Users Guide

MagiCAD Object Enabler

Version 2006.11 SR-1

Date of the manual: 31 January 2007

MagiCAD Copyright 1998-2007 Progman Oy. All rights reserved.

MagiCAD is a registered trademark of Progman Oy. AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other product names are trademarks of their respective holders.

Contents
Chapter 1: General 1
The use of MagiCAD Object Enabler..................................................................................1

Chapter 2: Installation

Before you begin..................................................................................................................2 Installation and start.............................................................................................................3

Chapter 3: List of commands

MagiCAD Object Enabler menu..........................................................................................4

Chapter 4: Command Reference

HP&V: Part Properties ........................................................................................................6 HP&V: Viewport Preferences .............................................................................................6 HP&V: Hide, Reset Hide...................................................................................................11 HP&V: Explode Objects....................................................................................................11 Electrical: Viewport Preferences .......................................................................................13 Electrical: Hide Cables/Cable Packets/Conduit .................................................................14 Electrical: Change AutoCAD Attribute Value of the Symbol ...........................................15 Electrical: Explode Objects ...............................................................................................16 Drawing Cleaning Utility...................................................................................................16 AutoCADs editing functions ............................................................................................16

User's Guide MagiCAD Enabler

Contents i

ii Contents

User's Guide MagiCAD Enabler

Chapter 1: General

The use of MagiCAD Object Enabler

MagiCAD Object Enabler is created for viewing/editing drawings that have been created with MagiCAD Heating&Piping and Ventilation (later abbreviated HP&V) or MagiCAD Electrical. These drawings contain much information that is not available for pure CAD application. With the help of MagiCAD Object Enabler it is possible, for example, to see the information stored in MagiCAD HP&V objects, not only the object geometry. MagiCAD Object Enabler can be used, for example, to complement other design applications, or purely for examining projects.

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Chapter 1: General 1

Chapter 2: Installation

Before you begin

MagiCAD requires one of the following Autodesk products: AutoCAD 2004 AutoCAD 2005 AutoCAD 2006 AutoCAD 2007 Architectural Desktop 2004 Architectural Desktop 2005 Architectural Desktop 2006 Architectural Desktop 2007

If you have an earlier version of MagiCAD Object Enabler, remove it before you install the new version. If you already have MagiCAD installed on your computer, it is not necessary to install MagiCAD Object Enabler.

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Installation and start

Before you start Setup, start and close the AutoCAD version on which you intend to install MagiCAD Object Enabler. Run the setup program of MagiCAD Object Enabler, and follow the onscreen instructions. Administration rights are required. Setup makes the necessary settings to launch MagiCAD Object Enabler automatically when you open a drawing that contains MagiCAD objects. You can also launch MagiCAD Object Enabler from its shortcut. When you start MagiCAD Object Enabler from its shortcut, the toolbars and the main executable of the program are loaded to AutoCAD. Setup creates the shortcut in the MagiCAD folder on the desktop and the Start/Programs/MagiCAD folder. When you start MagiCAD Object Enabler from its shortcut for the first time, AutoCAD may display a message that a non-existing profile has been selected. In this case AutoCAD creates a new profile, in which the toolbar settings etc. will be saved.

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Chapter 3: List of commands

MagiCAD Object Enabler menu

HP&V: Part Properties This function varies according to each MagiCAD HP&V object. HP&V: Viewport Preferences Use this function to set different presentations (1D, 2D, 3D) for each viewport. You can also set the presentation mode of the reference texts in this dialog. HP&V: Hide With this Active2D Hide function you can hide the MagiCAD HPV objects that are placed behind other MagiCAD HPV objects in Active2D and wireframe drawings. You can use this function, for example, before plotting. HP&V: Reset Hide This function removes the Active2D Hide settings. HP&V: Explode objects With this function you can explode MagiCAD HP&V objects into AutoCAD blocks. You can then explode the blocks into lines with AutoCAD's EXPLODE command. The layer structure of the drawing, as well as the height levels of the objects, remain unchanged. It is also possible to place the exploded parts on the height level of zero, and the elements of the parts can be divided into different layers (edge lines, centerlines, edge lines of the insulation, hidden lines, and detail lines). MagiCAD or MagiCAD Object Enabler no longer recognizes objects that you have exploded, and therefore you cannot obtain any information about the parts with MagiCAD or MagiCAD Object Enabler commands.

