................................................ 15

30. PLANTPLACEHOLDERDISPLAY .................................................................................... 16

31. PLANTPROPMISMATCHDISPLAY ................................................................................. 16

32. PLANTROUTEBEND ......................................................................................................... 16

33. PLANTSAVEDETAIL .......................................................................................................... 17

34. PLANTSLOPETHRESHOLDANGLE ............................................................................... 17

35. PLANTSPECNOTIFY ......................................................................................................... 18

36. PLANTSPECNOTIFYTIME ............................................................................................... 18

37. PLANTSPECUPDATECHECK ......................................................................................... 18

38. PLANTWELCOMEENABLED ........................................................................................... 19

39. PLANTWELCOMENEWPROJECT .................................................................................. 19

40. PLANTWELDDISPLAY ...................................................................................................... 19

41. SYNCSTYLESMODE ......................................................................................................... 20

E. ORTHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM TOOLS ................................................................ 21

42. PLANTORTHOHIDDENLINEMODE ................................................................................ 21

43. PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE ................................................................................. 22

44. PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK ........................................................................................ 23

45. PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL................................................................... 24


4


A. AUTOCAD P&ID SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

GENERALINSTRUMENTROTATE

Sets whether inline instrument can be rotated

ON OFF

SLINENOZZLEERASE

Sets whether nozzles are erased when connected slines are erased

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0 Nozzles are not erased when connected sline is erased

1 Nozzles are erased when connected sline is erased

SLINEORTHO

Sets whether ortho is turned on when sline is activated and whether corner points are implied

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0

Does not turn on ortho when sline is activated. Corner points are not implied

1

Temporarily turns on ortho when sline is activated. Enforces strict orthogonality. Corner points are implied

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff-4855151011e3b702b95-3d01.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff-4855151011e3b702b95-3d01.htm


5


VGRIPS

Controls the display of vertex grips.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Drawing

Initial value: 0

0

Does not display vertex grips

1

Displays all vertex grips except the first and last points. Set VGRIPS to 1 to alter sline arcs

Displays all vertex grips. Set VGRIPS to 2 if you want to enable grips on the first and last points of a line so that you can shorten line segments

2

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS73099cc142f4875518cef0a10b4f5d51a8-7b0c.htm


6


B. PLANT 3D SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

COMPRESSPROJECT

Compresses and defragments the cached drawing data that accumulates while project drawings are modified.

Access Methods

Command entry: compressproject

Summary

Compresses the drawing data, which is constantly updated as you work on project drawings. To optimize the data cache and improve the program performance, you can do a periodic project compression.

For compression to succeed, the project cannot be locked by another designer. If the project is locked, the compression process is halted.

PLANTAUDIT

Audits and repairs project data and drawing synchronization errors.

Access Methods

Command entry: plantaudit

Summary

If a Plant object is not found in the project database, it is erased from the drawing.

List of Prompts

The following prompts display if synchronization errors are found.

Updated cache connection data for part <handle>

Erased component <handle> not linked to project database


7


PnPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER Running this executable purges your local cache.

Access Methods

Command entry: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Plant 3D 2013\ PnPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER.exe

Summary

Plant 3D uses a local cache to hold drawing and object data. This is done to streamline graphic performance. As the cache file increases in size and reaches a maximum, older contents are deleted. Fatal errors, power outages and illegal procedures such as “SAVEAS” can lead to corruptions in the cache file and it is good practice to purge this local cache from time to time (once a week).


8


C. ADDITIONAL SYSTEM TOOLS

SQL Database Maintenance PnPProjectMaintenance.exe

CATALOGUE BUILDER AutoCADPlant3DCatalogBuilder.exe


9


D. PLANT 3D SYSTEM VARIABLES

PLANTBENDENABLEALLPIPETYPES Enable bends for all types ON OFF

PLANTCOGVALIDATIONSWITCH

Enables weight validation.

Command entry: plantcogvalidationswitch

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

If live COG is enabled and you select piping, pipe supports, or equipment that has no weight, a COG Validation dialog box displays. The validation dialog lists selected objects that do not have weight.

Click on the link to zoom to the component.

You can disable COG Validation without closing the validation dialog. Disabling validation allows you to select and set the weight of individual objects without resetting the list.

