P&ID

CADWorx 2011 Update

CADWorx, CADWorx Update, P&ID, Plant No Responses »
Aug 272010

The next release of CADWorx is right around the corner.  From now until the release date, the beta team and developers have a bi-weekly meeting showcasing the latest fixes and updates.  The release is scheduled for October 1, with a pre-release being given away to attendees of CADWorx University 2010.

This past Wednesday we got to see some exciting new features. 

Spec Editor Undo

Have you ever messed up and deleted the wrong parameter in a data file, or perhaps an entire row without realizing it?  In the new spec editor we now have the undo capability up to the last 100 actions! I love it.

Ribbons

Drum roll, please!  By popular demand CADWorx is including ribbons for CADWorx Plant and CADWorx P&ID. 

Equipment Stiffening Rings

This last review also showed how to add stiffening rings to CADWorx Equipment.  The rings are read from steel data files and can be flipped, or rotated to get the angle you need.

User Data in Specs

Previously we were given the ability to add user data to component table, but now we can add User data to the specification items.  Along with new note features, this latest enhancement fulfills a long time request from users.

P&ID and XML Specs

To carry on with implementing the new spec format, CADWorx P&ID has been modified to insert components from the xml specs.

TAP and OTAP

Two commands we cannot do without, TAP and OTAP have been made to work with the new components in Plant 2011.  However, don’t get too fond of them, as there are plans to make connections more automated in a next release.

Since I can’t list everything, be sure to stay tuned for more updates!

Posted by Dave Wolfe at 10:24 am Tagged with:

Changing Text Height in CADWorx P&ID

CADWorx, P&ID No Responses »
Aug 052010

Today’s material comes from a discussion between myself and Werner Theron, of Chempute.  A client wanted to change the height of a text on P&ID, and needed to know the best way to do that.  Two options are available for such situation, SCALETEXT, and the CADWorx P&ID command TEXTCORRECT.  Both accomplish the same thing, but TEXTCORRECT image may be the easiest to access via button.

Here is a preview of the text we are going to change:

image

For SCALETEXT, start the command and select the objects.  At the command line you should see a prompt to choose a basepoint.  Use the existing option.

image

The next prompt allows you to draw a size or enter a value, we will enter .4 (yes the text will be large)!

Here are the results:

image

Notice two things:

image

The arrow at the top points to the label that was 1/8” when all the other text was 3/32”.  When selecting a block, all of the attributes inside it get selected. 

Also notice at the bottom left, there was text in our label.  Nested text won’t get changed at all. 

Because of these two effects, I recommend creating a new label with the text sized appropriately, and using GROUPADD to include it with the equipment.  Use GROUPREMOVE to remove the old label.

The TEXTCORRECT achieves the same results.  Start the TEXTCORRECT command, choose multiple, and then enter the size.  Last select the objects.

Posted by Dave Wolfe at 7:47 am Tagged with: ,

Online Help

CADWorx, Equipment, P&ID, Plant, Steel No Responses »
Jun 032010

 image

As many of you probably know, Autodesk made Online Help available in AutoCAD 2011.  However, you may not have known that online help has been available for CADWorx for quite some time.  Here are the relevant pages:

For online Plant help:

http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/plant/

For online Steel help:

http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/steel/

For online Equipment help:

http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/equipment/

and for online P&ID help:

http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/PID/

While online help is not integrated into CADWorx as it is in AutoCAD 2011, I find sharing a link is easier than saying “Lookup the User Shape help file.”

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Posted by Dave Wolfe at 1:33 pm Tagged with: , ,

CADWorx Updates Page

CADWorx, CADWorx Update, Equipment, HVAC, ISOGEN, P&ID, Plant, Steel No Responses »
Jun 012010

Recently due to increased hacker awareness, the page link for the downloads for CADWorx 2010 has changed.  We want to make sure CADWorx users are aware of this change.

