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Pipe 2D
Plus AutoCAD

Compared with

AutoCAD
Alone










Comparing productivity

Can Pipe 2D increase your productivity in pipe design?
Select an automated design system

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When choosing the best computer assisted design system (CAD), which fulfils
all the requirements of the pipe design technical office, both for schematic
design and the creation of plants, side views and isometric planes for assembly,
you need to make several decisions.
With this document, we would like to point out a few topics that should be borne
in mind if you wish to have the most powerful AutoCAD installation for pipe
design, whilst at the same time increasing productivity but without changing
your working system. In this guide you will find information that will allow you to
know as much as possible about the different options and thus make the best
decision for your business.


In this document, you will find the analysis of a series of tasks carried out with
AutoCAD on its own and also tasks using both AutoCAD and Pipe 2D. We shall
see how with the Pipe 2D and AutoCAD integrated solution the user achieves
an increase in productivity and can concentrate more on the design and not on
the tracing, which is what happens if you only have AutoCAD.
Although this document does not provide all the answers to the doubts you may
have, it attempts to help you start off in the right direction.



Five reasons for using Pipe 2D with AutoCAD

Common tasks
Use of standardized elements
Design commands for specific pipes
Insertion of library elements
Inclusion of new elements
Lists of drawing materials

With Pipe 2D these tasks are carried out automatically based on the values,
which are entered in the program and are then read from the standardized
database, where the data that are currently being collected by the suppliers
catalogs are kept.


Pipe 2D offers a repertoire of specific commands for pipe design where, in
addition to the existing elements, you can add any others that you wish.


If you already are an AutoCAD user, you will have come across the problem,
especially in pipe design, of only being able to insert symbols without the
information representing the fittings. If the user forgets to identify any of the
fittings, the next time they open the design, they will not be able to remember
the features of some of its elements.


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With Pipe 2D, all the elements have features and information that are stored
with the graphic element and can be consulted by means of a simple command
at any moment during the design process.


What does this mean for the user?


At any moment during or after the design process, you can use Pipe 2D to
design any fitting inserted and obtain information such as the line on which it is
located, the type of material, the fitting code and the description. Pipe 2D also
makes it possible to change these data in accordance with your needs. With a
single click you can change the name of the line on which the element was
inserted, or the description in order to buy the fitting from another manufacturer.
Afterwards, the list will update itself automatically.




1. Use of standardized elements

Being able to create a plant plane with intelligent elements is an advantage for
professionals who use Pipe 2D. AutoCAD does not have any tools to increase
the speed in the pipe design process for inserting the standardized elements
correctly, for labeling the lines, or for creating lists.

A few points to be taken into consideration in order to find a solution for pipe
design are:

1. Does the program have a library of already drawn symbols, to avoid me
having to create my own library?
2. Does the program allow me to insert the labels automatically?
3. Can I create materials lists based on the inserted fittings?
4. Does the program allow the element insertion process to be automated?

2. Comparing AutoCAD alone with AutoCAD plus Pipe 2D

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When using AutoCAD to create a plane, you need to create all kinds of library
elements starting from scratch. This can be anything from a simple schematic
element to a complete pump system. Depending on the level of detail you wish
in the symbols, this process will take quite a long time.


Pipe 2D includes hundreds of symbols for schematic design, plants and side
views and isometrics for rapid selection and implementation. If you already have
personalized symbols, Pipe 2D is flexible enough to incorporate your elements
in its fitting system. This point alone will save you a lot of time, and decrease
the work the technical office will devote to implementing a CAD system.


Moreover, if you are only drawing with AutoCAD, you will find that each time
you need a valve, you will need to take a few extra steps to complete the
process. For example, you will need to insert the valve wheel in the correct
direction, or with different pressure and diameter configurations.

Let us analyze a series of common tasks and compare how they are carried out
with AutoCAD on its own and then what happens if we add Pipe 2D.


Common Task Pipe 2D AutoCAD
How do you insert a fitting?
1. Choose a symbol from
the intelligent library.
2. Designate the
connection and size
values.
3. Insert the fitting.
1. Create fittings with
different sizes and
pressures.
2. Call up the saved
block from the
library.
3. Insert the fitting using
the AutoCAD
command insert
and give the name.
How do you label a line
number?
1. Execute the automatic
label command.
1. Place the label on
each of the lines that
are already drawn.
2. Insert the text,
making sure the
information is on the
correct line.
How do you create a materials
list?
1. Designate the materials
list command.
2. Choose the format of
the file to be created.
1. Count each inserted
fitting manually,
taking all the details
into account.
2. Create a file with the
data manually.
3. Check that the
material count
between the drawing
and the file tallies
correctly.



3. Insertion of fittings
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As you must know, the insertion of fittings is a tedious task, especially if you are
trying to insert them in tight spaces or along a wall or a roof. With Pipe 2D, the
fittings can be inserted with ease. By simply designating the configuration of the
element, the point of insertion is chosen automatically, based on the last fitting
you installed. After that, with a simple keystroke, the fitting will rotate and place
itself in the desired position. In a matter of seconds, the Pipe 2D program will
add all the information needed to permit you to recognize the element. This
information will be used for the materials list.


Pipe 2D also offers an innovative system of menus providing direct access to
each group of fittings, adjusting the nominal diameter automatically.

