Piping Workflow for MEP AutoCAD Piping - Autodeskaucache.autodesk.com/au2011/sessions/3512/lab_handouts/v...Piping Workflow for MEP AutoCAD Piping Phil Nower – Hazen and Sawyer MP3512-L:

Piping Workflow for MEP AutoCAD Piping Phil Nower – Hazen and Sawyer

MP3512-L: In this class we will harness the power of MEP Data in AutoCAD. We will review the workflow to fully utilize this Data throughout the projects life cycle, from the Design Team to the Construction Team. We will use the Data to help build a process mechanical piping design, share that data with the entire Project Design Team. Review how the Design Team can access and analyze the Data using Navisworks and Spread Sheets to increase communication and facilitate efficient project workflow. Then we will bring the Process Design and the Data into a construction environment. Where along with developing spool and fabrication drawings we will increase and build on the Data from the Design Team to produce a powerful as built model with up to date Data.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this class, you will be able to:

1) Apply BIM Data in the Design ....................................................................................2

2) Build on the Design using Manufactures Data .........................................................4

3) Produce Fabrication Drawings Directly from the Design .........................................5

4) Bring Data into other files ..........................................................................................6

5) Developing a Good BIM Plan Enhances Productivity ............................................10

About the Speaker

Phil Nower has been using 3D modeling from 1989 to the present. He started to produce parametric

spreadsheet-driven 3D models with Mechanical Desktop R14 for the petroleum and chemical industries.

When he became employed by Hazen and Sawyer, he had the opportunity to use AutoCAD MEP

software to build two large-scale water treatment plants, as well as small scale pump stations. All of

these 3D projects required some sort of customization to the AutoCAD MEP out-of-the-box 3D content to

meet the design challenges for the above-stated projects, from adding sizes to existing fittings to

producing specialized parametric equipment

[email protected]

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1) Apply BIM Data in the Design

Properties

Dialog Box

Extended

Data Tab

Properties

Dialog Box

Properties

Dialog Box

Add

Property

Sets Icon

All Property Sets that

can be imported into

the selected object

To down load the Property Set Data into an object you first must select it. Then

go to the (Extended Data) Tab in the Properties dialog box. Select the Add

Property Sets icon, in the lower left corner. The Add Property Sets Dialog Box

will appear. All of the Property Sets that can be imported into the selected

object will be visible. This gives you the option to select the data that you want

to be imported into the object.

The Property

Sets visible in

the Extended

Data Tab can

now be read by

MEP Schedules,

and then

exported out to

Excel Spread

Sheets.

Help Tip!

To save time in selecting

objects, Select Similar

with objects that share

common Property Sets.

Selected Object

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Excel Spread Sheet

Property Sets – Property Set Definitions

The (Applies To) Tab

determines the Object/s.

In the (Definition) Tab are the values

for the Property Sets that are added

to the (Extended Data) Tab.

Property Set Definitions can be

accessed, edited and created through

the Style Manager Dialog Box, which

can be found in Style & Display in the

Manage area of the Ribbon.

Property Set Definitions

are under

Documentation Objects

Once a

Set is

selected,

you will

see tabs

that

control it.

Schedules, Quantity Take-Off, Exporting to Excel Spread Sheets

MEP Pipe Schedule

MEP Schedules read the imported Property Sets

Heads Up! The Objects

that do not have the

Property Set data

imported will have a ? in the column

instead of a value.

MEP Schedules can be found on the Annotation area of the Ribbon and on the Tool Palettes.

Schedules can be read objects in the same dwg file

or they can read objects from an external source.

The MEP Schedule can be exported as an Excel Spread Sheet, providing the

team access to the information.

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2) Build on the Design using Manufactures Data

Butterfly Valve from Design Firm

to be replaced with East Coast

CAD’s Butterfly Valve containing

Manufacturers Information

Butterfly Valve from East Coast

CAD’s Server, containing

Manufacturers Information

We will be using East Coast CAD software to enable us to directly bring the 3D model created by the design firm to produce fabrication drawings. Creating a seamless transition of BIM data…

Enables the user to Load 3D

Content, Standard Catalogs and

Customized Catalogs

Enables the user to view the current

condition of the content in the Server

The East Coast CAD Plug-In’s tie into their SQL

Server… which contains live updated

Manufacturers Content. That can be used to create

Fabrication/Spool Drawings

For Valves other Mechanical Items they can be applied through the MvParts catalogs. And will

be shown as a separate catalog.

Pipes and Pipe Fittings can be applied through the Routing Preferences

Once you have downloaded the selected content from East Coast

CAD’s Server, you can now apply those items in your fabrication

model. All of the content from East Coast contains manufacturers

live data… so as you populate your model with their content, you

are also bringing in the manufacturers data as well.

Imported

Manufacturers

Data

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3) Produce Fabrication Drawings Directly from the Design

Once the items, pipes, pipe fittings have been updated… producing spool drawings from them using the plug-ins is pretty straightforward and simple. However… even though the steps are simple the implications cannot be under appreciated. In a more traditional approach to developing project drawings, there were several distinct sets of drawings in a projects life cycle, that for the most part were only linked together with notes, annotation, field memos, etc…

Design Coordination Spool As Built

Project Drawings

Now that we have the ability to use the Manufacturers data directly into the design model this enables us to have the coordination drawings, spool drawings and the as built drawings all produced together. Radically changing our workflow…

Design Coordination Spool As Built

Project Drawings

Opens up the

Fabrication Palette

To start a spool

right click on the

highlighted area

and select Define.

