Hello Nathan
If i understand you are working very hard to be produce piping drawings, but still happy with your MicroStation; Take time and look around, may be found something else more sample. In past and also today, you can found lot of piping design programs based on Autocad 14 or 2000.
First try AUTOPLANT 3D (Rebis).
In AUTOPLANT 3D you can design very fast 3d piping and then can send to
Autoiso or
Isogen to be produce Piping isos.
To be build a real 3d plant you need 2 additional programs from Rebis:
Try it and may be found that Autocad no more nightmare, may be better then your
MicroStation.
If you need additional info don't hesitate to contact -> <a href="/group/PipingDesign/post?postID=6sGqYjWX4eH8Zt_C2FRwd6orxfz8x7EryOR-LVUETu4fbrk_-XghcpZ7NSSPtDiZJfL6KlIC">mbeng@ibm.net</a>
ωμεν
Menashe
At 09:17 26/07/00 +0100, you wrote:
>We use MicroStation J (v7.1) with PlantSpace Schematics for doing the
>P&ID's, and MicroStation 95 (v5.5) with Omni-Pipe for 3D pipe routing.
>Once we've done the pipework in Omni we then export it back on to the
>network (Omni will only work on files stored locally on the machine) and
>extract the hidden line files using MicroStation J. The design of everything
>else (structural, electrical, etc.) is done using MicroStation J in 3D.
>I've only done 3D on MicroStation (starting back when it was V5) and found
>it really easy to get started as the 3D side of things seems to be well
>sorted with excellent viewing commands and a good selection of easy to use
>3D tools.
>A few years ago I had a try at doing 3D in AutoCAD (v12) and found it a
>nightmare, but it may well have improved since then so I can't comment.
>
>Omni will work in conjunction with Isogen to produce Isometrics but there
>are some problems with the linkup to the catalogue that I've yet to address
>(these are mainly to do with Piping Specials and out-of-spec flanges),
>although these seem to be caused by a problem with Omni rather than Isogen
>(namely that the number of characters allowed in a component's part number
>isn't long enough!). Having said all that though, we do use it as it gets
>the iso's started but they still require some manual alterations before
>they're ready to be printed off.
>
>I've had a look MicroStation's equivalent of Paperspace ("Drawing
>Composition") and can see some benefits but I'm not sure if it would be
>worth the effort. Also anybody we take on would have to learn something new
>as none of them so far have had experience of working with "Drawing
>Composition" (including me!).
>At the moment we create a new design file with the same filename as the
>drawing and then reference in the border and all the components of the 3D
>model (the 3D model is broken up into several files for each discipline e.g.
>piping upper deck, piping lower deck, etc. as this gives us greater
>flexibility) we then generate a "hidden line file" from the model and
>reference that in to the drawing too, and then switch off the display of the
>3D model. So we are left with a design file with the border & hidden line
>file visible and over these reference files we place the dimensions, notes,
>etc. everything needed to finish the drawing off.
>This is how we do all our drawings as these days I tend to do everything in
>3D, in fact the only 2D drawings I've done for a while have been the
>schematics!
>
>Nathan.
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