As always you can go to www.coade.com and visit the downloads page:

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But if you want to bookmark the links, here they are:

Download a fresh version of CADWorx:

 http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/2010dl/index2010f.htm

Download an update for 2010:

http://www.coade.com/uploads/cadworx/2010dl/index2010b.htm

Posted by Dave Wolfe at 7:52 am Tagged with:

Sharing CADWorx P&ID on a network

CADWorx, P&ID No Responses »
May 262010

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:

    1. Create a directory for symbols on your network.
    2. Copy the CADWorx symbols and menu symbol files to the network.
    3. Create a configuration file that sets the MENUSYMBOLFILE setting to the network path.
    4. Modify your profile search path to include your network library at the top.
    5. 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:

    image

    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

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    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

    image

    Go to the Files tab, click Add, and click your network block library directory.  Move it to the top of the folder list.

     SNAGHTML1e28072

    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:

    image

    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.

    Posted by Dave Wolfe at 4:11 pm Tagged with: , ,

    BOM Gather Spreadsheet Released

    BOM, BOM Gather Spreadsheet, CADWorx, P&ID, Plant, Products No Responses »
    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.

      1. Automate the process of formatting your spreadsheet.
      2. Import a query from a database to the pre-formatted spreadsheet.
      3. 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.

      YouTube Channel

      BOM Gather in the Store

       

      Posted by Dave Wolfe at 10:59 am Tagged with: , , , ,

      Update for CADWorx 2010

      CADWorx, Equipment, ISOGEN, P&ID, Plant 4 Responses »
      Mar 312010

      I wanted to take a minute to show how to make sure you are up to date on the latest CADWorx software.

      Enter CADWORXABOUT at the command line, and you will get this dialog.  Then click the Check for Updates button.

      image

      Update: Per the comments, at times you may not be able to get the latest build by clicking the update button.  Here’s a link to send an email requesting the latest build for CADWorx.
      Email CADWorx for latest update

      We’ll do our best to keep you informed of the changes that we know about.

      To that end here’s our list of the 3-30 update:

      1. Compatibility with AutoCAD 2011.

      2. Fix spec editing crash for Windows 7, 64-bit.

      3. Fix Eccentric reducer crash. Ricky Medley nailed down the problem here:

      “Basically, any setup in which a viewport is looking “down the barrel” of the eccentric reducer when placed in another viewport will cause the missing integer error.
      Start a drawing, and set a split viewport in model space with one in top view, and the other set to right or left view. Place a eccentric reducer into the top view. Save the drawing, and re-open the drawing. The missing integer error will occur, and the drawing appears corrupted.
      The ucs does not have to be set to the same view as right or left.
      Placement in the right or left viewport will not generate the error.
      The above scenario can be changed; Again copying the reducer into a drawing that “looks down the barrel” of the eccentric reducer does not produce an error.
      This error only occurs when running CADWorx 2010 (Sept. release) on AutoCAD 2010.
      I installed CADWorx 2010 (July release) on AutoCAD 2010, and the error did not occur.
      Interestingly enough, the error did not occur when installing CADWorx 2010 (Sept. release) on AutoCAD 2009.
      If the eccentric reducer is copied into the drawing in any viewport there is no corruption.”

      It turns out, that AutoCAD generates the error, but the CADWorx guys were able to come up with a workaround in their development.

      4. P&ID project creation crash for Windows 7, 64-bit.  This particular issue came up with a client.

      5. Steel generic attached double-click broken.  Though working in the 3-3 release, the 3-25 release had a bug which is now fixed in the 3-30 release.  Stellar help by CADWorx as I notified them of this problem on 3-30 and the fix was posted the same day!

      6.  COADE logo changed to Intergraph.

      Again, we will try to stay on top of the fixes and post about the updates here!  If you’d like to contribute, Contact Us to tell us what bug COADE fixed for you that was included in the release.

      Posted by Dave Wolfe at 11:40 am Tagged with: , , ,

      Mastering P&ID Professional

      CADWorx, Mastering P&ID Professional, P&ID, Products No Responses »
      Mar 032010

      We have really great news for everyone!  Today the Mastering P&ID Professional Video series go on the market.  You can read the press release here.

