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SprinkCAD 3D Tutorial
SprinkCAD 3D Tutorial
Metric Edition
1
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................5
SPRINKCAD PROPERTIES...................................................................................................................25
3
HANGERS .................................................................................................................................................93
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Introduction
Moving from two dimensional to three dimensional layout is a large technical step. As sprinkler
designers we must now consider the Z coordinate to transform our flat drawings into actual
three dimensional objects. Until only recently, creating three dimensional objects in AutoCAD
has been tedious and difficult at best. New versions of AutoCAD have allowed software
developers to create tools for building 3D objects. These tools eliminate much of the tedium and
allow sprinkler designers to layout three dimensional systems with relative ease. SprinkCAD 3D
is the future of sprinkler design now.
This tutorial will review and reinforce the concepts that are critical to 3D design. Before starting
this tutorial you should have a good working knowledge of AutoCAD 2002 and be comfortable
working in two dimensions.
5
The Create a New Project dialog
box will appear.
Press Open.
6
Press the Create new model button. You are going to create a model within your project. A
model is a 3D drawing and you can have a number of models within the same project. For
example, if you have a multi-story building, you can create a model for each floor.
The Create a New Model dialog box will appear.
Press OK to finish.
7
Make sure that it is highlighted and press the OK button. SprinkCAD 3D will open.
You will see the familiar AutoCAD drawing screen. All of your AutoCAD functionality and
commands remain with this software package. There are a few new additions that you will need
to know more about.
SprinkCAD 3D Toolbars
SprinkCAD 3D has a number of custom toolbars that are designed especially for sprinkler
system design. These toolbars are “docked” in the figure above.
8
The SprinkCAD Building toolbar has
a number of commands for drawing
buildings, ceilings, obstructions, and
ductwork.
Label your pipes and other drawing items with the SprinkCAD Smart
Annotations toolbar.
You can quickly change your viewing perspective with the SC Views toolbar.
9
Opening Missing Toolbars Manually
If you can’t find a SprinkCAD toolbar, you can open
it manually.
Select ScToolbar
as the Menu
Group. This shows
the SprinkCAD 3D
toolbars that are
available. Check
the ones that you
want to see on
your screen.
If you check your toolbars to be visible, and they still do not appear on your screen, chances are
that they have moved beyond the resolution of your screen. To bring them back, type –toolbar
(don’t forget the dash) at the AutoCAD command prompt. You will be prompted for the toolbar
name. The SprinkCAD toolbar names are SC_settings, SC_building, SC_sprinklers, SC_piping,
SC_annotations, SC_views and SC_filters. Enter the name without forgetting to include an
underscore for the space and press the Enter key. For the next option enter Float and press
Enter. Press Enter again to select the default screen coordinates of 0,0. Press Enter again to
accept the default of 1 toolbar row. The toolbar will now appear in the top left corner of your
screen.
10
Representation
SprinkCAD 3D is a true three dimensional package.
You can however, view these three dimensional
elements in different ways. You can control these
Representations by starting the command from the
Settings toolbar.
11
Initial AutoCAD Settings
SprinkCAD 3D will look and function better with certain AutoCAD settings. These are already
set up in the template file that loads with a new project. You may however change them and
then want to get back to the original settings.
If you inadvertently move the UCS to another position, your symbols may not appear correctly in
the Basic mode.
To return to the World UCS, select World from the Tools > New UCS > World pull down menu.
12
New Concept: The Information Layer
When you insert your first drawing element, the layer “_SC_Info” will be created.
This layer is normally in the OFF position and holds information regarding the pipe installation
order as well as the fitting outlet numbers.
You can turn the layer ON at any time to gather this information. Do not manually adjust this
layer or the objects within it.
The figure here shows pipes with the SC_Info layer turned on. The arrows point away from the
start point and towards the end point of the pipes. This order becomes more important when
you are about to stocklist. Stocklist reports will show fittings made on to the end point of the
pipe. Note the numbers 1, 2 and 3. These are the outlet numbers for the tee. The number 1 is
shown by each of the caps. A
cap has one outlet. These
fittings are “generic” when in
the AutoCAD drawing screen.