Locked components are not displayed in the COG Validation dialog box.

1 On; Weight validation is enabled

0 Off


10


PLANTCONNECTIONMARKER Toggles the display of the disconnect marker.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Hides disconnect markers

1 Displays disconnect markers

Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.

PLANTCONTENTFOLDER

Displays the shared content catalog folder.

(Read-only)

Type: String

Saved in: Registry

You can use PLANTMODIFYSHAREDCONTENTFOLDER to set this variable.

Note:

The Shared Content Folder applies to the installation of AutoCAD Plant 3D.

Default: C:\AutoCAD Plant 3D 2015 Content\

PLANTDEFAULTLAYER

Sets the piping layer to use when using automated layer assignments and the layer cannot be determined.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: ”0”

Sets the layer to use when the automated layer name cannot be determined. For example, if you are naming layers by line number and change the line number to unassigned.

An empty value (setvar "PLANTDEFAULTLAYER" "") will use the current layer.

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff5cf1d02511b1d0009782087.htm

http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Plant3D-UserGuide/files/GUID-EBCB7CFD-52C5-4537-8F56-F28B905BD38A.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff-735130a41278d915f58-7ffe.htm


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PLANTDYNTOOLPALETTE

Loads the dynamic pipe spec tool palette from the current spec.

Access Methods

Command entry: plantdynamictoolpalette

Summary

You can enable or disable the dynamic pipe spec tool palette.

List of Prompts

The Dynamic Pipe Spec Tool Palette is currently <enabled>.

PlantDynamicToolPalette [Enable/Disable]:

Enable

Displays the current spec in the tool palette.

Disable

Do not use the dynamic tool palette. You can create and customize a static piping component tool palette using the spec viewer. This behavior is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2011.

PLANTERRORLEVEL 0 1 2

PLANTINSULATIONDISPLAY

Controls whether insulation is displayed on AutoCAD Plant 3D piping objects.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0 Do not display insulation on piping

1 Display the insulation on piping

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff5cf1d02511b1d000978208c.htm


12


PLANTINSULATIONMODE

Controls whether insulation is displayed on AutoCAD Plant 3D piping objects.

Type: String

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: simplifiedFull

simplifiedFull All components display insulation.

simplifiedPartial

Display tubing and fittings with insulation. Valves and flanges do not display insulation. Recommend setting when creating orthographic drawings.

PLANTFITTINGSTICKFACTOR 2.0000

PLANTGRIPEDITMODE

Controls whether inline fittings are constrained to move within the current pipe segment or if they move to other connected pipe segments in the network.

Command entry: plantgripeditmode

Summary

You can control whether the inline fittings can be moved only within the current pipe segment or if they can be moved along the connected network to other pipe segments as well.

List of Prompts

The following prompts are displayed.

Grip editing constrains inline fittings to move within [pipeSegment/pipeLine]

pipeSegment

Constrains movement of inline fittings to a single pipe segment. This mode is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 behavior. pipeLine

Allows movement of inline fittings to other pipe segments or to an open area in the drawing.

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS73099cc142f48755-191a86ac126720fa354e40.htm


http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff219f8b8b1249cf2cb82-53e2.htm


13


PLANTLOCKFADECTL

Fades locked piping in the 3D model.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Do not fades locked piping

1 Fades locked piping slightly


PLANTLOCKPOINTOFSUPPORT

Locks the point-of-support on pipe supports.

When on (1), pipe supports that are copied or moved retain their point-of-support. The point-of-support is where the pipe support connects to structure. For example, if the support is copied to pipe that is lower in elevation, the support rod of a hanger support increases in height.

Not all pipe support types have a point of support. For example, hangers and stanchions have a point-of-support.

This variable can also be set with the Lockpointofsupport option of plantpipesupportmove.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Height of pipe support does not change.

1 Maintains the support point when copied or moved.

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-E5A2FD17-04BA-485B-99B8-1FB1A44549AF.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-B1DC6EE7-0999-4234-BD50-F6DF238D9D7F.htm


14


PLANTMAXBENDANGLE

Specifies whether pipe bends can be used up to 90 or 180 degrees.

