Piping Workflow for MEP AutoCAD Piping Phil Nower Hazen and Sawyer MP3512-L: In this class we will harness the power of MEP Data in AutoCAD. We will review the workflow to fully utilize this Data throughout the projects life cycle, from the Design Team to the Construction Team. We will use the Data to help build a process mechanical piping design, share that data with the entire Project Design Team. Review how the Design Team can access and analyze the Data using Navisworks and Spread Sheets to increase communication and facilitate efficient project workflow. Then we will bring the Process Design and the Data into a construction environment. Where along with developing spool and fabrication drawings we will increase and build on the Data from the Design Team to produce a powerful as built model with up to date Data. Learning Objectives At the end of this class, you will be able to: 1) Apply BIM Data in the Design...2 2) Build on the Design using Manufactures Data...4 3) Produce Fabrication Drawings Directly from the Design...5 4) Bring Data into other files...6 5) Developing a Good BIM Plan Enhances Productivity...10 About the Speaker Phil Nower has been using 3D modeling from 1989 to the present. He started to produce parametric spreadsheet-driven 3D models with Mechanical Desktop R14 for the petroleum and chemical industries. When he became employed by Hazen and Sawyer, he had the opportunity to use AutoCAD MEP software to build two large-scale water treatment plants, as well as small scale pump stations. All of these 3D projects required some sort of customization to the AutoCAD MEP out-of-the-box 3D content to meet the design challenges for the above-stated projects, from adding sizes to existing fittings to producing specialized parametric equipment pnower@hazenandsawyer.com
1) Apply BIM Data in the Design Properties Dialog Box To down load the Property Set Data into an object you first must select it. Then go to the (Extended Data) Tab in the Properties dialog box. Select the Add Property Sets icon, in the lower left corner. The Add Property Sets Dialog Box will appear. All of the Property Sets that can be imported into the selected object will be visible. This gives you the option to select the data that you want to be imported into the object. Selected Object Properties Dialog Box Properties Dialog Box The Property Sets visible in the Extended Data Tab can now be read by MEP Schedules, and then exported out to Excel Spread Sheets. Extended Data Tab All Property Sets that can be imported into the selected object Add Property Sets Icon Help Tip! To save time in selecting objects, Select Similar with objects that share common Property Sets. 2
Property Sets Property Set Definitions Property Set Definitions can be accessed, edited and created through the Style Manager Dialog Box, which can be found in Style & Display in the Manage area of the Ribbon. Property Set Definitions are under Documentation Objects Once a Set is selected, you will see tabs that control it. The (Applies To) Tab determines the Object/s. In the (Definition) Tab are the values for the Property Sets that are added to the (Extended Data) Tab. Schedules, Quantity Take-Off, Exporting to Excel Spread Sheets MEP Schedules can be found on the Annotation area of the Ribbon and on the Tool Palettes. MEP Pipe Schedule MEP Schedules read the imported Property Sets The MEP Schedule can be exported as an Excel Spread Sheet, providing the team access to the information. Schedules can be read objects in the same dwg file or they can read objects from an external source. Excel Spread Sheet Heads Up! The Objects that do not have the Property Set data imported will have a? in the column instead of a value. 3
2) Build on the Design using Manufactures Data Butterfly Valve from Design Firm to be replaced with East Coast CAD s Butterfly Valve containing Manufacturers Information We will be using East Coast CAD software to enable us to directly bring the 3D model created by the design firm to produce fabrication drawings. Creating a seamless transition of BIM data Enables the user to Load 3D Content, Standard Catalogs and Customized Catalogs The East Coast CAD Plug-In s tie into their SQL Server which contains live updated Manufacturers Content. That can be used to create Fabrication/Spool Drawings Enables the user to view the current condition of the content in the Server Butterfly Valve from East Coast CAD s Server, containing Manufacturers Information Once you have downloaded the selected content from East Coast CAD s Server, you can now apply those items in your fabrication model. All of the content from East Coast contains manufacturers live data so as you populate your model with their content, you are also bringing in the manufacturers data as well. Imported Manufacturers Data For Valves other Mechanical Items they can be applied through the MvParts catalogs. And will be shown as a separate catalog. Pipes and Pipe Fittings can be applied through the Routing Preferences 4
3) Produce Fabrication Drawings Directly from the Design Once the items, pipes, pipe fittings have been updated producing spool drawings from them using the plug-ins is pretty straightforward and simple. However even though the steps are simple the implications cannot be under appreciated. In a more traditional approach to developing project drawings, there were several distinct sets of drawings in a projects life cycle, that for the most part were only linked together with notes, annotation, field memos, etc Project Drawings Design Coordination Spool As Built Now that we have the ability to use the Manufacturers data directly into the design model this enables us to have the coordination drawings, spool drawings and the as built drawings all produced together. Radically changing our workflow Project Drawings Design Coordination Spool As Built To start a spool right click on the highlighted area and select Define. Opens up the Fabrication Palette Now select the objects that you wish to be in the spool drawing. You can have more than one spool indicated in a drawing. Note: A very nice safety valve! You can t select objects to be spooled twice. The spool icon indicates when the items have been selected to be spooled. To produce a spool drawing, right click the spool icon and select Generate Generated Spool Drawing with BOM Now select Open to view the created spool drawing. 5
