SYSTEM DESCRIPTION - V2023.0

• SCOPE
• SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
• COMPONENT CATALOG
• PIPING CLASSES
• 3D MODEL
• 2D PLANS
• PIPING ISOMETRICS
• SPOOLS
• MATERIALS AND COST
• SCHEDULING
• EXTERNAL DOCUMENTS
• EXPORT TO NAVISWORKS
• EXPORT TO PDMS
• EVALUATION VERSION
• WEB LICENSE

SCOPE

EPLANT-Piping is a computer aided design system for 3D Equipment and Piping layout, Material Management and to Query Project Documents from 3D Models. EPLANT-Piping is built as a graphic application running on both AutoCAD® 2004-2024, ZWCAD 2020-2024 integrated with a data base material management system.
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SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

EPLANT-Piping has been designed to minimize data input during project execution using a Parametric Component Catalog, Piping Specifications and Dimensional Standards.
All traditional engineering documents, such as: Plant Layouts, Orthographic drawings, Isometric drawings, MTO and Material Requirements are automatically generated from the 3D models. In this way, a high degree of consistency is attained within the produced documentation.

The data base module is used to load Piping Specifications, to modify Component Dimension Tables and for Material Management. It works with an off line copy of the 3D model contents automatically maintained up to date.

EPLANT models can also be automatically linked with External Documents in any format and be used for scheduling purposes.

All graphic files produced with EPLANT-Piping are 100% compatible with the native AutoCAD format and thus can be opened and plotted with AutoCAD alone.
Moreover, the free Evaluation Version allows querying information on graphic models of existing projects without limitations.

The system is easy to install both for single and multiuser environments, easy to learn and easy to use.

EPLANT-Piping has been used so far in projects with more than 3000 piping lines. Piping Specifications and Material Management have the strength required to run big and complex projects. The graphic module has full automatic Xref files support, to allow working in multiuser environments.
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COMPONENT CATALOG

Piping components have a parametric definition, without reference to any standard nor specification in particular. The piping class sets the Material and the Dimensional Standard used for each component. Dimensions and weights are stored in DBF format files.

As an example, the dimension table defining face to face dimension of a RF flanged Globe Valve for the ANSI standard looks like:

In this way, the same component can be used in all the specifications that may require it. A project can use as many different standards as needed. User can modify and add new components without any limitation.
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PIPING CLASSES

EPLANT-Piping is a specification driven system. When a piping class and the diameter are set, all other characteristics (schedule, rating, material, end type, additional description code, insulation thickness) are automatically extracted from specifications that are easily modified from the data base module or imported from an Excel file. For example:

The Additional Code allows to associate descriptions of any length, used to complete the basic automatic description provided by the Component Code, Material Code and the other parameters that identify the component.

Branch Tables can be easily defined to automatically specify the derivation component to be used for a given diameter combination:

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3D MODEL

Equipment and piping geometry and characteristics are input during the 3D model generation. All the information is there. All other related documents are automatically obtained from 3D data, thus ensuring consistency among them.

Drawing in 3D files is greatly simplified. Most common Equipments have a parametric definition. Any other geometry can be built using separated elements or adding new parametric definitions.

Piping components automatically orient themselves using an existing component or a line route as reference. Line route is used as the piping reference axis or as its TOP / BOP, depending of convenience.

The interaction with the Piping Classes is automatic as well as dimensional tables and symbology access. 3D models can be checked at any moment against Piping Classes. Any change is automatically detected, reported and, if allowed by the designer, enforced.

The compressed structure of the 3D files allows building quite large models using small files. As an example, 200 piping lines can be stored in a single 1.5 Mbytes AutoCAD drawing, depending on line complexity. Moreover, the 3D model of a project can be separated in different drawing files to allow distributing them among different designers, working together on the same project. EPLANT-Piping commands automatically support Xref files interaction.

Clash detection between components is easily detected and graphically visualized. It uses one of the fastest algorithms on the market. Interfering components are highlighted and zoomed in for easy identification.