Type: Real

Saved in: Registry

Initial value:

90

90 Specifies that bends over 90 degrees are not created.

91-179 Specifies that bends larger than 90 can be created.

180 Allows a return bend to be created .

PLANTOFFSETCONNECT

Controls whether AutoCAD Plant 3D attempts to connect piping when snapping to a pipe connection and using pipe offset while routing.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0 Do not connect when snapping to a pipe connector

1 Connect when snapping to a pipe connector

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-109F2D15-4672-46F5-802B-C0D052CA08C8.htm



15


PLANTPORTDISPLAY ON OFF

PLANTSELECTCOGSWITCH Plantshowconnectedcenterline ON OFF

PLANTVALIDATEDEMANDCLOSE CLOSEWAIT

PLANTPCFUNICODE

Creates Unicode PCF files.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0

Creates ASCII compatible PCF files. This format is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2011 and earlier.

1

Creates Unicode PCF files to fully support multi-byte characters. This setting may not be compatible with other programs.

Multi-byte characters are supported in ACSII PCF files using escape sequences, but this restricts the number of characters supported and can affect formatting.

PLANTPIPESILHDISPLAY

Sets the display of the pipe silhouettes.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0

Hides pipe silhouettes. If dispsilh is on, plantpipesilhdisplay is ignored and pipe silhouettes display.

1 Displays pipe silhouettes


http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-F857F8A3-48FE-4878-80CF-A63CE1D82F23.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS73099cc142f48755-6bf55a3b1279d6bce50-7d72.htm


16


PLANTPLACEHOLDERDISPLAY

Toggles the display of the Placeholder Part glyph.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0 On

1 Off

PLANTPROPMISMATCHDISPLAY

Toggles the display of the property mismatch markers.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Hides property mismatch markers

1 Displays property mismatch markers


PLANTROUTEBEND

Creates pipe bends while routing pipe.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Creates elbow fittings when routing.

1 Creates pipe bends when routing.

This variable can be set with the pipeBEnd option of plantpipeadd.



http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-6FFCE4B2-4542-47D9-A545-7737EB1701F6.htm


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When plantroutebend is enabled, you set plantmaxbendangle to create bends over 90 degrees.

PLANTSAVEDETAIL

Sets the detail of the proxy graphics when Plant 3D objects are viewed in AutoCAD or Navisworks without object enablers.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

0

Low detail. Sets proxy graphic detail to use lines. This setting reduces the size of the DWG file when saved.

1

High detail. Sets proxy graphic details to use surfaces. Recommended setting when the drawing is used in Navisworks.

PLANTSLOPETHRESHOLDANGLE

Specifies the angle below which piping is treated as sloped.

Command entry: plantslopethresholdangle

Summary

You can specify the angle that identifies what piping is treated as sloped and what is not.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 5

1-45

On. Piping over this value is considered sloped. Piping over this value is considered angled. The default angle is 5 degrees.

0 Off. No piping is sloped.


http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff219f8b8b1249cf2cb82-536d.htm


18


PLANTSPECNOTIFY

Checks for spec file updates when the drawing loads, and on a time interval.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 1

1

On. Checks for spec file updates when the drawing loads, and on the time interval specified by the plantspecnotifytime system variable

0 Off. Does not check for spec file updates

PLANTSPECNOTIFYTIME

Sets the time interval that spec files are checked for updates.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 2

0 Checks for spec file updates only when the drawing loads

1-4

Sets the time interval (in hours) that spec files are checked for updates. The first check is made when the drawing loads

PLANTSPECUPDATECHECK

Checks for changes made to spec files that are in use in a drawing.

Access Methods

Command entry: plantspecupdatecheck

Summary

You can check for changes to a pipe spec that is used in a 3D model. If changes are discovered, you can update the model.

NoteThis command can run automatically by setting the plantspecnotify and plantspecnotifytime system variables. See Also

Update a Spec in a Plant 3D Model

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff5cf1d02511b1d0009783cb9.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff5cf1d02511b1d0009783cbe.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPSC/GUID-A78CD0BC-2ADC-493F-81BD-ABC0C93E5AC6.htm


19


PLANTWELCOMEENABLED

Displays the Welcome Screen

Setting to 0 will prevent the opening of Plant 3D Welcome Dialogue, a address the issue of Plant 3D freezing on the Welcome Screen.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

1 On; You can create a project from the welcome screen

0 Off

PLANTWELCOMENEWPROJECT

Displays the New Project button on the welcome screen.