They will be converted to
specific items and parts when
the job is exported to
SprinkSLIC for stocklisting.
13
Laying Out Sprinklers
You are now going to set up and layout a row of sprinklers.
From the Sprinklers toolbar, select Sprinkler Settings. This
will open the Sprinkler Settings dialog box.
You use this dialog box to set up the next sprinkler that you are going to insert. From the Type
drop down list, select Upright Head.
Change the Scaling value to 0.2. This value sets the size of the sprinkler symbols.
14
Set the K-Factor to 80.7. The Finish will be
Brass and the Thread size 15. Select these
from the drop down lists.
15
While the command is active, a dialog box will appear showing your current sprinkler settings.
Pick a point anywhere on your screen with the left mouse button to insert
the sprinkler. In this case the sprinkler in plan view is represented as a
circle. Right click the mouse to exit the command or press Enter.
Select the Rectangular Array radio button. The number of Rows will be 1 and the number of
columns will be 6. The Column offset will be 3m. The Row offset value doesn’t matter because
there is only one row. The Angle of array should be 0. Use the Select Objects button to select
the sprinkler you just inserted. Press OK to execute the array.
16
You should end up with a row of sprinklers, 3m apart.
All of the AutoCAD Zoom commands are available. Use them now to arrange your screen as
shown here.
With the Insertion OSNAP pick any head. Drag the mouse away from the center and pick for the
radius.
17
The size doesn’t matter.
Right now you are in the top view. Select Front from the SC Views toolbar.
Also note that the circle now appears as a line. SprinkCAD 3D has built in programming to
change to the appropriate 2D image according to the view perspective. This automatic image
selection will occur with SprinkCAD generated objects such as heads and valves. This will not
occur with generic AutoCAD objects hence the circle will appear as a line from the Front view.
The images of the heads change again and the circle now appears as an ellipse.
18
This is a new concept for designers who are used to working in two dimensions. Two
dimensional drawings will appear as lines when viewed from the side. When viewed from an
angle, a two dimensional drawing may appear distorted.
19
The Pipe Settings Dialog
box will open.
The Elevation will be Offset, 5.1m from Absolute. Recall that the Sprinklers are at 6m from
Absolute. This will place the centerline of the branch line pipe 900mm below the sprinkler
deflectors.
Select the Properties defaults as shown. As with the sprinklers, branch lines or other pipes are
not layer dependent. You can assign them to whatever layer you would like. When the first pipe
is inserted, the layer is created automatically. For this example, leave the defaults as they are
shown here and press OK.
20
Select Endpoint,
Center,
Intersection and
Insertion. These
settings should
accommodate most
of your picks.
Press OK to finish.
Select the left sprinkler with your mouse. The Insert OSNAP will snap to the center of the head.
Note that the Current Pipe Settings dialog box remains open while the command is active. This
is to remind you of your current pipe setting. You can open the Pipe Settings dialog box at any
time when the command is active by entering S (for Settings) at the command prompt. In this
way you can change your pipe settings “on the fly” as you layout your pipe.
21
Pick the right most sprinkler with the mouse as shown. Press the right mouse button twice to
exit the command.
If you pick the pipe the grips will become active. The entire pipe will be selected illustrating that
the pipe is not yet broken at the heads. Recall that the pipe is 900mm below the sprinkler
deflectors. The pipe is colored red as a warning because it exceeds the maximum length of 6m
that you specified in the Pipe Settings dialog box.
22
Select Front from the Views toolbar.
Here you can plainly see that the heads are above the branch line. You should view your
drawing frequently from different perspectives to make sure that your elevations are correct and
you are drawing items as you intend. Return to the Top view again.
You are now going to connect the sprinklers to the pipe with sprigs.
Select all sprinklers with a window. It doesn’t matter if you select the pipe or not.
23
This time the Type will be a
25mm, 2440 Sprig.
Press OK to finish.
24
Press the Front Right button from the Views
toolbar. Zoom in on the right end of the branch line.
The sprigs are connected to the branch lines with tees and
90° elbows.
SprinkCAD Properties
One of the most powerful tools in SprinkCAD 3D’s arsenal is the Properties dialog box. With it
you can observe or change drawing entities one at a time or several at once.