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Electrical: Viewport Preferences Use this function to set different presentations (1D, 2D, 3D) for each viewport. You can also set the presentation mode of the reference texts in this dialog. 3D presentation requires that a 3D object has been selected for the device. Electrical: Hide Cable/Cable Packet/Conduit With this function you can hide certain parts of these objects. The objects does not actually break, it remains continuous. Electrical: Reset Cable/Cable Packet/Conduit Hide Use this function to restore the parts that have been hidden with the Hide Cable/Cable Packet/Conduit function. Electrical: Change AutoCAD Attribute Value of the Symbol With this function you can change the attribute values of the objects. Note that if TAG identifiers that are defined for MagiCAD Electrical attributes have been used in the objects, they are often defined in the project data. This means that you should not change these values if you intend to give the drawing back to the designer (the attribute values would be updated according to the values in the project data). If necessary, please ask e.g. the designer/draftsperson who created the drawing for the MagiCAD Electrical attribute definitions. If attributes have been defined with other TAG identifiers than the identifiers of MagiCAD Electrical, you can freely modify them. You can use this function to change the circuit numbers. Electrical: Explode Objects With this function you can explode MagiCAD Electrical objects into AutoCAD blocks. You can then explode the blocks into lines with AutoCAD's EXPLODE command. The layer structure of the drawing, as well as the height levels of the objects, remain unchanged. MagiCAD or MagiCAD Object Enabler no longer recognizes objects that you have exploded, and therefore you cannot obtain any information about the parts with MagiCAD or MagiCAD Object Enabler commands. Drawing Cleaning Utility With this function you can easily change all entities of the architectural drawing to a desired color. The function runs also AUDIT; RECOVER, and PURGE.

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Chapter 4: Command Reference

HP&V: Part Properties

With this function, you can examine the properties of an individual part. The properties vary according to the part type. You can also examine the information in a reference drawing. Select Xref from the popup menu.

HP&V: Viewport Preferences

With this function you can set different presentations (1D, 2D, 3D) to MagiCAD HP&V objects for each viewport separately. You can also set these preferences for the viewports in the layout windows. In the Viewport Preferences dialog you can also choose how the reference texts are displayed in each viewport, and set the hiding options for ducts and pipes.

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Presentation options tab

Presentation select between 1D (wireframe), Active2D, and 3D 2D Presentation Presentation of the pipe components in 2D can be 3D or 1D (symbol) Insulation visibility of the insulation 1D - Symbols in the Size coefficient field you can set the common scale factor (e.g. 1:100) for plotting. You can also set the limit for displaying the vertical pipes with their own dimensions also in 1D. Symbol Options opens a dialog where you can select the presentation of vertical ducts in 2D and vertical pipes in 1D. Centerline with these options you can define whether to display the centerline of the ducts and pipes. For the pipes you can define a minimum diameter; the centerline is not displayed in the smaller pipes even though the option is selected. Defaults current settings are saved as default values if the Use these settings for new viewports is checked (after clicking OK). Range change preferences for all viewports at once if the Apply for all viewports is checked or change preferences only for current viewport if the Apply for current viewport is checked (after clicking OK).

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Dimension texts tab

Show with these options you can select which texts are displayed in the viewport. All = all texts are displayed. Placed in the current view = only the texts are shown which are placed in the active viewport. and in selected views = optionally, you can select other views besides the active view. Orientation the orientation for the reference texts By view = according to the view (i.e. the texts appear straight also in the isometric view) By original UCS = according to the user coordinate system Automatic Dimension Texts if this option is selected, the automatic dimension texts are always placed to the orientation that is selected in the Automatic text settings. If this option is not selected, also the automatic dimension texts follow the Orientation option.

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Hide options tab

Hidden Linetype select either dashed or invisible line as the presentation of the hidden ducts/pipes. Distance defines the distance between the hidden line and the continuous line, and the minimum length of the ducts/pipes. The minimum length can be defined only if invisible linetype has been selected. Auto Hide if this option is selected, hiding is carried out in the viewport when the drawing is saved. NOTE ! : you must also set the hiding active in the Drawing Preferences (Enable autohide when saving).

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Misc tab

Open Ends select whether to draw the arrows to the open ends of ducts and pipes

Storey Origin presentation of the storey boundaries

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Section Mark presentation of the section mark boundary

HP&V: Hide, Reset Hide

When you select this function, MagiCAD Enabler asks you to choose a set of parts for calculating the hidden lines. MagiCAD Enabler hides (or draws with dashed line) the pipes, ducts, etc that will be behind other MagiCAD HPVobjects. With Active2D technology, it is possible to choose the parts precisely. For instance, MagiCAD Enabler hides only those air devices and pipe components that actually are behind other parts. You can use the hiding function at any viewpoint or section. MagiCAD Enabler draws points (so-called handles) on the Defpoints layer to represent the basepoints of the hidden parts. Defpoints layer is not printed, which means that the points do not show in the printouts. The hidden parts will be unhidden if they are, for example, copied or moved. It is possible to affect the drawing preferences of the hidden parts with the command options: Ducts/Pipes Hidden line type; choose the presentation of the hidden parts as dashed line or invisible Ducts/Pipes Distances fields indicate how much MagiCAD Enabler reserves spaces between the hiding line and the unbroken part, and the minimum length for the pipes. You can define the minimum length only if the presentation mode is invisible.

Reset hide unhides the hidden parts in the selected area. You can hide or unhide all objects in the drawing with the ALL option of the Select Object function.

