• How To: Clearing cells from the Specgen Branch Table

     The branch table allows users to choose token types from a pull down but does not have an obvious option to set a cell to have no token.  Cells in the Branch Table can be blanked out by right clicking on the cell and choosing “Clear” this will removed...

  • 64 bit Object Enabler for AutoPLANT V8i

    A 64bit compatible object enabler for AutoCAD is available for users who do not have AutoPLANT installed.  The AutoPLANT V8i Select Series 3 object enablers can be downloaded using the following steps:

     

    1. Follow this link https://select.bentley.com/FulfillmentCenter...

  • Delete User Annotations from AutoPLANT

     

    AutoPLANT does not have a mechanism to delete user annotation from the AutoCAD. User annotations are stored in 2 text files in the project. To delete the user annotations they must be manually deleted using the following steps.

    1. Go to the following...
  • Projectwise Navigator Select Series 3 Download

    Projectwise Navigator Select Series 3 project review software has been rebranded to Bentley Navigator with the Select Series 3 release.  Use the flowing instructions to find and download Bentley Navigator:
     
  • AutoPLANT Select Series 2 (08.11.07.60) Catalogs and Specs

    The installation locations for Catalogs and Specs have changed for AutoPLANT Select Series 2. The install paths have been changed from the folders under C:\Program files\Bentley\Plant ;

    C:\Program Files\Bentley\Plant V8i\Catalogs

    C:\Program Files...

  • 64 bit AutoPLANT

     

    Question:  Is a 64 bit version of AutoPLANT available. 
    Answer:  A 64 bit compatible version of AutoPLANT is currently not available.
     
    Q: Is AutoPLANT supported to work with 64 bit AutoCAD, or 64 bit or Windows XP/Vista/7.
    A:  A 64 bit compatible...
  • $DDT_AUDIT_GENERATED on AutoPLANT Piping Isogen Drawings

     

    A rare but annoying issue occurs if an Isogen backing sheet has a corrupt block.  When isogen creates the final drawing the text $DDT_AUDIT_GENERATED is generated (usually very large an easily noticed) in the finished Isogen drawing.  Lucky this is...
  • Export AutoPLANT Piping, Equipment, Raceways, and ProSteel ACIS objects to .sat file

    Occasionally AutoPLANT models need to be give to users who are not using AutoCAD or Microstation as their CAD application. AutoPLANT objects may not be available in other CAD programs and in this case ACIS objects must be created and sent to the user. The ACIS process is detailed in the following Technote http://communities.bentley.com/Products/Plant/Design___Engineering/w/Plant_Design_and_Engineering__Wiki/converting…

  • View AutoPLANT V8i Objects using Navisworks

    Some Bentley AutoPLANT users also use Autodesk Navisworks as a visualization software to view Bentley AutoPLANT objects. Some of the recent releases of Autodesk Navisworks do not show Bentley AutoPLANT objects correctly. Autodesk has an Knowledge base article detailing how to view Bentley AutoPLANT objects in Autodesk Navisworks found in the following link:

    http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id…

  • Only Classic Xref Manager is Available in AutoPLANT

    If you're an AutoPLANT user who almost never loads basic AutoCAD then you may have never noticed or even seen the new Xref manager. And if you're a long time AutoPLANT user then you may be saying to yourself (What there is a new Xref manager?). As seen below is an example of the classic and non classic Xref managers:

    But why does AutoPLANT only use the classic Xref manager? Well that's because AutoPLANT enforces…

  • Create Mitered Elbows with Extra mitered Sections

     

    The spec records included with AutoPLANT only have a few specific mitered elbows.  AutoPLANT can create mitered elbows with angles of 90, 70, 60, 45, and 30 with up to 100 (max) miters. Use the following steps to create a 90 degree mitered bend with 7 miters:

     

    1. Go to Mitered elbow located at Piping>Bends and Returns>Mitered elbow
    2. In the Dialog "Mitered Elbow Component Initialization" use the following…
  • The Overlooked Tooltip or Oh where Oh where has my Tooltip Gone!!!

    The Tooltip is a handy device in AutoPLANT that allows users to quickly see basic information about a piping component.  To use Tooltip hover over a component with the icon and Tooltip will appear displaying the following information Line Number, Service, Spec, Main Size, and Long Description.

