The H-Factor

Reducing Entropy

Recent Posts

Unblocking a Group of Files

After downloading a file, it is often Blocked. You must right-click on it, pick Properties and then check the Unblock item: But doing a dozen or more files gets old, real fast. I just learned a way to Unblock a batch of files at once. It involves using PowerShell, a Microsoft tool that is a…

Adding Hanger Types to HydraLIST

If you want to use a new type of hanger, or are a fab shop that gets a job from a contractor that uses a hanger type that you do not have, it is easy to add that new hanger type to your own machine. A hanger is an assembly, and an assembly is just…

Welcome

Recently our previous blog service (Typepad) ended their business – so, we have a new home. It will take a bit to get images back and displaying properly, but we are working on it! Final pageview count of original Typepad blog: 387,232

October 2026
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Author: art

  • From a customer: Q: When we tag our threaded branchlines for fabrication using pipe type “S” (XL pipe) and then run the AutoList command, the pipe always shows up as type “A” (Schedule 40) in the Hydralist program. Is there another setting that we are missing? A: Yes, there is another setting. HydraCAD stores a…

  • AutoCAD, for some inexplicable reason, removed the dialog box for the ARRAY commands in AutoCAD 2012 (and 2013) If you want the older dialog based ARRAY command, just type in ARRAYCLASSIC!

  • Occasionally, after a new install, some users report various troubles with HydraCAD/AutoCAD. These can be missing toolbars, missing pull down menus, ? marks on buttons, unknown commands or others. Many of these are caused by the Support File Search Path being all messed up. Either there are additional paths in there that conflict with ours,…

  • AutoCAD 2012 and 2013 use a default setting of the Sysvar OSOPTIONS that makes it impossible to select the intersection of the ceiling grid, or any osnap within any other hatch pattern, for that matter. To correct this, Go into TOOLS->OPTIONS and go to the Drafting tab. Then, uncheck the Ignore hatch objects selection in…

  • There are times when exporting and importing workspaces seems not to work. The following steps explain another way to save your customized workspace so you can restore it after updating your HydraCAD. Open HydraCAD, set up your workspace as you like From the AutoCAD workspace tool select Tools->Workspaces->Save current as Give the workspace a name…

  • This topic builds on my previous topic: Creating Drawing Views from 3D Fittings Models using VIEWBASE and is a new command to AutoCAD 2013 as part of the Model Documentation tools Autodesk is bring over from Inventor. Once you have the parent view inserted (as in that example), you can now create section views quickly…

  • The VIEWBASE command allows you to quickly spawn multiple views of your 3D risers (or any AutoCAD Solids). This technology was borrowed from Autodesk Inventor and is available in AutoCAD 2012 and newer as part of the Model Documentation enhancements. Open the PUMPROOM.DWG from HydraTools->Tools->Training Drawings. We will use this detail to create our views.…

  • This is a really simple, really cool, tool. And it has been around since AutoCAD 2007. It will create a model space 2D block of the 3D objects found in your drawing. You can insert that block into your drawing, replace one that is already there, or create a new drawing file of that block.…

  • Need to 'hide' pipe diameters or lengths for a pre-approval plot? How about hanger lengths? HydraTools->Modify-AttributesHide Attributes (HAT) can be used to turn off all kinds of things associated with HydraCAD – just look at the option on the dialog box: After choosing your option, you will be able to select which items to apply…

  • This is a subject that I need to revisit every now and then, and it gives me a headache every time. What happens when you open AutoCAD? A. CUI files loaded: 1. Enterprise 2. Main 3. Partials to Main 4. Partials to Enterprise B. acad*.* files loaded: 1. Files listed in acad.rx 2. acad2012.lsp 3.…