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May 282010
Frequently people ask how to share P&ID symbols and settings with others in the company. In this article, we are going to walk through the steps of setting up a CADWorx P&ID to use network libraries.
Overview:
- Create a directory for symbols on your network.
- Copy the CADWorx symbols and menu symbol files to the network.
- Create a configuration file that sets the MENUSYMBOLFILE setting to the network path.
- Modify your profile search path to include your network library at the top.
- Share Settings.
Creating a network directory for symbols
Many companies have CAD folders already setup on the network. If this is the case, try to follow the standard conventions in creating the folder. If no standard exists, something like Z:\CAD\CADWorx P&ID\Blocks is quite suitable.
Copy the symbols to the Network
Big warning here…ONLY PUT .DWG FILES and .DAT FILES IN THE NETWORK FOLDER! I avoid network installations where possible for reasons too numerous to delineate here. However, let me say that I have run into several companies that were running old software when they had new software installed locally. I think most of us are much more comfortable keeping the software installation on the user’s computer and sharing necessary files on the network.
I recommend putting all of the CADWorx .dwg files and all of the .dat files (like Flow_Alt.dat) on the network in case people want to use them. You can copy the files from here:
Set the MENUSYMBOLFILE setting
Next we will set the MENUSYMBOLFILE setting by going to SETUP->Edit Config file. If you used my directory structure, the setting is Z:\CAD\CADWorx P&ID\Blocks\Flow_Alt.dat
Adding the Support Search Path
This step is more of an advanced user tweak, but it’s pretty easy. In CADWorx, go to Options right-click->Options
Go to the Files tab, click Add, and click your network block library directory. Move it to the top of the folder list.
Sharing Settings
Half the work we did was to setup the library, the other half was to tweak our settings so we could use it. To let someone else use the library, you need give them a copy of the configuration file (or have them change their own) from step 3, and their profile search path needs to be fixed as from step 4.
The configuration file we edited was here:
Troubleshooting
If the correct blocks are not coming in (or you are not geting any blocks at all) through the P&ID menus, the profile search path is not correct. If the incorrect blocks are displayed in the P&ID menus, then the MENUSYMBOLFILE is not set correctly.
If you need help setting up an installation for a bunch of users (i.e. you don’t want to walk around to every computer and mess with the profile), Contact Us.
These steps are enough for about 90% of the users 90% of the time. For those who need to add or have added custom lines or sections to P&ID, you’ll need to take care of a few tweaks in addition to the items above. Again, Contact Us so we can help.
So I got started on the project configuration manager this week. A method for switching projects has been on the request list for a long time. We’ve posted a video of the progress so far on our site. Do you have ideas? Tell about them-http://pdoteam.uservoice.com/forums/53426-general!
![SNAGHTMLc6399b[4]](http://www.ecadinc.com/PDOteam/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/SNAGHTMLc6399b4.png "SNAGHTMLc6399b[4]")
and here is the video:
May 182010
Over last few months, everyone has been wondering (myself included)—how is Intergraph purchasing CADWorx going to affect us? On the forums, we have heard views from “It’s the end of the world!” to “the greatest thing since sliced bread.” But alas, we can’t know the future until we get there (unless you’re from the future of course).
Part of my duties here at ECAD include testing the developing product so that you (the users) don’t have to lose design time. I do my best to take the input I receive and present to the developers as topics come up. Since I have been involved in beta testing for the last few years, I have gotten to know the developers and the process. Over the last month, we have been testing on the new products coming in September (approximately). Intergraph buying CADWorx has enabled the development to communicate more with the users.
By users in this case, I’m referring to testers. Intergraph has a programming process (AGILE)they use, along with programs that have kinds of bells and whistles for writing code. Since CADWorx began using AGILE, development has gotten broken up into month-long chunks (called a sprint). During a sprint, the developers take a list of features and write them so that at the end of the month, we can review the feature and give input on how it works. This process will repeat cyclically until the new release is ready.
Why should this matter to you? We recently finished up 2 sprint cycles, one for the CADWorx team, and one for the NG team. Word of warning, what you read next may seem like hyperbole, but the statements are the truth. On the NG side, we have seen awesome improvements in routing pipe, placing valves with the flanges coming in automatically, placing valves on the fly by dimensions off of other components, changing size/spec by selection, moving components down a line by grips, and more.
This last month the CADWorx team is working on some big new features too! Remember all that time spent tracking down breaks, overlaps, and duplicates for ISOGEN? No more! A ContinuityView palette is headed our way and looks incredible.
Rumor has it that the ribbons are now moving into the product, and HVAC gets data files.
So in my mind, CADWorx 2011 is shaping up to be the best release ever!