HP&V: Explode Objects

This command explodes MagiCAD HP&V objects into blocks. Either the entire drawing, or a selected part or area, can be exploded. If the drawing is exploded in 3D mode, it can be examined from all viewpoints even after it is exploded. If the drawing is exploded in Active2D mode, the current 2D drawing will remain, and when other viewpoints are used, the system does not appear as an Active2D drawing.

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MagiCAD HP&V or MagiCAD Enabler does not recognize the objects that have been exploded, and therefore you cannot use any MagiCAD HP&V or MagiCAD Enabler functions with them. MagiCADs explode function does not explode MagiCAD HP&V objects that are inside a block. If you have inserted MagiCAD HP&V objects as blocks, first explode them using AutoCAD's Explode and then explode them with MagiCADs explode function. With the settings in the Options dialog you can affect the result of this function: Create line-specific layers the exploded parts are divided into their own layers. When the block is once mode exploded (using AutoCADs EXPLODE), the parts are divided into layers so that edge, center, insulation, hidden, and detail lines will have their own layers The layer name is generated from the layer name of the original MagiCAD HPV object, with the -Edge, -Center, -Insu, -hidden, or Details suffix. Set z coordinate to 0 The elevation (ie. z coordinate) of all exploded parts is set to zero.

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Electrical: Viewport Preferences

With the Viewport Preferences function it is possible to set the presentation of MagiCAD Electrical objects in the drawing to the wireframe, 2D, or 3D mode. 3D presentation requires that a 3D object is selected for the device in the project management. The settings defined in the Viewport Preferences dialog are specific to the viewport. That is, it is possible to display the dimension texts in different orientations and the objects in different presentations in each viewport (also in the layout windows). When you click the Viewport Preferences toolbar button, the following dialog opens:

Presentation options: In this window you can set the presentation separately for: Cable trays 2D or 3D Conduits 1D or 3D (set the diameter in the Diameter field) Cables 1D or 3D (constant diameter) Devices and switchboards 2D or 3D presentation for the devices. In addition you can choose whether to show the operation areas of the devices and the switchboard areas

Dimension texts: In this window you can choose which reference texts are displayed in each viewport and how they are displayed

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Show: Choose the orientation of the drawing in which the texts are displayed in the active viewport: All all texts Placed in the current view only the texts that are set in the active viewport; in addition you can choose other views besides the active view with the and in the selected views options

Orientation: Choose the orientation for the texts in the viewport: By view according to the view (that is, the texts are straight also in the isometric view By original UCS according to the UCS settings

Load default preferences: Read the default settings to the active viewport. If the Use these preferences for new viewports option is selected, the active settings are saved to the drawing and they can be loaded in the new viewports with the Load default preferences button. You can visualize the 3D objects in the 3D mode with AutoCAD's VIEW, SHADE, and other suitable commands.

Electrical: Hide Cables/Cable Packets/Conduit

With the Hide Cable/Cable Packet/Conduit function it is possible to hide certain parts of these objects. The objects does not actually break, it remains continuous. Show two points at the cable/cable packet/conduit to hide the desired part. You can move the hidden part with AutoCADs STRETCH. You can restore the parts with the Reset Cable/Cable Packet/Conduit Hide function. Start the function and click the object close to the hidden part.

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Electrical: Change AutoCAD Attribute Value of the Symbol

With this function you can change the attribute values of the objects. Note that if TAG identifiers that are defined for MagiCAD Electrical attributes have been used in the objects, they are often defined in the project data. This means that you should not change these values if you intend to give the drawing back to the designer (the attribute values would be updated according to the values in the project data). If necessary, please ask e.g. the designer/draftsperson who created the drawing for the MagiCAD Electrical attribute definitions. If attributes have been defined with other TAG identifiers than the identifiers of MagiCAD Electrical, you can freely modify them. You can use this function to change the circuit numbers.

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Electrical: Explode Objects

This command explodes MagiCAD Electrical objects into blocks. Either the entire drawing, or a selected part or area, can be exploded. If the drawing is exploded in 3D mode, it can be examined from all viewpoints even after it is exploded. If the drawing is exploded in Active2D mode, the current 2D drawing will remain, and when other viewpoints are used, the system does not appear as an Active2D drawing. MagiCAD or MagiCAD Object Enabler does not recognize the objects that have been exploded, and therefore you cannot use any MagiCAD or MagiCAD Enabler functions with them.

Drawing Cleaning Utility

With this utility you can change all colors to a desired color in the architectural drawing, and also run AUDIT, RECOVER, and PURGE. Open the architectural drawing, click the Drawing Cleaning Utility toolbar button, select the functions you want to use and the color, and click Ok.

AutoCADs editing functions

MagiCAD allows using AutoCAD's own commands (eg. STRETCH, MOVE, and ERASE), and with MagiCAD components adds more functionality or sets limitations depending on the situation.

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