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

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Author: art

  • A wooden roof with dormers – many of us see the all the time, but how to label it so that HydraCAD can elevate it properly – that is another thing. The drawing below shows how to handle this. If you download and install the HydraCAD V50.1 Rev2 update from our website, this drawing will…

  • From a Customer: I have a suggestion for your next revision: The info sheet button could have a pull down tab so that a different info sheet can be used. Quite often I will use the first calc, modify it and do a standpipe calc. The only problem is the info sheet can not be…

  • From a customer question: …for the Part Masks, I was hoping there was a quicker, easier way to bring them up and/or print out a matrix to use when I am (or others less experienced in Hydratec software are) looking for parts (or specific manufacturers) to bring into a model. The PN LookUp button has…

  • Lets say you have a ton of branch lines with retrofitted armovers that go off in all directions. There is no easy way to size these, right? Try this: Size all your branch lines by selecting the Lines option in the Size Pipe toolbar. Also select Use Directional Filter and select either Horizontal or Vertical,…

  • If you choose to install the new databases for HydraLIST and HydraCALC – here is where the existing files get backed up to:   Note the two Backup folders, one under each program.   Also note the folders named Standard Data under each. Regardless of whether or not you choose to replace the data, a…

  • From a customer: Art, we are doing a hospital that has say 1500 heads per floor x 6 floors on armovers. When we go to tag the piping, the branch lines are say 1.5” the arms are 1” and the mains are 4”. Since the mains are on a different layer, they are easy to…

  • This question was posed by a customer and frequent blog reader. Here's the list HydraLIST: \HES\Hydlist\Ver50\Data\Setup – If you take the whole folder (not subfolders), you will always be safe. If you are the one doing the editing and want to copy these to another machine, then sort by date and just take the ones…

  • For the last six months I have put up with the fact that when I pick the New icon, I don't get the Start a New Drawing dialog, but instead get thrown into the 3D Land of Gray template. The only way around this for me is to pick the File pulldown then pick  New…

  • This one from Robert at Elite Fire who posed the question AND found the solution: Problem I have a problem with bloated scale lists when you plot which have ton of extra scales listed that look like " 1/8" = 1'-0" XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_XREF_ They seem to really bog down the drawing when attaching XREFS or copy/pasting…

  • Way back since AutoCAD 2000 or something, it has been possible to select objects using a non-rectangular window. When you use MOVE, COPY or whatever, type in WP or CP (for Window Polygon or Crossing Polygon). You will be able to select using a selection 'box of almost any shape, juse pick as many points…