EPLANT-Piping V 2005.0

Listed below are the most important changes of this version with respect to the former 5.2 one. Current version is compatible with AutoCAD from version 2000 up to 2006.

Documentation changes with respect V5.2

GRAPHIC MODULE

It contains the following changes with respect 5.2 version:

• Component Selection. Now all Piping Components can be selected also from a menu where the components are displayed by component type. This possibility is added to the direct selection on AutoCAD menu and from the command line. It is used to place new components which are not put in the menu yet. It directly reads the System Component Table COD.DBF.
• New Dimensional Standards. New Dimensional Standards have been defined. They are installed with a separate update process.
• Parametric Definition Files PDL. The syntax of the PDL language has been enhanced with the possibility to define a table reading mode depending on the dimensional standard also.
• Isometric Settings. It is possible to select now between placing an MTO header or not (in case it is already drawn within the sheet format).
• Explicit Gaskets. The gasket with the GAS code can be placed explicitly now, in the rare cases when there is the necessity to place different types of gasket (TRI-CLOVER case).
• Implicit Codes. Connection points numbered 2 or above receive the 0 code by default (they do not have any implicit elements).
• Error Corrections. Isometric extraction of a line without even a pipe run, snap point selection during the Close Loop command, Insulation and Section symbol in 2D plans, component placement by BOP or TOP snapping to a Line Route.
• Curved Line Route. Line Routes can also be drawn using ARC and CIRCLE elements and are recognized by the snap commands. It is useful during the generation of curved pipes.
• Curved Pipes. New class for Curved Pipes, new definition for Curved Pipe with isometric and 2D plan extraction support.
• Align Tags. New command to automatically align Tags of MTO inside an isometric.
• Connection Points. New connection points can be added now to any component and not only to Pipes as before. Isometric Symbols must be defined with the original connection points as before.
• Automatic Component Generation. New command to automatically generate Elbows, Flanges and Pipes for the selected line. Uses the line definition parameters: it generates Elbows at line route intersections, Flanges at any flanged connection point and pipe segments between all unconnected ends.
• Line Name / Equipment Name Verification. Line Names and Equipment Names can now be forced to be unique all along the entire project.
• Line Route. In the initial dialog box of the command to draw a Line Route it is possible to directly set now the Line Name selecting it from a menu. If the new Use Line: option is not checked the line will be drawn as continuation of the graphically selected one. Line Active Parameters are no longer used by this command.
• Attributes: Plane Inversion. New command to automatically invert an Attribute Plane. Used to properly orientate an attribute depending of the view orientation.
• MTO Tags. There is a new option to generate MTO Tags for isometric: "Block" that is added to the existing "Text" and "Block with Line" options.

It contains the following changes with respect to the last 5.2.2 patch:

