The H-Factor

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The AutoCAD Load Sequence

This is a subject that I need to revisit every now and then, and it gives me a headache every time. What happens when you open AutoCAD?

A. CUI files loaded:
1. Enterprise
2. Main
3. Partials to Main
4. Partials to Enterprise

B. acad*.* files loaded:
1. Files listed in acad.rx
2. acad2012.lsp
3. acad.lsp
4. acad2012doc.lsp
5. acaddoc.lsp
6. acad.dvb

C. CUI-associated MNL and LSP files loaded:
1. Enterprise named MNL
2. Enterprise loaded LSP and MNL
3. Main named MNL
4. Main loaded LSP and MNL
5. Partials to Main named MNLs
6. Partials to Main loaded LSPs and MNLs
7. Partials to Enterprise named MNLs
8. Partials to Enterprise loaded LSPs and MNLs

D. Startup suite files loaded

E. Startup routines run:
1. AcadStartup() called (AutoCAD startup)
2. AcadDocument_Activate() called (Drawing startup)
3. (S::STARTUP) called

Yeah, it's a lot. We do not use all of these, but occasionally I need to dig through this list because a customer has an unusual third-party application that is causing conflicts.

The above list is from cadnauseum. That blog post has extensive documentation to further explain the load sequence. If you need a snooze, dig in!

Running AutoCAD and HydraCAD Independently Using Profiles

From a customer: On occasion I use the program at my home computer (this has helped in doing the tutorials).  Most of the time I need to use only my Autocad 2012 without HydraCAD,  but the system looks for the lock. Is there a solution to this?

The way to do this is to create separate profiles for HydraCAD and AutoCAD. The V51 shortcut already points to our profile, so all you need to do is create an AutoCAD profile.

1. Go into AutoCAD and type in OPTIONS.
2. Pick the Profile tab
3. Pick Reset and answer Yes - This will configure AutoCAD back to the original settings

    4. Pick Export. Choose a folder location for the profile name. I previously created a \Profiles folder for this purpose. Give the profile the name of 'Default AutoCAD' and pick Save

    5. Locate the original AutoCAD shortcut on your desktop (not the HydraCAD one) and right-click on it. Pick Properties and pick the Shortcut tab. Locate the Target item on that page

    6. Add the syntax -p C:\Profiles\Default AutoCAD to the end of the Target string, adding a space first. This assumes that C:\Profiles is the location chosen for the profile

You now can run both AutoCAD in its original state and HydraCAD in its preferred state. These steps should be able to performed to run HydraCAD side-by-side with any 3rd party product or flavor of AutoCAD. Just configure OPTIONS for the product you want and Export it and follw the steps above.

12+ Ways to Use AutoCAD Object Selection

I found this while googling for a solution to a customer problem - whenever he selected an object, all objects touching that object were also selected. I did not know AutoCAD had such an option, but they call is 'fast selection'. Click here for most of what you see below Ways to use AutoCAD Object Selection and also check these out: Selection Options in AutoCAD 2012, Object Selection in AutoCAD and Use all of your selection options

Listed, they are:

1. Pick Single

You can pick single object when AutoCAD ask you to select objects.

2. Window

You can define a window selection by clicking at two points. Click first point on the left side, and 2nd point on the right side. This will select all elements inside the window.

This action will select: (dotted circles are the selection)

If you pick your points right then left, then it will be cross window selection (will be explained next). This two are the default window selection.

If you want to activate window selection, type W then [enter]. Type it when AutoCAD ask you: select objects…

Even you pick points from right then left, it will be window selection.

3. Cross Window

Basically if your window selection defined from right to left, then it will be cross window selection. It will select all elements inside and touching the window.

This action will select:

You can override to activate cross window selection by typing C then [enter].

4. Fence

You can select drawing elements by defining ‘a fence’ that touched objects you wanted. Just type F then [enter] to activate it. After you finish defining your fence, press [enter] to select.

This action will select:

5. Window Polygon

This option behave as window selection, but you can define unlimited points for that window. Just type WP then [enter] to activate it. All elements inside the window will be selected.

This action will select:

6. Crossing Polygon

Similar to cross window selection.  CP

This action will select:

7. Touching Objects

When AutoCAD ask you to select object, type ‘FS then [enter]. We use ‘ for transparent use. Pick your object, then all objects touching it will be selected.