25
The SprinkCAD Properties dialog
box will appear.
26
Viewing Entities as Solids
SprinkCAD 3D allows you to view your drawing objects in Basic, Solid and Clearance modes.
This is referred to as Representation. What you have been drawing thus far was done in the
Basic mode. Here, pipes are represented as lines, sprinklers as simple line drawings, etc. You
can also draw your system using the Solid mode where the drawing objects appear as 3D solids
and shaded images.
Change the color of the _SC_BL, _SC_SPRIG, and _SC_SPRK layers to something that will
show up nicely on your AutoCAD screen. If you choose black or white, the rendered surface will
be too dark or light. For example, select Blue for the _SC_BL, _SC_SPRIG layers and Red for
the _SC_SPRK layer. You do this by double clicking on the color for the layer. Close the Layer
Manager dialog box.
27
Select all of your drawing entities with a window.
28
From the View pull down menu, select Shade
and then Flat Shaded.
Here is the resulting view of a sprig and branch line. You can now
zoom around your drawing without loosing the Shaded effect.
You can use the AutoCAD 3D Orbit command to rotate the object
in 3D space.
You should also select 2D Wireframe from the View > Shade pull down menu. You should
always use this View setting when working in the Basic mode.
29
Connecting Sprinklers Directly to the Branch Lines
You have just connected sprinklers with branch lines through sprigs. Now, you are going to
connect the sprinklers directly to the branch lines. First, you have to remove the existing sprigs.
Make sure that you only select the sprigs and not the
heads as well. Press the Delete key to delete the
sprigs. If the heads disappear as well, press the
Undo button and carefully select the sprigs and try
again.
You will be left with the sprinklers and the pipe below. Note, you can simply move the branch
line to the correct position without deleting the sprigs. However, this example is designed to
show you how to do this as if you were starting with a new row of heads.
30
New Concept: Elevation for Sprinklers and Pipes
When connecting sprinklers directly to branch lines with most sprinkler design packages, you
elevate the pipe and disregard the sprinkler elevations. Although this is convenient, it is not
entirely correct because the sprinkler deflector position is what matters in the Fire Sprinkler
Codes. In SprinkCAD 3D you must concern yourself with the elevations of the sprinkler
deflectors as well as the pipe, even with direct connections.
Let’s take an example where upright heads are connected directly to threaded fittings on the
branch lines. If you elevate the pipe so that it is the sum of the sprinkler takeout plus the fitting
takeout below the deflector, the head will be precisely connected to the fitting without any sprig
required.
31
If you elevate the sprinklers to the same elevation as your branch lines, a connection cannot be
made.
The deflector will be at the same elevation as the centerline of the pipe and the program will be
unable to make this impossible connection. This problem will also occur if the upright head is
even further below the pipe.
The opposite is true for pendent heads. SprinkCAD 3D expects pendents to be below the pipe.
If it finds a pendent without enough clearance from the branch line, it will not make the
connection.
32
Does this mean that you have to determine the exact sprinkler and fitting take out for each
connection? Fortunately not. SprinkCAD 3D pipes have a property called Minimum Length
which makes the determination of pipe elevations much easier.
For example, most standard spray sprinklers with a K-Factor of 80.7 have a takeout of about
56mm. A 40 x 40 x 15 threaded tee has a takeout of 29mm. Add these together to get 85mm
which we will round up to 90mm. Therefore you require a minimum elevation difference of
90mm between the sprinkler deflector and the 40mm pipe to have sufficient clearance. This
distance will be less for smaller pipe sizes.
33
If you set the pipe to be 150mm below the sprinkler, the program would insert a sprig with a
length of about 65mm. With the Minimum Length set at some value greater than this, the sprig
would, for all practical purposes, be ignored.
Return to your drawing. Recall that the sprinklers are at an elevation of 6m and the pipe is 0.9m
below them. You are now going to move the pipe so that it is 150mm below the sprinklers.
This will move the pipe up 750mm so that the branch line is now 150mm below the heads.
34
Zoom in on the left sprinkler and pipe.
35
Select any of the pipes in the run.
