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…
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
A customer called today asking how to enter a 1″ black plastic underground pipe for the calc. This particular situation sounded unique enough that I did not tell him to add that pipe type to our database, as I would have if he expected to see this pipe type used repeatedly. I told him to…
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Autodesk has a Navisworks NWC Export Utility that lets you create Navis content directly from the HydraCAD 3D model without having Navisworks and without the need to create the Solid Pipes drawing. Install the linked tool, elevate to 3D and then type in NWCOUT. This will create a Navisworks cache file that can be opened…
No one topic seems to cause more consternation than Object Snaps. Here is the what and why of why we do what we do: We need to have object snaps set for a certain number of commands to ensure that the drawing is connected properly. Many users feel that we willy-nilly overwrite their osnaps, i.e.…
If you spend a lot of time searching through parts when in the Miscellaneous tab, consider doing this: Search for parts you use over and over again and narrow down the sizes/specifics/manufacturers of those you use most. Enter a quantity of 1 next to each part Pick the Clean Up button to clear those you…
Thanks to John Hulett of Western States Fire Protection for handing over this tip. Many times background drawings have large blocks contained of many elements, and those elements may have many different colors. How to get them all to be the same color you might ask. Or linetypes 1. Pick the Change to ByLayer command…
From a Customer: "Is there a way to set multiple floor elevations in 3D so the elevation tags and ceiling hts will be set correct from each floor elevation?" Yes (you didn't expect me to say no, did you?). Using the Structure Elevations (TOS) command from the Steel toolbar (or Elevate ribbon panel) use the…
I'll get right to the point – AutoCAD does not support dual or multi-core processors. So, if you go out and buy a machine with eight-cores, you will be going as fast as a single-core machine for the most part. If the software is not written to take advantage of multiple cores, then it does…
These instructions assume that the drawing in question already has sprinklers defined and/or piping drawn. Start new drawing using one of our templates Insert the background drawing Define one HydraCAD sprinkler for each sprinkler in the background drawing Insert one of each of these heads some on the drawing that is easy to get to…
Here at Hydratec we support users on all versions of AutoCAD, but primarily on AutoCAD 2007 or newer. When a user sends me a drawing I don't want to have to worry about whether I should open it in V50 or in V51 (both work the same for all usual support purposes). But, I don't…
Version 51.07 has two new hanger features – Create 3D Hangers and Create 3D Seismic Bracing. How to use these commands? Create 3D Hangers takes your 2D hangers (inserted the same way as forever) and converts them to 3D. This requires two things: That the piping has been elevated at least once (to generate elevation…
What is a Proxy Object? From AutoCAD Help: "A proxy object is a substitute for a custom object when the ObjectARX application that created the custom object is not available to AutoCAD or other host applications. Later, when the application is available, the proxy object is replaced by the custom object." What does Show Proxy…
The H-Factor 