*No statement concerning the release date or features to be included is a guarantee, or should be taken as such. It’s all still up in the air.
May 102010
Today the BOM Gather Spreadsheet hits the store!
http://www.ecadinc.com/PDOteam/index.php/store/products/bom-gather-spreadsheet/
To answer your first question, here is what the spreadsheet can do for you.
- Automate the process of formatting your spreadsheet.
- Import a query from a database to the pre-formatted spreadsheet.
- Compare two published spreadsheets and list the differences.
By the way, you may be interested to find out that this is ALL in Excel 2007. No new program to learn, but you can still tweak the settings you need!
At ECAD we decided to go with a blended approach to allow access to database information. Since every company wants their reports, their way, we can customize your project database to include those. Then, by listing the query (report) that you want, you can bring the information directly into a spreadsheet that you have already formatted.
While custom queries sound expensive, we have had a customer spend only ~$1200 for the queries + the spreadsheet. That’s for the entire company to be able to use the spreadsheet!
Take a look at the store, go through the readme, and check out the video. We’d love to help you get the BOM Gather spreadsheet worked into your design process.
In CADWorx Equipment, when you place a nozzle, out of the box it comes in as a 4″ 150# RFWN. What if you use 90% Long Weld Necks? What if most of your nozzles are a 300#? What if you are putting a 2″ nozzle in w/ a 3/4″ coupling for a pressure tap? Let’s look at the first 2 problems, then we’ll come back to the last (since you may be wondering why I would bring that up)
In the following location, C:\CADWorx 2010\Equipment\System, is a file called NozzleDefaults.dat. Open it up in your favorite text editor (TotalEdit is still king on my end) and you will see the following:
; THIS FILE CONTAINS THE DEFAULT SETTINGS FOR DRAWING NOZZLES IN CADWORX EQUIPMENT
; THERE ARE TWO SECTIONS IN THIS FILE – ONE EACH FOR ENGLISH UNITS AND METRIC UNITS
; THE SETTINGS ARE SEPARATED BY AT LEAST ONE SPACE
;
;
; THE COLUMNS ARE:
; FLG_TYPE FLG_RATING SCHEDULE NOM_OD
[English]
RFWN 150 40 4.0
[Metric]
FFWN NP6 DIN10.0 100
This is where we can tweak. Changing the RFWN to LWN and the 150 to 300 will update the default nozzle, your new file will look like this:
; THIS FILE CONTAINS THE DEFAULT SETTINGS FOR DRAWING NOZZLES IN CADWORX EQUIPMENT
; THERE ARE TWO SECTIONS IN THIS FILE – ONE EACH FOR ENGLISH UNITS AND METRIC UNITS
; THE SETTINGS ARE SEPARATED BY AT LEAST ONE SPACE
;
;
; THE COLUMNS ARE:
; FLG_TYPE FLG_RATING SCHEDULE NOM_OD
[English]
LWN 300 40 4.0
[Metric]
FFWN NP6 DIN10.0 100
Quick and easy, and saves you changing ever nozzle you ever placed.
Now, for the last item. Putting a 3/4″ coupling on a 2″ nozzle. You are prb saying “Kyle, we can do that, it’s not a big deal” well, for me, it kinda is, and here’s why. When you put the first nozzle in, it comes in as a 4″, you hop in, change it’s main size to 2″, then get ready to put in the coupling. Remember, your default is a 4″. Equipment won’t let you put it in, so you go in, change the nozzle back up to a 6″, put in the 4″ “coupling”, make it a 3/4″ coupling, then switch the 6″ back to 2″. A bit of a PITA if you ask me. So set you nozzle main size to 2″ in the defaults. That will cover most anything smaller. If you put in a 2″, it will let you put another 2″ on it. If you size it up to 4″, you still get to put a 2″ on it.
Hope that makes sense, but if it doesn’t, give me a shout and I’ll be happy to talk more about it, and always, any questions or comments are always welcome.
KP
For many users, the SpecView palette is something you either love or hate. Many have opened it up, only to turn it right back off because it looked cluttered. I gave it a fair shot, liked it “okay” but felt that if it was laid out a little bit better, it could go a little bit farther. To that end, I set out to see what all CAN be done to get it like I needed it for it to be useful. Rather than type it all out here, I’ve created a PDF that you can download that will walk you through the explanation and the steps to tweak and customize the spec view.
A few of the things that I managed to do:
- Customize the order of components
- Customize what is in what catagory
The first being easy to do using the “custom” view setting, the second, is a little tricker, and requires some manipulation of the files behind the scene.
We’ve used this “customized” version of the SpecView palette in several training classes with a good response, so now it’s your turn to tell us what you think!
Download the PDF here, and tell us what you think!
KP