The H-Factor

Reducing Entropy

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  • Including 3D Risers Details in Your NavisWorks Model

    From a customer:

    Art, I have a couple questions about V50.

    If I make a 3D detail will I be able insert it into
    navisworks similar to the solidpipes? Can I integrate 3D details with all of my
    piping? Second, my understanding of BIM is that upon completion the building
    management/owner would be able to see a full building MEP model then select a
    part (say a sprinkler valve) and it would display information on what it
    is/size/location etc. Is this something that can be done?


    1: Yes – If it is on your plan, it will
    automatically show in 3D when you go to 3D mode

    2: Yes – – One thing to do is to draw it on
    your plan right where is would go in real life (ie – the riser room). When you
    go to 3D, all the piping and connections to the riser will be in the right place.

    3: Not now. Honestly, I think it will be
    years before a standard is created for this. Also, each block will need that
    info attached to it, and that is a lot of typing for someone

     

  • Adding Blocks and Details to the Tool Palette

    In V50 we have created tool palettes to not only allow you to drag and drop details and blocks onto your drawing, but to also make it easy for you to add your own blocks. In the past it was difficult to do this because we used slide files and menus – both were not at all user friendly.

    From a blog entry a couple of years ago:

    To make your own tool palettes:

    1. Press CTRL+3 to open the tool palette (if not already open)
    2. Right click on the tool palette and pick New Palette. Give it a name you like, i.e. My Blocks
    3. Now open up the Design Center using CTRL+2
    4. Navigate to the folder where you have the blocks you want added to the palette
    5. Select a block and drag it to your palette and let go

    That's it! When you want to insert a block just drag it off the palette into your drawing or click on it.

    Controlling the scale, rotation angle and properties of your palette blocks:

    You can control a number of things about how your block gets
    inserted from a tool palette. Right click on your block and pick
    Properties. This will give you the properties you can control. Scale,
    Rotation and Prompt for Rotation are found in the Insert section. In
    the General section you will find options like Color, Layer and
    Linetype to set specific for those (otherwise they adopt the current
    layer and color settings).

    Props

    Create as many palettes as you like. Next I'll show you how to group them and Export them to some one else's machine


    Saving and sharing your palettes    :

    Once you have your palette(s) set the way you want them, you may want
    to be nice and share them with others. This will require and Export
    from you and an Import to them. But first you may want to combine them into a Group.

    Groups
    Right-Click on the tool palette and pick Customize Palettes… This
    will bring up a two-columned dialog box. On the left are the palettes
    in your AutoCAD – Note this is not a per-drawing thing – you only have
    ONE set of tool palettes. On the right you can right-click and pick New
    Group. Name this Group.

    Now drag the palettes you want from the left into the right. Once
    this is done, right-click on the Group you created (or on the left
    right-click on just one palette if that is all you want to export) and
    pick Export. Give your Group a name and location you can later find.
    Copy this file to a network location or somewhere on another users
    computer. The file extension will be .xtp if you Exported a palette and
    .xtg if you Exported a Group.

    To place the palettes on another computer, bring up the tool palette
    on their computer (CTRL+3) and pick Customize Palettes… and pick
    Import. Now right-click on the left or right depending on whether you
    are Importing a palette or a Group of palettes.

  • Purging Out All the Bad Stuff

    The updated Purge All Unused Layers and Blocks (PURG) in Rev 2 of V50.01 goes further, fixes more and is easier to use than our older command.

    The new command purges the drawing, runs an AUDIT and then purges it again. Try it.

  • Denoting a Peaked Roof with Multiple Pitches

    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 be installed into your Training Drawings folder reachable through HydraTools->Tools->Training Drawings

    Peaked Roof

  • Deleting an Info Sheet in HydraCALC

    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 changed. So I have to copy my input and
    transfer it all over to a new sheet so that I can bring in the right
    information sheet. Making the info sheet tab a pull down tab that gives us more
    choices would be very nice.

    Answer – When you want to get rid of an info
    sheet, open it up and pick the File pull down on that info sheet and pick Clear
    Data/Change Form!

  • Looking up Part Numbers in HydraLIST

    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 been added to the P/N Table in the General System Data window and in the miscellaneous Items tab of the project data window. This button allows access to the items that appear in the Fittings Dialog Popup in Lines and Mains as well a new set of miscellaneous item descriptions.

    To find an item pick the PN LookUp button, select a Fitting Class and then an Item type and all the items for the section appear in the window for your use. In addition to the traditional items that appear in the dialog popup there is a new group of items that can be displayed for use only for miscellaneous items.

    The new category of items is setup in the Fittings Table in the General System Data window with the traditional items that are setup in the window. Fitting Class can be set up for VALVE, HANGER, MISC and any other class of items that will be listed as loose items. Descriptions of items can be set up for each item to be picked in each class. A part mask should be entered to match each description. The mask for the miscellaneous items used question marks to fill the mask for the wild card characters. The number of outlets, Takeout A and Takeout B are set to 0. The question marks in the part mask distinguish the items to be listed as miscellaneous form the traditional items which are made on the
    mains and lines.

    Click here for the full pdf and an example

  • Autodesk Announces an Assistance Program

    I don't imagine this will help too many sprinkler designers out there, but Autodesk has announced the following program:

    • Free Software License*: Any student license of AutoCAD®, Revit® Architecture, Autodesk® Inventor® Professional, and/or AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software.
    • Free Online Training: On-demand training available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
    • Reduced-Cost Classroom Training: 
      Many Autodesk Authorized Value Added Resellers and Autodesk Training
      Center (ATC®) partners are offering classroom  training at their
      training facilities for free or for a significantly reduced fee. 
      (Offerings will vary, please check with your local reseller or ATC to
      get details)
    • Certification: Certification preparation and exams available at discounted rates.

    Complete details are at: Autodesk Assistance Program.

    One Warning – Drawings produced by the Student Version will have an Educational Stamp written across every plot. There is no practical way to remove this, since Student versions are not to be used for commercial work.

  • Yet Even More About Sizing Armovers

    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, depending on your branch line direction.

    Now that all your branch lines are sized, size the armovers as follows – In Size Pipe choose your Diameter, select the Lines option, deselect Use Directional Filter and then select Do Not Resize Pipes Already Sized. This will ensure that only the armovers will get sizes. Now pick all the branch lines and armovers.

    Problem solved?

  • Configuring 2009/2010 to look like what you are used to

    In 2009 and newer you might have grumbled once or twice about the fact that the good old SNAP/ORTHO/OSNAP/etc. buttons at the bottom of the screen have been replaced by icons that require that you hover over them to figure out what the heck they mean. This is not an improvement in my opinion.

    If you want your old buttons back, right-click on one of the new icons and pick Show Icons to uncheck it.

    You will now be happy like me.

  • About the New Data and Backup Files Created by the V50 Install

    If you choose to install the new databases for
    HydraLIST and HydraCALC – here is where the existing files get backed up to:

    V50 Backup 

    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 copy of the new data
    ALWAYS gets put in these folders. That way you can always copy
    over the new data yourself.