      For a few months ECAD had me devote my time to documenting P&ID so that we could bring to you the most comprehensive training tool available.  Currently we are selling the videos online and through our Sales Offices in the US only .  For those of you outside the US, please contact your CGNP, or use the Contact Us page and we’ll connect you to the right people.  Please understand that we are still setting up our overseas selling channels so you may have to wait to get your hands on a copy (our apologies).

      Also, I’ve posted a short video on how to use/install the video series.  The video is below the Cooliris wall.  FYI, we are in the process of figuring out how we’re going to do videos on our site, as some have mentioned that YouTube is blocked from their work.  Attached to this post is a pdf of the Table of Contents to give you detailed outline of the topics covered in the video series.

      Here’s the link to the full product description.

      I hope you all benefit greatly from this new product!
      Mastering P&ID Professional TOC Sample (11)

      Posted by Dave Wolfe at 3:47 pm Tagged with: , ,

      CADWorx Properties Palette by ECAD

      CADWorx, Equipment, ISOGEN, P&ID, Plant, Products, Properties Palette, Steel No Responses »
      Dec 162009

      We have exciting news for everyone.  Today we are releasing the CADWorx Properties palette by ECAD!  Here’s is the other half of the good news…it’s FREE!  Once again, to download all you have to do is register with our site and then access the downloads page.

      We have a video that walks through installation and usage, and the installer includes a readme with details about the product.

      We developed this tool to give access to CADWorx information to people without CADWorx, as we know that a lot of design is interfaced with other AutoCAD products, like AutoCAD MEP or Civil 3D.  

      Obviously, we are not going to make any guarantees with this code. But since it’s free, you’re welcome to give feedback and we will post fixes ASAP.  Contact us using the Contact Us page.  Enjoy!

       

       

      Here are some screen shots.

      image

      Posted by Dave Wolfe at 11:41 am Tagged with: , , , ,

      Adding CADWorx Ribbon by ECAD

      CADWorx, P&ID, Plant, Products, Ribbon No Responses »
      Nov 102009

      Hello all. For my first post, I want to show how to add the CADWorx ribbons that Kyle has been handing out.  Click here to get the pdf with screenshots or watch the video version.  Enjoy!
       

      Load the Ribbon
      After receiving the ribbon via email or download, save them to a location that you will be able to access momentarily.  Start CADWorx Plant and in a blank drawing start the CUI editor (CUI at the command line).  Scroll down to the Partial Customization file node, right-click it and select Load Partial Customization file. 

       

      Browse to the location you’ve saved the ribbon, select it and click Open.  In the Customizations in Main File drop down, select All Customization Files.  Depending on the settings 1 of 2 things will happen.  In most cases, the ribbon tabs are now added to every workspace, so you can click OK to close the dialog.  However, you still should know how to add tabs to a workspace.

      Create a Plant Workspace
                      Select the “3D Modeling” workspace at the top left and right-click to copy and paste the workspace.  Rename the new workspace to Plant Ribbon, select it and click the Customize Workspace button. 

      Let’s assume that in this case we need to add the ribbon tabs to the workspace.  Once you are in workspace customization mode, items can be added to the workspace from the files in the left panel.  Scroll down to PIPE_ALT_RIB under partial customization file and expand the ribbon node.  Expand the tab node.  The tab node displays all of the tabs available from the customization file.  Check all of the tabs to add them to the workspace, or check the Tabs box.  In the workspace contents panel, the contents of the workspace we are currently customizing are displayed. Expand the Ribbon Tabs node.  At the end of the tabs list are the Plant tabs.  Drag and drop them to the front to have them display as the far left tabs.  Click the Done button.  On the left, select the Plant Ribbon workspace, right-click and set it current. Click OK to apply the changes and exit the dialog.  After the CUI file saves, and updates the screen, your display will show the Plant Ribbon workspace with the CADWorx Ribbon included.

      Having trouble viewing the video?  See it here.
      David Wolfe

      Posted by Dave Wolfe at 2:52 pm Tagged with: , , ,
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