• 2D Plans Extraction. This command has been totally modified. 2D Plans are generated now only in the PLE project directory. 3D models are attached as xref files and the elements to be processed must be inside the Volumes associated to each View. Different views can be defined and placed in the same drawing using Paper Space. View definition is stored inside the extraction drawing and allows to automatically update the extractions when 3D models change.
  Simple Line symbology is now generated using PDL format files, placed in the 2D Plans symbology directory. In this case, end symbols are automatically generated.
  In case of Double Line, the line Axis can be also generated.
• Viewport Layers. New command to control layers visibility in each Viewport of the Paper Space.
• Automatic Placement of Tag Notes. New command to automatically place Tag annotations in 2D Plans.
• Annotations Automatic Update. New command to automatically update all notes placed in a previous 2D extraction, with respect to 3D current models.
• Annotation New Options. The are five new Notes: Multiple Line Notes in 2D Plans, Work Point Elevation both in 2D Plans and Isometrics, Diameter and Insulation Symbols for Simple Line in 2D Plans, Tag Box. Now each note can be using two different layers: one for the note itself and another for the reference line, if any.
• 2D Notes in Paper Space. Notes are generated in Paper Space as default mode. The note placement command automatically switches from Model to Paper Space to allow selecting component and placement point. Notes cab also be set for placement in Model Space.
• Pipe Axis. There is no more the obbligation to generate internal connection points in Pipe runs to achieve connectivity with other components: now the connectivity is automatically established when a connection point of another component is found over the pipe axis. The Component Move command also can snap as second point to a pipe axis.
• Pipe to Pipe connection. During Pipe generation, the second connection point can be generated on the axis of a snapped pipe. The command cuts the pipe under generation up to the surface of the snapped pipe and generated the connection point over the pipe axis.
• North Direction. New project parameter. Previous method involved using a block to specify north direction other than default (along +Y axis).
• Surface to Solid Conversion. New command to change the representation of primitive solids used in component and equipment generation. Allows to change the representation according to project setup. It can be used in existing 3D models, down to version 5.1 included.
• Color in 3D Lines. According to project setup, layers of 3D components receive a fixed color or one based on the Line Fluid. To this object, a new Fluid Table is used. Existing line colors can be changed at any moment changing the setup or the Fluid Table colors by means of a new command. Compatible with existing 3D models of any version.
• Piping Specifications. There is a new field to load a dimension directly through the piping class. Components that read this field must have the PC field in the COD.DBF table equal 2.
  It is used to define gasket thickness changing with diameter and also to read a dimensional parameter during component generation, for example for Nipples.
• Iso MTO Format. There are two new fields in Isometric Material Take Off corresponding to the Optional Description assigned to End Codes, for example to change internal code SC with NPT.
• Iso MTO Format. Gaskets can display their thickness using the secondary diameter field. All components that are set to read a dimensional parameter from piping class can place the parameter value in the secondary diameter field. These opctions have the same effect both in isometric MTO and in the data base material take off.
• Lines/Spools Settings. Isometric of Complete Line and Spools have now separate setup to be able to use, not only different drawing format, but also two different MTO formats, text and layer names.
• Isometric Extraction. If Spools are enabled, Isometric of Spools only can be generated.
• Joint Code Generation. The Joint Code Generation automatically detects also connectios with other lines and nozzles, also in case of xref.
• Line Number Format. There is a new field for UNIT.
• Tag Format. The component Tag is generated using one, two or three different attributes. The name of each attribute is project definible.
• PDL Parametric Definition files. Number of dimensional parameters is now assigned in the COD.DBF table. To generate 2D Plans extraction symbols, pdl files placed in the 2D Plan symbology directory are used.
• Old / New. Equipments and Lines can be converted to the Existing status: MTO will ignore them, but 2D plan extraction will still recognized them.
• Lines/Equipments Purge. Definitions of Lines and Equipments that do not have any associated graphic elements can be automatically purged.
• Corrupted Drawings. Automatically detects registered aplications that can signal the presence of corrupted object inside the drawing file and allows to clean it.

DATA BASE MODULE

It contains the following changes with respect to original 5.2 version:

• Component Images. In the System Component Table there is now a new field to store a drawing of that component showing the meaning of its parameters.
• Default Stud Code. The code used by default to generate Stud Bolts or Machine Bolts can now be changed in the Project Setup.
• Line/Equipment names verification across project. A new option in the Project Setup is used to enable the verification of Line and Equipment Names across the whole project. By default the verification is done inside each 3D model only.

It contains the following changes with respect to the last 5.2.2 patch:

• VisualFox. Data Base Module is now a runtime VisualFox executable program. It is installed along with its corresponding libraries.
• Setup. It has been enhanced to incorporate new configuration parameters.
• External and Alternated Code. Each project can be set to use a project specific code tables or to use the system tables. The generation of these tables has been greatly simplified: they can now be filled with all the material specified in piping classes or only with the material generated in the current project.
• Cost table. Can use a project or a system table. It uses the same interface as the External/Alternate code generation.
• Fluid table. It is a new table to assign a color to each fluid. In this way, each line can be set to the color corresponding to its fluid.
• End Descriptions table. There is a new project table to use descriptions instead of the internal end codes.
• AutoCAD Color table. In all menus used across the system to select colors now a new color table is used to be able to asign any of the AutoCAD color numbers.
• Nozzles. There is a new Nozzle Table containing all nozzles generated in the current project with their parameters, to allow checkings with Equipment Data Sheets.
• Default Values. For Flanged connections can now be assigned:
  Gasket Code and set whether the gasket thickness is taken from Line Definition or directly read from piping specifications, Stud Code with the possibility to set the reading field diameter to inches or mm, Clamp Code for the connections that use them.
  The Geographic North can also be set from a menu.
• Insulation. There is a new option to generate Exact Equivalent Insulation Length in requisitions, without using any coeficient.
• Isometric Directories. The system folder \PD\ISO which formely was used to store the project isometric symbols, contain now different folders each one of them used for a specific isometric symbology.
• 2D Plans Directories. The new system folder \PD\P2D contain different folders each one of them used for a specific 2D plan symbology.
• Specifications Format Change. There is a new field for Thickness and the following fields has been changed: CODA from C6 to C16, SER from C4 to C5, SER2 from C4 to C5, STD from C6 to C10.

September 08, 2005.