The end sprinklers will be connected with elbows and the middle sprinklers will be connected
with tees.
SprinkCAD 3D is intelligent enough to connect the heads even though the branch pipes were
broken with threaded couplings.
Note, you used the Properties dialog box in this example to move the pipe to a different
elevation. You could have also used the AutoCAD move command to do the same task.
36
A portion of the Properties dialog
box is shown here.
The Sprinkler will move to a higher elevation when compared to the rest. The sprig extends to
accommodate the change. Select the same sprinkler again and open the Properties dialog box.
Change the elevation back to 6000mm again and exit the dialog box. The sprinklers should all
be at 6m elevation again.
37
Use the Layer drop down list to turn the SC_Info layer ON.
Recall that this layer holds fitting outlet information as well as
pipe direction information.
38
With a left to right window, select everything but the deflectors of the sprinklers.
Press the Delete key to remove all pipes and fittings. The Sprinklers are all that should remain.
Select them all with a window and open the Properties dialog box.
Note that Node (6) indicates that six nodes have been selected.
Press OK to exit.
39
Pull down the Layer drop down list. Turn the SC_Info layer
OFF. This is the normal working setting.
Also, make sure that you have the View > Shade > 2D
Wireframe setting. This is the AutoCAD View setting that you
should use for the Basic mode.
40
Set up the pipe as a 50mm
schedule DIN2448 branch
line.
Press OK.
You will be prompted to Select Pipe at the command line. Pick the branch line pipe.
41
Nothing happened! Why? Because the pipe is below the pendent heads which are facing down,
the program cannot find a way to make the connection. If the heads were uprights, the
connection would be made. This demonstrates the built in intelligence of the program.
Enter M at the command line to start the Move command. When prompted to select objects,
select the pipe. Press Enter.
Select anywhere as the base point. For the second point of displacement enter @0,0,1800 at
the command line. Press Enter. This will move the pipe up 1.8m so that it is 0.9m above the
heads.
Enter S at the command line and press Enter to open the Pipe Settings dialog box.
It is to be threaded on both
ends.
42
The heads will be connected.
Press the Delete key to remove everything but the sprinklers and switch back to the Top view.
43
Select Branch Line as the
Type to get the same
settings that you had for the
Drops exercise.
Press OK to exit.
Enter M at the command line to start the Move command. When prompted to select objects,
select the pipe. Press Enter.
Select anywhere as the base point. For the second point of displacement enter @0,600,0 at the
command line. Press Enter. This will move the pipe 600mm in a Y direction and retain the same
elevation.
44
Set up the Armover pipes as
shown here.
45
Connecting Sprinklers with Return Bends
Use the AutoCAD Undo command to get back to the point where the heads are not connected
to the branch line.
The branch line should be 600mm away from the heads at an elevation of 6150mm. The heads
are at 6000mm elevation.
Press OK to finish.
46
Select the Pipe when prompted.
47
The Properties dialog box is shown here after selecting the riser nipple.
48
Moving Drawing Items
When Editing your project, you still have a wide variety of AutoCAD commands at your disposal.
Along with this, SprinkCAD 3D has the ability to heal pipe and modify fittings when you make
changes to your drawing. This provides an efficient combination for making changes.
Press Enter.
49
For the second point of displacement, enter @600,0,0 at the command line and press Enter.
Press the Undo button to undo the move so that the return bend goes back to
its original position.
Press Enter.
50
For the base point click anywhere in the drawing.
Press the Undo button to undo the move so that the head and drop are back
to their original position.
51
AutoCAD Grip commands are also available to you for
editing.
Pick the drop pipe to enable Grips. Pick the Grip at the top
of the pipe so that it becomes red.
The head and drop pipe will move 0.6m to the left.
The armover will extend to accommodate the move.
Press the Undo button to undo the move so that the head and drop are back
to their original position.
Pick the drop pipe again to enable Grips. Pick the Grip at
the top of the pipe so that it becomes red.
52
With ORTHO off, pick a point as shown in the
figure.
The return bend will rotate where the riser nipple meets the
armover.
Press the Undo button again to undo the move so that the head and drop are
back to their original position.
