i have checked and this question was previously asked but not entirely sure about the answer
i want to go through the datagroup catalog for specific catalogs such as st.gobain: ensign & timesaver, victaulic and other mpipe types to include all the options for their fittings
my question is
Hi David,
Keep in mind that DataGroup catalogs specify component types; e.g., Elbow, Wye, Tee, etc. organized by the applicable discipline. The manufacturer's catalogs are stored in Access databases (*.mdb) under the dataset's \DataGroupCatalogs\xxx_Lib folders. For example, \Plumbing_Lib, \Fittings_Lib, etc.. They are then tied together using XML mapping files as outlined in this wiki: https://communities.bentley.com/products/building/building_analysis___design/w/building_analysis_and_design__wiki/10910/creating-a-custom-manufacturer-s-catalog-for-plumbing-components
This sounds like the manufacturers component is not fully incorporated into Aecosim... The object placed would be generated by Aecosim and be tagged with the manufacturer's business info only.
Say you have a catalog of plumbing equipment like pipes and elbows from a particular manufacturer. Let's say that manufacturer has 45 deg elbows that are actually bent to 46 degs. Aecosim would still be able to place 45 deg elbows erroneously .
Dominic
the catalog instance of say a victaulic bend or tee when created using a join tool is not dimensionally accurate and also does not match the catalog of the pipes
if you try to edit the fitting in the data instance dialog it will not let you change the dimensions
fir that reason it’s looking like it’s necessary to create an entire library of fittings and place them manually into the model. For some reason there is no couplers in the fitting catalog so using manufacturers cells looks the only way forward on that. Problem there is unlike the pipes and fitting they won’t display correctly in the 2d drawings
David Turner
MEP 3D coordination & BIM Technician
Rail Projects
Yea... I think that the Mech tools were written well before this level of BIM fidelity was 'standard'.
The ducting, piping tools geometry behaviour are probably coded to emulate a certain set of generic rules which do not account for or look at what the individual components charateristics are. As mentioned, I think Aecosim sort of fakes the incorporation of manufacturer's components by retaining its inbuilt geometry/objects... and just attaches a non-graphic reference to the manufacturer's components.... so that the downstream consumers of the BIM model can 'pretend' all the info is correct.
Probably falls short of BS 1192 LOD requirements, as parameters like bend angles would have serious knock on impacts on the connecting pipe's slope, length etc. Unreliable quantity take offs and clashes? Aecosim seems to have a pretty complacent attitude towards LOD at the moment. But, I can see manufacturers starting to driving what is LOD 100/200/300 etc in future... for both the design and analytical side of any BIM app.
Worth checking if the bend or tee objects have .paz files. If so, it might be possible to import your manufacturer's components via .rfa (Revit).
Might also be worth asking in the OpenPlant forum whether OpenPlant has the same problem. Process plant piping tools tend to be much more spec / manufacturer's component aware / driven.
Sounds like a good Wagnerian topic for a future SIG.
i was beginning to think the MEP interests didn’t exist due the the silince comming from my posting.
or perhaps I had missed somthing in the way the tools should be used and no one was saying anything
thank-you for your comments, it confirms then it’s not just me seeing the fittings as not accurate.
I had concidered using revit files but the end client requires us to use ‘native’ V8 dgn files using microstation line styles and the clients levels. RFA files in that case would still need a lot of conversion and look rubbish when the drawing was cut or in a dynamic view
ive resolved to create a parts drawing for as many pipe types as I think I am likely to use.
it seems amazing that these don’t already exist.