Moreover, since the information in the materials list can be deactivated, you can
use part of the plant view and copy it for another visit without having to repeat
part of the drawing. Any new elements can be stored in the program both in
groups of existing elements and in new groups created by the user. There are
two fields the user can fill in with their own information to identify the fitting in
the materials list.



4. Labeling of lines

With a standard CAD system such as AutoCAD, you will have to remember
each fitting inserted in the design and then perhaps pass the plane or the
information to another person in the office for them to finish the plane adding
the information about elements and labels. For each line and element you need
to label, an element must be created with the format of the label, such as the
diameter, the line number etc. You do all this hoping that the information does
not change and force you to repeat the process.


With Pipe 2D, you will not need to remember the data on each line: by simply
executing the labeling command and choosing one of the elements inserted on
each of the lines, the program will identify the features of the line and you can
designate the point where you want to insert the label. You will save a
considerable amount of time with this feature alone.



5. Cost Estimates



Pipe 2D generates materials lists with which you can create cost estimates in
accordance with the fittings and labor. Therefore, at any point during the design
process, you can draw up a cost estimate list for part of the design, for part of
the project, or the whole plan. Moreover, with this characteristic you can create
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an Access or Excel file with different fields containing information on each fitting
inserted in the design. This is done with a simple click of the mouse.


Just think of all the time you have spent keying in the information to create an
Excel table to associate it with the drawing, only to realize shortly afterwards
that someone has made changes in the design and some of the fittings have
changed their features. Or worse still, the names or materials of whole lines
may have changed and you will have to alter the labels and redo the list. Once
again, Pipe 2D creates the list again with a simple click of the mouse!


With this click, the list will be created again and the one we have in the drawing
will be updated. Moreover, these changes are made whilst you are thinking
about the next step you wish to make in the design.



6. Preparing the environment

How many times have you sat in front of the CAD station, simply distributing
equipment to the zone where you have to introduce the pipes?


Pipe 2D has architectural elements and equipment with their details, in order to
allow you to place the elements more precisely. This will mean that the pipes
that connect with the equipment will have the correct distances


Just think of all the possibilities you can explore and present to your clients,
whilst also reducing the probabilities of making mistakes in the design. Once
different possible designs have been presented to your clients and after they
have chosen one, they will want to know the cost. Pipe 2D rapidly determines
the materials used in the selected design and, if you have the prices, it
calculates the total installation cost.





Three design systems

Pipe 2D offers three different drawing systems, which allow you to create the
three types of planes that may be required in a project.
The three systems share common tools, which allow you to learn the programs
easily and quickly.


Schematic design
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The schematic design allows you to place the equipment on the plan with total
freedom and connect them with simple lines, placing the fittings at any point on
these lines.


The fittings are available in the dialog windows from which you have complete
control over the symbol data. With the AutoCAD manual insertion system, much
time is needed to insert each element, with the resulting loss of productivity.


If you use a CAD system on its own, you can draw lines and insert equipment
and fittings.




With Pipe 2D, all the equipment and fittings has precise data, which allow us to
supply the manufacturers. These data are useful when creating the lists.



Plants and Side Views

Remember how long you take in each design determining the length for each
diameter for the pipes and the fittings. Moreover, we must bear in mind the
pressures and schedules in order for the installation to work. With AutoCAD on
its own, the pipe design system is very similar to what we would create if
working manually at a drawing table.
With this module, the measurements of the fittings are important, since in many
cases the space available for the installation is small or restricted. The program
has fittings and pipes in the standard ANSI and DIN databases. In order to
insert the elements, all you have to do is configure the parameters and Pipe 2D
will create the drawing using the appropriate measurements.



Common Task Pipe 2D AutoCAD
How do you insert a valve?
1. Choose the valve from
the intelligent library.
2. Designate the
connection and size
values.
3. Insert the fitting
.
1. Create valves of
different sizes and
pressures.
2. Call up the saved
block form the
library.
3. Insert the valve using
the AutoCAD insert
command.
How can I choose the
pressure to be worked with?
1. Designate the value of
the list in adjustments.
Not available.
How do you insert equipment?
1. Designate insert the
equipment in the dialog
box.
1. Draw the equipment
manually, bearing in
mind all the details.
2. Create the
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connections with the
appropriate sizes.
3. Store the drawing for
future insertions.


This box represents examples of some of the common tasks that are carried out
several times in a project, and compares the way this is done with Pipe 2D and
with AutoCAD on its own.



Isometrics

In order to complete the project, in many cases it is necessary to create planes
with isometric views of pipe breaks for their subsequent assembly. In this plane,
we can choose which line we want to represent with a simple line.
With AutoCAD, we have the option of an isometric view for tracing the directions
of the pipes, but we need to create the elements in the different directions of the
isometric planes.


With Pipe 2D, the elements are already prepared and, with a simple click, we
can choose the direction we wish to take.
Moreover, alongside the plane, we have the possibility of including the materials
lists required for assembling the line.



Equipment and additional fittings

Whilst with AutoCAD alone, the equipment or fittings are not converted from
drawings into library elements, with Pipe 2D, any element added by the user
becomes part of the system as an intelligent object, with the resulting data so
that they can be identified. These elements will be counted automatically and
included in the tables of the lists with the data that the user introduces when
they are created.