Now select the objects that you wish to be in the spool drawing. You can have more than one spool indicated in a drawing.

Note: A very nice safety valve! You can’t

select objects to be spooled twice.

The “spool” icon indicates

when the items have been

selected to be spooled.

To produce a spool

drawing, right click the

spool icon and select

Generate

Now select Open to

view the created spool

drawing.

Generated Spool Drawing

with BOM

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4) Bring Data into other files

Bringing Data into 2D and 3D DWF Files…

In order to see the Property Sets in a 2D or 3D DWF file you must fist go to the

AEC DWF Publishing Options

This dialog box looks for the AutoCAD Publish

Properties List File. You can make your own, or edit the

Out of Box one. However this file does not see the

Property Sets that are currently in the open dwg file. To make sure that you’re gonna see the

Property Sets in your DWF files select

Add. That will bring up the Add Property

Sets dialog box.

This dialog box sees

only the Property Sets

that are in

the drawing file

that is

currently open Make sure that the Publish Property Set Data is

checked. You can select both… but at least

make sure that the first one is checked.

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To produce a 2D DWF File go to Export – DWF

Once the AEC DWF Publishing Options has been modified your 2D and 3D DWF Files now contains Object Orientated

Property Data Sets. You can now apply this additional information to your BIM Plan, helping to clarify designs by

not relaying entirely on annotation and aiding in documenting the design process.

To produce a 3D DWF File go to Export – 3D DWF

If you adopt bringing Object Orientated Property Data Sets into how the project is documented from design to constructions to facility management, the Property Data Sets will be populated

with the manufacturers’ data. This can be a useful tool in developing a comprehensive Project BIM Plan.

Data from

Object

Data from Object

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Bringing Data into Navisworks…

Once the Property Sets have been

imported in the DWG File, Navisworks will

be able to read them.

Similar to the DWF Files, as the project

progresses the Property Data Sets will be

populated with the manufacturers’ data.

This can be a useful tool in developing a

comprehensive Project BIM Plan.

The imported Property Sets can be used for creating

Selection Sets. The example shown uses the

“System” of the Pipe Object Property Set to create

the Distribution System Selection Set. Once a

selection set is created it now can be used for the

Clash Detective, the Time Liner, etc, etc…

A Selection Set can be made from any of the items

from the imported Property Sets.

Giving you many options…

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Revit Project

DWG File

DWG File

Help Tip! Use some Navisworks File Management…

If only I used some file

management, it wouldn’t

take me FOREVER to

update the project…

NWF File

DWG File

DWG File

DWG File

Civil 3d DWG File

NWD File Revit Project

“IF” or “When” you hear someone say that it takes

all day to update a Navisworks Project it’s probably

because they have too many files being read by a

single NWF file. Keep in mind that a NWF file reads

the condition of each file that has been merged or

appended into it.

Too Many Unorganized Project Files

The more files that the NWF file needs

to read, the longer it will take to update.

Structural

Revit

Project

Architectural

Revit

Project

Plumbing

DWG File

DWG File

DWG File

DWG File Mechanical

DWG File

DWG File

DWG File

DWG File

NWF File NWD File

NWF File NWD File

NWF File NWD File

NWF File NWD File

NWF File NWD File

Organized Project Files Whether you organize the project files

by Discipline, Facility, Level,

Elevation, System or a combination of

all… this will cut down on the time it

takes for the NWF file to update and it

will also help in analyzing the project.

• Help in Creating Selection Sets for

o Clash Detective o Time Liner o Presenter

• Ease in Isolating Specific Systems of the Project

• Increase communication options with project team members

Don’t wait till the end

to start doing your

Navis Model. Build

the Navis Model

right from the

beginning… as the

project grows, so

does the Navis

Model.

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5) Developing a Good BIM Plan Enhances Productivity

Design Firms 3D Project

BIM Data

Design Firm Contractor

Owner

In this Lab we are focusing on developing a seamless transfer of data from the design firm to the contractor, however this does naturally lead into understanding the need to produce a more comprehensive plan, one that covers the transfer of data from the design firm to the owner. A well thought out plan should have the BIM Data meeting the needs and requirements of all three phases of the project.

BIM Data BIM Data

Contract Drawings Interferences Quantity Take-Offs Design Analyzes Energy Requirements Schedules

Fabrication Drawings Construction Sequencing – 4D Coordination Staging Options

Training Personnel O&M Manuals Work Orders Maintenance Planning Proposed Work

3D MEP Models

Schedule DWG Files

Excel Spread Sheets

Contractors 3D Project

3D MEP Models

Schedule DWG Files

Excel Spread Sheets

If we use today’s Lab as one example of how a Good BIM Plan enhances productivity, where we took the design firms 3D Model/Data and transferred it to the Contractor. There was no need to re-work the project hierarchy. The naming conventions stayed the same. The methods in which the data was extracted from the 3D Model to the spread sheets didn’t change. The transition from Design Firm to Contractor was seamless because an attempt was made not to duplicate work. Keep in mind that today’s lab focuses on just one example of applying a BIM Plan. Every single aspect of a 3D project has the potential to be planned out throughout the life cycle of the project. The more effort, items, variables that you put into developing a BIM Plan, from CAD Standards to Engineering Cals to Permits the less work will need to be re-done.