4) Bring Data into other files Bringing Data into 2D and 3D DWF Files In order to see the Property Sets in a 2D or 3D DWF file you must fist go to the AEC DWF Publishing Options This dialog box looks for the AutoCAD Publish Properties List File. You can make your own, or edit the Out of Box one. However this file does not see the Property Sets that are currently in the open dwg file. To make sure that you re gonna see the Property Sets in your DWF files select Add. That will bring up the Add Property Sets dialog box. This dialog box sees only the Property Sets that are in the drawing file that is Make sure that the Publish Property Set Data is checked. You can select both but at least make sure that the first one is checked. currently open 6
To produce a 2D DWF File go to Export DWF Data from Object Once the AEC DWF Publishing Options has been modified your 2D and 3D DWF Files now contains Object Orientated Property Data Sets. You can now apply this additional information to your BIM Plan, helping to clarify designs by not relaying entirely on annotation and aiding in documenting the design process. To produce a 3D DWF File go to Export 3D DWF Data from Object If you adopt bringing Object Orientated Property Data Sets into how the project is documented from design to constructions to facility management, the Property Data Sets will be populated with the manufacturers data. This can be a useful tool in developing a comprehensive Project BIM Plan. 7
Bringing Data into Navisworks Once the Property Sets have been imported in the, Navisworks will be able to read them. Similar to the DWF Files, as the project progresses the Property Data Sets will be populated with the manufacturers data. This can be a useful tool in developing a comprehensive Project BIM Plan. The imported Property Sets can be used for creating Selection Sets. The example shown uses the System of the Pipe Object Property Set to create the Distribution System Selection Set. Once a selection set is created it now can be used for the Clash Detective, the Time Liner, etc, etc A Selection Set can be made from any of the items from the imported Property Sets. Giving you many options 8
Help Tip! Use some Navisworks File Management If only I used some file management, it wouldn t take me FOREVER to update the project Don t wait till the end to start doing your Navis Model. Build the Navis Model right from the beginning as the project grows, so does the Navis Model. IF or When you hear someone say that it takes all day to update a Navisworks Project it s probably because they have too many files being read by a single NWF file. Keep in mind that a NWF file reads the condition of each file that has been merged or appended into it. Civil 3d Revit Project Revit Project Too Many Unorganized Project Files The more files that the NWF file needs to read, the longer it will take to update. Structural Revit Project Plumbing Architectural Revit Project Mechanical Organized Project Files Whether you organize the project files by Discipline, Facility, Level, Elevation, System or a combination of all this will cut down on the time it takes for the NWF file to update and it will also help in analyzing the project. Help in Creating Selection Sets for o Clash Detective o Time Liner o Presenter Ease in Isolating Specific Systems of the Project Increase communication options with project team members 9
5) Developing a Good BIM Plan Enhances Productivity In this Lab we are focusing on developing a seamless transfer of data from the design firm to the contractor, however this does naturally lead into understanding the need to produce a more comprehensive plan, one that covers the transfer of data from the design firm to the owner. A well thought out plan should have the BIM Data meeting the needs and requirements of all three phases of the project. Design Firm BIM Data Contractor BIM Data Owner BIM Data Contract Drawings Interferences Quantity Take-Offs Design Analyzes Energy Requirements Schedules Fabrication Drawings Construction Sequencing 4D Coordination Staging Options Training Personnel O&M Manuals Work Orders Maintenance Planning Proposed Work If we use today s Lab as one example of how a Good BIM Plan enhances productivity, where we took the design firms 3D Model/Data and transferred it to the Contractor. There was no need to re-work the project hierarchy. The naming conventions stayed the same. The methods in which the data was extracted from the 3D Model to the spread sheets didn t change. The transition from Design Firm to Contractor was seamless because an attempt was made not to duplicate work. Keep in mind that today s lab focuses on just one example of applying a BIM Plan. Every single aspect of a 3D project has the potential to be planned out throughout the life cycle of the project. The more effort, items, variables that you put into developing a BIM Plan, from CAD Standards to Engineering Cals to Permits the less work will need to be re-done. Design Firms 3D Project 3D MEP Models Contractors 3D Project 3D MEP Models Schedule s Schedule s Excel Spread Sheets Excel Spread Sheets 10