     

    Tooltip can be turned off by going to Piping>Setup>Drawing Preferences and then checking 'Disable Tooltips…

  • AutoPLANT V8i SELECT series 1 (08.11.06.30) Installation Check List and Installation Procedure

    Pre-Install Requirements Hardware Requirements
    • Intel ® Pentium ® 4 processor or AMD Athlon ®, 3.0 GHz or greater
    • 2 GB minimum of Ram
    • 2 GB minimum free hard disk space
    • 1280 x 1024 32-bit 128 MB or greater, OpenGL®, or Direct3D® capable graphics card (Direct3D® capable graphics card with 128 MB is required for Windows Vista)
    Software Requirements

    Operating System

    • Microsoft…
  • AVAST!!! Change Isogen Compass directions N, S, E, & West to Nautical Directions

    An AutoPLANT user in the ship building industry uses Isogen drawings to for their piping drawing. But outputting compass directions (as seen in Pic 1)was inconvenient for the builders and requested that nautical terms to be used such as Port and Starboard.

    Pic1.

     

    Luckily Isogen is able to customize that output using the Alt Text Editor. To access the Alt Text Editor start Project Administrator then…

  • Object Enabler for AutoPLANT V8i

     

    An object enabler for AutoCAD is available for users who do not have AutoPLANT installed.  The AutoPLANT V8i object enablers can be downloaded using the following steps:

     

    1. Follow this link https://select.bentley.com/FulfillmentCenter/en/Search/Product/

    2. Log into Bentely.com when prompted

    3. Change "Product:" to AutoPLANT

    4. Change "Category:" to Free Updates/Utilities

    5. Search

    6. Download, Bentley…

  • Add AutoPLANT Menu Pull Down to AutoCAD 2009

    Many users like new AutoCAD Ribbon style tool bar but also need the AutoPLANT menus in a more convenient location.  Lucky there is a simple command to turn the default tool bar from this:

     

    To this:

     

     

    To add the Menu bar type MENUBAR in the command line and you will be prompted to enter a new value:

    Enter new value for MENUBAR <0>:

    Type 1 for the new value then enter and…

  • Remove Batch from Isogen Title Block

    Batch Ref is a is a default reference included in the isogen title block which references the Area value as displayed in the image below:

    Batch can be removed by editing a file in the Isogen style in use (example FINAL) and editing the position file final.pos.  Because the batch reference a default value it is not required in the .pos file for placement.  To change the default location or to remove the batch…

  • Grids on Plates to Mimic Grating in AutoPLANT Structural 2004 and ProSteel

    Here is a quick over view of the evolution of Structural 2004 to ProSteel V8i. The only real changes are the names of the menu picks from Structural to ProSteel and the ProSteel dialog has been changed but not in such a way that is unrecognizable.

    AutoPLANT Structural

    A grid can be placed on an existing plate by using the following steps:

    1. Select the plate
    2. Right click and go to Structural Propertie…

  • A Little Security Stops Office From Opening Older Office Documents

    Microsoft Office Service Pack 3 changed a registry entry to block Office 2003 from opening older Word, Excel, and Power point file because they can pose a security risk. The can present a problem for AutoPLANT 2004 users because its reports output in an older word format.

     

    This Microsoft knowlagebase article http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938810 details the steps to allow office to open older files.

  • AutoPLANT Tips and Tricks and Rules to Follow

     

    Rules of the AutoPLANT

     

    1. AutoPLANT runs on Autodesk AutoCAD

    2. Autodesk AutoCAD is installed first

    3. AutoCAD must be opened 1 time after install

    4. AutoPLANT requires Admin rights to install properly

    5. The user requires Admin rights to use AutoPLANT properly

    6. Don't use SAMPLE_XXXXX projects for production

    7. Make new projects not based off of…

  • What is it? Where is it? What does it do?

    This is the first ever feature of "What is it?  Where is it? What does it do?" or What? Where? What?   But what is the "What is it?  Where is it? What does it do?" feature?  Well what I will do is find an AutoPLANT file, command or neat thing in AutoPLANT then describe what that does, where it is located and in general why it should not be fooled around with.  And if the what where what is a program file…

  • Welds. Why did it have to be Welds or Omitting Welds from AutoPLANT Reports

    The Start of a Day 

    Bill was running reports for his AutoPLANT models but when he ran his reports he got a nasty infestation of welds. Unable to remove the weld infestation from his reports he used the used the Bentley phone to place a service with Bentley Plant Support.

    After receiving the service ticket I ran the standard set of complex plant support tests; which consisted of running a basic built in out of…