53
You will be prompted at the command line to Select objects:
54
You will be prompted to Specify point to drag pipe to:
Press the Undo button to undo the move so that the branch line is back to its
original position.
55
You can also drag entire runs of pipe. Select
Drag Pipe from the Piping toolbar.
You will be prompted: Specify Start Point or <enter to drag whole pipe run>
Press Enter. You are going to move the whole branch line.
56
You will be prompted for the Z coordinate. Enter 3000 at the command line and press Enter.
Press the Undo button again to undo the move so that the branch line is back
to its original position.
57
You can split pipes to cut couplings in at stock lengths.
Your drawing screen should look like the figure above. The piping is now in the Top view. Notice
that the branch line is colored red. This is because the length of the pipe exceeds the Maximum
Length. When the pipe was originally set up, the outlets were welded and the Maximum Length
was set to 6m. You can easily cut in couplings at stock lengths with the SprinkCAD 3D Split
Pipe command.
Two couplings will be cut into the pipe at 6m intervals. The pipe will no longer be red indicating
that none of the branch line pieces exceed the Maximum length.
58
Arraying Drawing Items
At the beginning of this tutorial you arrayed the heads to form a line. You can also use the Array
command to layout entire branch lines.
It will be a Rectangular Array with 4 Rows and 1 Column. The Row offset will be 3300 and the
angle will be zero. The Column Offset doesn’t matter because there is only one column. Press
the Select Objects button.
Select the entire branch line with a window. Press Enter. You will return to the Array dialog box.
51 objects should appear below the button. Press OK to finish.
59
Your branch lines will be arrayed.
60
The Pipe Settings dialog box
will appear:
61
For the Start Point pick the branch line as shown with the Midpoint OSNAP.
For the Next Point enter @0,-12000,0 at the command line and press Enter. For the Next Point
enter @3000,0,0 at the command line and press Enter. Press Enter twice again to exit the
command.
62
Inserting Riser Nipples
Use the 3D Orbit and other Views commands to rotate your system.
You will see that the main is located below the branch lines.
63
Select Front Left from the SC Views toolbar.
Zoom in on the area shown. Pick the end of the cross main twice so that the Grip at the end of
the pipe is highlighted in red.
64
Select Riser Nipples from the Piping toolbar.
Press Enter.
65
You will be prompted to :
66
Building a System Riser
You are now going to build your system riser. You should still be in the Front Left View.
The riser will be built at the end of the feed main as shown. Zoom in on this area. Recall that the
feed main elevation is 5.5m absolute.
67
Pick the end of the feed main with the End OSNAP.
This will insert the first section of pipe. This pipe runs from the
top elbow to the alarm valve.
For the next point enter @0,0,-600 at the command line. This distance is to the bottom elbow.
Press S to change the settings for the next piece.
68
For the next point enter @450,0,0 at the command line. This is the distance to a flanged gate
valve on the backflow preventer.
For the next point enter @450,0,0 at the command line. This is the
distance to the first flanged check valve in the backflow preventer.
For the next point enter @450,0,0 at the command line. This is the
distance to the second flanged check valve.
For the next point enter @450,0,0 at the command line. This is the
distance to a flanged gate valve.
For the next point enter @450,0,0 at the command line. This is the
distance to the elbow.
For the next point enter @0,0,-1800 at the command line. This is a
vertical pipe.
Press Enter twice to exit the command. You should now have
what is shown to the right. Zoom in on the lower section of pipe.
You can easily change these fittings to the ones you want with the Properties dialog box.
69
Pick the grooved coupling above the elbow as shown.
70
New Concept: Specifying Valves and Fittings
When you draw pipes and pipe connections, SprinkCAD 3D automatically tries to connect them
with the simplest fitting it can find. The fitting type will depend on the pipe material and the end
preparation. For example, move to a blank area of your Tutorial drawing. You should still be in
the Front Left view.
71
Start the Pipe Layout command. For the first
point pick a point on the screen. For the second
point enter @1500,0,0 at the command line.
Zoom in on your pipes. You will have two pipes as shown here joined by a coupling. The
program has capped the ends.
Pick the coupling with a left to right window so that the pipes will not be selected.
