Multiple OPPID SS5 Questions...new user

Recently our company purchased a copy of OPPID Select Series 5 and I am having multiple issues.  Trying to figure some things out on my own but have been unsuccessful at fixing any of my problems.  The issues I am having are as follows:

1.  When initially starting a project I am not given the option of of calling out CS (carbon steel) which is a problem as this is what we generally use.  I am given many options to choose from but for some reason CS is not one of them.

2.  Currently we have a vast library of AutoCAD blocks that we use and I can not figure out how to implement those in to the cell library.

3.  When running the tutorials it is pointed out many times that you can use the Esc key to break the current command that you are in.  This does not work at all for me, my only option for getting out of a current command is to click on the Element Selection tool.

4.  Grid snaps seem to work intermittently depending on which command I am in at that current state.  

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have been tasked to "sell" this software to the rest of my team and move away from the current PID software that we are using.  I see great potential with this product and have been very impressed with what I have seen and done so far.  Once I can get these "glitches" taken care of and get a better feel for the software I will be able to present things on a more impressive level.

Thank You in advance for any help 

  • Hello Jeremy,

    I am sorry to hear you are having these issues.

    In order for me to help you I need to know a few things first as well as I need some clarification on a few of your issues.

    What version are you running? Go to Help about - I need the specific build number. It will be something like 08.11.10.xxx. I recommend you download the latest build which is 08.11.10.427.

    Have you taken any training? User as well as Administrator training.

    Regarding your issues - have you logged these with the Bentley Technical Support Group?

    Specific to you questions:

    1. Please clarify. Are you looking for a specification for Carbon Steel? The specs we provide have specific names and have carbon steel components. It may not be named "CS". You can rename the specs if you desire.
    2. Creating new cells from existing blocks can be achieved. We need to review what you have and then use the tools in the Component Manager to create the custom cells you need. A training session would cover this.
    3. Using the ESC key is possible. From the menu select Workspace>Preferences. On the initial page - Input - check on the "Allow ESC key to stop current command".
    4. Grid snaps can be touchy when a cell is between grid points. I am not sure about your specific issue. Some commands do have their own settings. For instance - Place a pump and when the "Place Horizontal Centrifugal Pump" dialog loads pick the down arrow in the lower right hand corner. Note the snap mode for that command. Note Snap lock and Grid Lock etc. from the menu pick Settings>Drawing. In the P&ID Document dialog pick on the Settings tab. Look at the lock settings section - by default this is "By System" this means it will use the settings in the session. If set to By Component it will use the settings as defined in the individual component placement dialog.

    Once we get these questions answered and sorted out we can begin the process of moving you ahead in your evaluation.

    Thank You,

    Tony DeRosa

    Senior Application Engineer

    Bentley Plant

     

    Tony DeRosa

    Senior Application Engineer

    Bentley Plant



  • Tony,

    The current build I am using is 08.11.10.427 which I believe to be the latest.

    To answer your other questions, I am looking for the spec for Carbon Steel.  In doing the online training modules, one of the very first things it has you do is pick your spec and for some reason in the training module (which incidentally is Select Series 2) it shows that option for a spec, but when I follow along with the training module my OPPID does not have the spec for CS.  I am given many options but CS is not one of them.  I have Grayloc, Nibcom, Spvc_40 etc...

    I am currently scheduled to go to the class first week of October in Biloxi and hope I can have most of these questions cleared up there but was trying to take care of my current issues before hand should anything else come up in the meantime.  

    Thank you for the advice on breaking the command using the Esc key...this I did find and change.

    I am fairly new to the Bentley world as I have spent the last 15 years using AutoCAD.  I have been tasked to learn this software and will be training the rest of my department on this fairly soon i would suspect.  Being an avid AutoCAD user I must say I have been quite impressed so far as to the power and ability of this OPPID program.  I see quite a bit of potential in using this program as it will streamline the process compared to what they currently are doing.  I have good expectations for this program and have been spending the past month dissecting it to better understand the capability it has.  As stated before I have been tasked to "sell" the program to the rest of the department as they have been using the same program for some time now and are biased to learning something new.  I want to hit them with all of the impressive features so they can see how much easier their jobs will be using this software.

    Thanks for all of your help

    Jeremy Grove

    Mechanical Designer

    YPS Johnson Controls

  • Jeremy,

    If you are looking for a spec to use in terms of the training manual then any spec will do. I suggest the EX-OPM spec. If you need to have a spec that is specific to your organization then the version of OpenPlant PowerPID you have includes the OpenPlant Specification Generator program. Yu can use this to build your own spec.

    Also note that if you have a training manual from SELECTseries 2 then you need to update this from Bentley LEARN server. There were significant changes made between SELECTseries 2 and subsequent releases.

    I am teaching the class scheduled in October in Biloxi. I am looking forward to meeting you. This class will only be 4 hours in duration and will cover user topics. I have added a section to the training for AutoCAD users so as to assist you with the transition to OpenPlant PowerPID.

    What program are you currently using to create your PIDs?

    In the interim this Be Community is a good place to post your questions but also remember to use Bentley Technical Support. You can log your own service tickets at the link below provided you are registered with the Bentley site. Technical Support is the ideal place to log any thing you suspect is a defect as well as enhancement request. If you need something and don't log it with Technical Support then odds are it will not be tracked and unless another user logged it, Bentley may not know about it.

    Here is the link to the support page:

    http://selectservices.bentley.com/en-US/

    In the middle of this page is a selection for "Service Request Manager". Use this log your questions and issues.

    See you at the Bentley Plant Users Group meeting,

    Tony DeRosa

    Bentley Plant

     

    Tony DeRosa

    Senior Application Engineer

    Bentley Plant



    Answer Verified By: Grover89 

  • Tony,

    We are currently using AutoPLANT Modeler V8i SS5 to do our PID's.  

    Jeremy Grove

    Mechanical Designer

    YPS Johnson Controls

  • Incidentally my boss Scott Hammer says to tell you hello and he will see you as well at the Bentley training.

    He also wanted me to ask you if there was any difference between the Access files for the specs as far as being able to transfer what we have in AutoPLANT over to OpenPlant .  We tried to copy our CS-300 spec over to OpenPlant but received an error when trying to open using the SpecGen.  Ultimately I believe we will be taking all of our specs from AutoPLANT and moving them over to OpenPlant.

    Jeremy Grove

    Mechanical Designer

    YPS Johnson Controls