Type: Integer

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

1 On; You can create a project from the welcome screen

0 Off

PLANTWELDDISPLAY

Toggles the display of connection markers.

Type: Switch

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 0

0 Hides connection markers such as weld and glue markers

1 Displays connection markers


http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff6735402c1278c73e317-20ba.htm

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2011/ENU/filesPCR/WS1a9193826455f5ff6735402c1278c73e317-20ba.htm



20


SYNCSTYLESMODE

Sets how project drawings synchronize with the project database.

Type: Bitcode

Saved in: Registry

Initial value: 42

The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values:

1 Synchronize P&ID drawings when they are opened.

2 Synchronize open P&ID drawings when the project is modified.

4 Synchronize 3D Model drawings when they are opened.

8 Synchronize open 3D Model drawings when the project is modified.

16 Synchronize Ortho drawings when they are opened.

32 Synchronize open Ortho drawings when the project is modified.

Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance. Set all bits (63) to update P&ID, 3D Model, and Ortho drawings when they are opened, and if the project is modified in Project Setup. The default (42) synchronizes open P&ID, open 3D Model, and Ortho drawings if the project is modified in project setup.

http://docs.autodesk.com/PLNT3D/2013/ENU/filesPCR/GUID-51FC4575-D9ED-42A0-BC5D-24DB8D51CE5F.htm


21


E. ORTHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM TOOLS

PLANTORTHOHIDDENLINEMODE

Specifies whether hidden lines are shown and whether they are shown for piping only or for all plant objects.

Access Methods

Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Hidden Line Piping Command entry: plantorthohiddenlinemode

List of Prompts

Specify the display mode for hidden lines when creating Ortho drawings [Nohiddenlines/hiddenPipingonly/Allhiddenlines]:

Nohiddenlines

Pipes behind other pipes are hidden.

hiddenPipingonly

All pipe lines show (default).

Allhiddenlines

All pipe lines and other objects behind pipes or objects show.

http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Plant3D-UserGuide/files/GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3.htm#GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3__GUID-4442099F-C6A1-4BF0-B136-EC706A60DAB7

http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Plant3D-UserGuide/files/GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3.htm#GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3__SECTION_BC1CD3C6D9FC415BAF2565269FDEC602

http://help.autodesk.com/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/Plant3D-UserGuide/files/GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3.htm#GUID-F59BC732-CFB7-45CA-87CE-8C8CC1E3CFC3__SECTION_804C924938364B4BB02497DC8C1B0F06


22


PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE

Specifies whether matchlines are generated on plan view orthos.

Access Methods

Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Matchlines Command entry: plantorthomatchlinemode

List of Prompts

Enter new value for PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE <ON>:

Enter OFF or ON to toggle the generation of matchlines on plan view ortho drawings. The default is ON.


23


PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK

Displays an overlaid preview of the paper size in relation to the selected ortho view scale.

Access Methods

Ribbon: Ortho Editor Output Size panel Paper Check Command entry: plantorthopapercheck

Summary You can see whether the current scale setting is appropriate and make changes to the scale before placing the view in the ortho drawing.

Use the scale drop-down list on the ribbon to make adjustments. The preview reflects your changes. List of Prompts

Enter new value for PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK [On/oFF]

Toggles the display of a preview showing the paper size in relation to the selected ortho view scale. Default is On.


24


PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL

Cycles through the open pipe symbol modes in ortho drawings: no cut-pipe symbols shown, only symbols on pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube shown (default), symbols on open-ended pipes as well as pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube shown.

Access Methods

Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Cut Pipe Symbols Command entry: plantorthoshowopenpipesymbol

List of Prompts

Enter new value for PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL <1>:

0 = shows no symbols on pipes cut by the OrthoCube.

1 = shows symbols on pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube (default).

2 = shows symbols on open-ended pipes as well as pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube.

AutoCAD PLANT 3D 2015 System Tools Variables Cadgroup

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