72
The Properties dialog box shows
that it is a Grooved Coupling.
SprinkCAD 3D detected that both
pipes were grooved on both ends
and required a fitting for
connection. It correctly chose a
grooved coupling.
73
Select the two pipes without selecting the fittings.
Press OK to exit.
74
Note that the coupling image has changed.
Select the coupling with a window and open the Properties dialog box. The fitting is now shown
as a threaded coupling. This is correct because the pipes were changed to have threaded ends.
If you select the end caps and open the Properties dialog box, they will be changed to threaded
as well. Select the coupling and open the Properties dialog box.
75
When you check the box, you are
able to force the fitting by
selecting from the drop down list
that becomes active.
Press OK to exit.
76
Select the gate valve and open
the Properties dialog box.
Press OK to exit.
The Flanged Gate valve appears. But how can this be? You chose threaded end preps for your
pipes.
77
Select the gate valve and open the
Properties dialog box.
SprinkCAD 3D will automatically add fittings that are available in the database to make
connections.
Change the Flanged OS&Y Gate valve to a Copper Coupling and press OK to exit.
A question mark appears at the position of the fitting. This indicates that SprinkCAD 3D cannot
determine how to make the connection. This is not surprising because you are trying to use a
copper coupling on steel pipe. When you encounter question marks like this, check your pipe
and fitting setups to ensure that you have done what you intended. Also, make sure that the
fittings you are using are available in the database.
Most of the fittings that are installed are initially unlocked. That is, SprinkCAD 3D is free to
choose fittings as you draw your pipes. In the vast majority of cases, the correct fittings will be
selected. Sprinkler heads are always installed as locked. If they were not, caps would be
chosen instead!
Note that when you observed fittings and valves in the dialog box there were no details such as
part numbers, sizes, etc. The fittings and valves in the AutoCAD screen are generic in nature.
More specific descriptions will be made when you export the file to SprinkSLIC for stocklisting.
And now, back to the Tutorial. Erase the two pipe lengths and fittings and return to the Riser
Detail.
78
The Riser will appear as shown here.
Next, you will change the elbow into a flanged 90° elbow.
79
Check the Lock box and select
Flanged 90 from the drop down
list.
Press OK to exit.
80
Select the next two flanges after the gate valve and change them into Swing Check FxF
valves.
Select the flange after the second check valve and change it into a OS&Y Gate FxF valve.
Finally, select the right most elbow and change it into a Flanged 90.
At this point the valves would look better if they were larger. The current Symbol Scale Factor
for these is 0.2. Select all of the valves and fittings in the riser detail and open the Properties
dialog box. Set the Symbol Scale Factor to 0.4. Close the dialog box.
81
This completes the Backflow Preventer. Now, you will build a Fire Department Connection.
Press OK to exit.
82
For the next point, enter @-900,0,0 at the command line and press Enter. This will be the
location of the first 90° elbow.
For the next point, enter @0,0,-900 at the command line and press Enter. This will be the
location of the second 90° elbow.
Press OK to exit.
83
Press Enter twice to exit the pipe drawing command. You should have what is shown here. Pick
the first fitting closest to the riser and make sure that it is a Grooved Tee Mechanical with the
Properties dialog box. Pick the second coupling and change it into a Swing Check GxG valve.
Pick the end cap and change it to a FDC. You should now have what appears here.
84
Saving the Riser for Future Use
You can now save this riser for use on future drawings.
First, create a folder where you can save your details.
For example, the Risers folder was created in the
C:\Projects folder here.
Include the vertical pipe in the copy but do not include any of the fittings at the top. In this way
the vertical pipe will be automatically capped by SprinkCAD 3D and the riser assembly will be a
complete entity.
85
Next, enter wblock at the command line and press Enter to start the AutoCAD Write Block
command.
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Pick the upper end of the vertical pipe.
The Design Center window will appear on the left. Navigate to your Details folder. Your 100mm
Wet Riser will appear in the list. A preview is available which is useful if you have a number of
different details. Simply drag the filename over to the drawing area to insert the detail into your
drawing.
You can now finish your main piping by using the Split Pipe command on all main pieces to cut
the pipe into stock lengths.