3D models can be easily exchanged between different projects simply copying them to the new project directory.
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2D PLANS

An orthographic projection command allows producing plan and elevation drawings from the 3D model. The result is a flat drawing, with projected elements placed in different layers according their origin and retaining the same characteristics as the 3D models.
The process is very fast and the views can be automatically annotated with the required information: Line Number, Elevation, Coordinates, etc. All these references are automatically extracted from the 3D model.
2D Plans can be automatically updated when 3D Models change.

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PIPING ISOMETRICS

Piping isometric projections with distorted scale are automatically generated from the 3D model. They are result completed with format, dimensions, notes and MTO listing. Every setting and format is easily modified on the fly.

Contrary to other systems in the market, isometric drawings are "intelligent" 3D graphics: they contain the same dimensional and reference information as the original 3D model, allowing the interactive isometric annotation also. The graphic look is excellent, coupled with maximum consistency.

Isometric symbology can be modified by the user. Multiple symbol libraries are supported.

Material Take Off modification of the listing format is also very easy.
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SPOOLS

Each piping line can be divided in different spools for line prefabrication. The isometric extraction gets this information and material in MTO listing can be separated by spools. In this case, besides the whole isometric in one drawing file, separate files are generated for each spool.
Automatic and manual unique welding numbering are available.
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MATERIALS AND COST

EPLANT-Piping is a complete material management system, because it allows to automatically integrate the material of all project 3D models and generate Material Reports of any kind and Material Requirements, assigning revisions and unique item numbering.

Automatic grouping of materials based on general rules, generates consistent Material Requirements, ready to be used as material purchase specifications, as in the example below:

Material can also be manually loaded in any project phase, to allow generating requisitions before any 3D modeling. For an initial material estimate, the system can also import MTO generated from the EPLANT-P&ID module.

Up to three different independent Material Codes can be used, each one with arbitrary definition, to identify each component with any code required by the client or for material management.

Piping Components Cost can be defined to generate Material Reports with Cost.

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SCHEDULING

3D Models can be used to graphically represent any construction or operational Phase corresponding to Equipments and Piping Lines: assigning Finishing Dates to each Equipment and Piping Line for each Phase, the status of each element can be represented with a color change, simplifying the construction progress perception on the whole project or any other parameter of analysis.
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EXTERNAL DOCUMENTS

3D Models, 2D Plans and Isometrics can be linked with External Files in any format. Available elements in the models that can be linked are: Equipments, Piping Lines and any piping Component with a TAG attribute.

The link is automatically established by the file (or files) name equal to the Tag in the model or by means of an association table. Selecting an element in the model, if there is at least one linked file it can be automatically opened.

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EXPORT TO NAVISWORKS

This command allows to convert a 3D model generated with EPLANT-Piping in a drawing file with AutoCAD format compatible with the Navisworks program. The converted drawing will have its line layers renamed to each corresponding line number and its equipment layers renamed as the equipment names.
Along with this file another file with DBF format is generated, which contains the characteristics of all piping components. These data can be associated to the graphic file inside Navisworks. See the Multimedia Tutorial for details.
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EXPORT TO PDMS

This command generates a file compatible to the EPLANT-PDMS system that can convert 3D models from the EPLANT format to the PDMS format. For details see the user manual of this system.
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EVALUATION VERSION

If you are using this software without the corresponding Hard-lock connected to the computer, the Evaluation Version will be automatically activated, which allows to use the system with some limitations. The Evaluation Version is distributed free of charge, and its main objective is to allow a thorough system testing for evaluation, limiting the ability to generate a real project.

It allows querying also the information contained in models already built, without limitations. This possibility allows the plant operator to use the EPLANT model as a central link to query plant documentation of any kind, without the need to buy any EPLANT licenses and installing it in as many as needed working places.
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WEB LICENSE

A Web License is also available with a duration of one year. To be able to use this type of license, an internet connection is required and the license itself is activated in a given machine, although it can be moved to another machine afterward.
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For further information download and install the EPLANT-Piping Full Version, and browse through the User Manuals and the Multimedia Tutorial for autotraining.

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Last updated August 02, 2023.