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Applying Smart Annotations
Smart Annotations are sophisticated labels that you can apply
to your drawing. For example, a Smart Annotation can be a
pipe size or length. The first thing you have to do is to set up
your Annotation Layer. Open the Layer Properties Manager.
Create a new layer called Pipe Size and Exit. From the Annotations
toolbar, select Templates.
For this exercise you are going to set up pipe labels. Select
Pipe from the drop down list. Press the New button to
create a new template.
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Enter Pipe Size as the
Template.
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Use the Contents window
to select the data to be
shown for this template.
To remove an item,
highlight it with your
mouse, right click and
select cut.
Press OK to finish.
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Switch to the Top view of your system.
Press OK.
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Another Template you can
setup is for pipe lengths.
Open a New SA Template.
Press OK to exit.
You can use Grips to move Annotations around to avoid clutter. The Annotations will remain
connected to the object. Any changes to the object will be automatically reflected in the Smart
Annotation. For example, if you used Properties to change the pipe diameter to 40mm from
50mm, the size label would automatically change to 50.
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Hangers
Select Hangers from the Piping toolbar to insert
hangers. The Hangers dialog box will appear.
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Creating Views
Select Top from the Views toolbar.
Zoom so that you can see your entire system in the plan view.
The first step in preparing for a plot is to setup the views you want to see in the plot. You can
setup these views using the AutoCAD View command.
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Type View at the command line or you can select Named Views from the View pull down
menu. The View dialog box will appear.
You create your views in the Named Views window. The Orthographic & Isometric Views
window contains preprogrammed views in a list. Select one with your mouse and press the Set
Current button to change your current view in Model space. For now though, you are going to
create some views. Press the New button.
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Pick a window around your system.
The View
dialog box will
appear again
with your new
view appearing
in the list.
Press OK to
exit.
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Now, you are going to create a riser detail view.
Zoom to get a view of your riser as shown. Type View at the command line or select Named
Views from the View pull down menu. The View dialog box will appear.
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Enter Riser Elevation for the View
Name. Select the Define window radio
button and press the Define View
Window button.
Select the riser elevation with a window as shown. You will return to the New View window
again. Press OK to exit.
The View dialog box will appear again. Your two new views will appear in the list. Press OK to
exit back to the drawing screen.
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Working in Paper Space
You work on your piping plan while in Model space. You prepare different views of your 3D plan
in Paper space for plotting.
You switch between Paper and Model space using the tabs at the
bottom of the screen.
The A0 sheet was set up for you. It contains the SprinkCAD 3D title block and one viewport.
Press the ISO A0 Titleblock tab to take a look at the window.
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Make sure that you are in Paper space now. Double click on the title block to open the
Enhanced Attribute Editor.
Select an attribute from the list and enter a value. For example, JOBNAME was selected here
and Lumber Manufacturing was entered as the value. When you press OK, the new Job name
will appear in the title block. There are several attributes in the list that you can enter values for.
With the Text Options tab you can change the text properties for the attributes. Press OK to
exit the Attribute Editor.
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The border around this area will darken indicating that you are now in Model space. This
thickened border is the viewport. You can have one or many viewports on the same sheet. Type
Z at the command line and press Enter to start the zoom command. Enter E at the command
line and press Enter to zoom to extents.
The plan view of your system will fill the viewport. This view appears because it is the current
view in Model space.
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You can also retrieve this view by entering View at the command line to open the View dialog
box.
Select System Plan View from the list and press the Set Current button. Press OK to exit.
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Pick the viewport border with your mouse so that the grips appear. Right click your mouse and
select Properties. This will open the AutoCAD Properties
dialog box.
For the Standard Scale value select 1:50 from the drop
down list. Note that there are several scales that you can
choose from in the list. Exit the dialog box.
The drawing will appear smaller but will scale to 1:50 when
plotted.
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With the viewport grips still active, drag the viewport to the left to make it smaller.
You can then double click inside the viewport to switch to Model space. Use
the Pan Realtime command to center the piping plan in the viewport.
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The sheet should now look like this.
Double click outside of the viewport to enter Paper space. You are now going to define a
viewport for your riser view.
Set the current layer to Viewport. It is best to draw your viewports in a known layer that you can
turn off before plotting.
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From the View pull down menu, select 1 Viewport.
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Double click inside the new viewport to make it active and to enter Model space. Enter View at
the command line and press Enter. The View dialog box will appear.
Select your Riser Elevation view from the list and press the Set Current button. Press OK to
exit.
Set the Standard Scale to 1:50 using the drop down list.
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Your sheet should now appear as shown here.
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The Text Style dialog box will appear.
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Select a Font from the drop down list. A preview of the font will appear in the bottom right
corner. Leave the Height at 0. This will allow you to set the height when you enter text and
dimensions. Press Apply and Close to exit the dialog box.
Now, you can use AutoCAD’s text tools to enter text in Paper space.
Create new layer for your notes named PaperNotes and set this layer to Current.
Select Draw > Text > Multiline Text from the pull down menus. You will be prompted to specify
a rectangle with your mouse.
With this text tool you can enter paragraphs of information in one step. Set the height in the drop
down list and type your information. Press OK to exit and have your text appear on the drawing.
When the text is inserted, you can pick it to activate the grips and change the size of the box.
Double clicking on the text will open the Text Editor where you can make changes.
Generally it is best if you enter your text in Paper space. In this way, you will not have to worry
about the 3D orientation of the text.
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The first thing to do is to set up your Dimension Style. From the Format pull down menu, select
Dimension Style. The Dimension Style Manager will open. Press the New button.
This dialog box will open. Enter a name for your new Dimension Style. Riser Dimension is
used here for the Style Name. Start with the STANDARD_METRIC Style. Press the Continue
button.
The New Dimension Style dialog box will open where you will set up your Dimension Style. The
settings shown here are only suggestions, however they work well with sprinkler drawings
plotted to 1:50 scale. Feel free to make your own decisions. Make your settings as shown here.
Arrow and extension line sizes of 100 seem to work well.
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Press the Text tab.
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The Unit Format will
be Decimal.
The Measurement
Scale Factor will be
1.
Press OK to finish.
The Dimension Style Manager will return with your new Riser Dimension Style. Make sure that it
is current and press Close.
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New Concept: Dimensioning a 3D Model
Dimensioning a 2D object is a pretty straight forward affair. The dimensions are placed in the
same plane as the 2D drawing. There are a couple of more considerations to be made when
dimensioning in 3D.
A dimension is a 2D object. If you view it from the front view, as you would in a 2D drawing, it
looks fine. If you look at it from the top or the side however, all you will see is a line. That is why
it is necessary to orient the dimension with the object. You do this by manipulating the UCS.
Switch to the Top view. Make sure that the UCS appears
in the lower left corner of your screen. If not, select Tools
> New UCS > World from the pull down menus.
Notice the orientation of the UCS. The X axis points to the right and the Y axis points up. The Z
axis points directly at you.
Insert a Linear Dimension anywhere on the drawing and you will find that it works just fine.
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Erase the dimension and switch to the Front view.
Note the orientation of the UCS. The X axis points to the right and the Z axis points upward. The
Y axis is pointing away from you. Try inserting another Linear dimension for the approximate
length of the backflow preventer.
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The dimension will appear at some
distance from the riser and will be parallel
to the floor. There is an important
concept to realize here. Dimensions are
always placed in the current X-Y
plane.
From the
Tools pull down menu, select New UCS > View.
This will rotate the UCS so that the X-Y plane is
parallel to the riser in the current view.
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You can resolve this problem by moving the UCS.
Select Move UCS from the Tools pull down menu. You will be
prompted at the command line to Specify the new origin.
Try inserting a dimension and then view it from an isometric view. In summary, you must flip the
UCS so that the X-Y plane is parallel to the objects to be dimensioned. Then you must move the
UCS to the object being dimensioned. To return the UCS to the “Home” position, select Tools >
New UCS > World. The World UCS position and orientation is used when starting a new
drawing.
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Switch to Riser Elevation viewport and enter a few dimensions on your riser.
Turn off the Viewport layer to remove the viewport lines. Turn off the UCSs in the viewports and
you are ready to plot.
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