Select objects: ‘FS

Use ‘FSMODE to control chain selection.
FSMODE = OFF
Select touching object: 3 object(s) found.  3 found, 7 total

Select objects:
Exiting Fastsel

FASTSEL is an express tool. So if you don’t have express tools installed, it might not work.

This selection is controlled by FSMODE system variable.

FSMODE = OFF (default), it will select objects touching your picked object only.
FSMODE = ON, it will select objects touching it, and all objects touching them too.

8. Cycle Overlapping Objects

If you have many overlapped drawing elements or close to each other, and you are too lazy to zoom in, you can cycle between them by pressing [shift] + [space]. Hold your [shift] key, and press [space] several times until you found your object. Release your keyboard key, then click your mouse.

9. Select Previous Selection or Last Object

Did you ever want to select your previous selection?  Easy, just type P then [enter] when AutoCAD ask you to do selection!

What about last object created? Either the last drawn or result from modify operations such as copy. Type L then [enter]!

10. Remove/Add

Sometimes it’s easier to select all elements then remove some of them from your selection set. You can do this by holding [shift] and select object you want to exclude. OR, you can type R then [enter] to switch to remove mode.

To activate add objects, type A then [enter].

11. Undo Selection

You can undo your last object selection by typing U [enter] while your selection set is still active. This only undoing your last selection.

12. All

Type in ALL to get all objects that are thawed and unlocked

 

 

Viewing AutoCAD System Variables (SYSVARs) by Using the SYSVDLG Command

AutoCAD has hundreds of variables. Many use the SYSVAR command to list the variables and then they try to guess at the one they need (myself included). Instead, try the SYSVDLG to get a dialog box of all of the Sysvars, their settings and their values. You can even export the settings to compare them to a different machine:

Whither BLIPMODE or How do I Get Rid of Those Annoying Dots?

In AutoCAD 2012 certain command have been 'deprecated'. That is a fancy programming term for 'no longer available the obvious way, but still available to those who know the secret way'. BLIPMODE is one of those. It controls whether you see a 'dot' everywhere you pick or no dot at all. Personally, they annoy me:

In 2012, use a dot before BLIPMODE (.BLIPMODE) to get at the old command and turn them ON or OFF, accordingly.

AutoCalc - Using Show Flowing Paths to Figure out the Hydraulic Input

AutoCalc assigns reference points and arranges piping in a certain order. After a while, you get an idea of it's logic and how things are set up. But, you don't need to do that.

1. Start a new job and rRun AutoCalc on our HydraTools->Tools->Test Processes->Autocalc job.

2. When HydraCALC opens, switch over to HydraCAD (leave HydraCALC open!)

3. Pick the Show Flowing Paths button on the AutoCalc Setup dialog box:

4. This will bring up theAutoCalcing Interface:

5. Pick the + (plus sign) next to 'System'. This will expand the tree into the hydraulic 'paths' that make up the hydraulic input. If you alt+tab back to the hydraulic input you will notice that the paths there correspond to those in the AutoCalcing Interface. Futhermore, you will notice on the drawing that all of the piping that makes up the 'System' is highlighted in dark blue.

6. Now, pick the + next to REMOTE HEAD TO SUPPLY or double-clik on it to expand that path. You will see all of the groups of pipes that make up that path, including their reference points:

7. Expand the group of pipes named 21 - TASR by double-clicking on it. On the drawing you will notice that group is now highlighted in dark blue and yellow leaders point to the two ends of the group. You will also see that the top section of this dialog tells you some information about the path:

8. Select an individual pipeto get more information about that pipe. Today the Flow, Friction Loss (Pf) and Velocity are not filled in. A future update will add that information.

9. You can see how this tool can help you decipher the layout and arrangement of the hydraulic input. When you are done, Pick the X at the upper right corner to close this box and bring up the previous AutoCalc Setup dialog and resume you calculations

Using Object Tracking to Insert Sprinkler Heads

Object Tracking/OTRACK - What is it? It is a way to insert or move things by hovering over other objects and 'silently' referencing their insertion points.

Let's say you want to insert a sprinkler into the lower left area of this room, and you want it aligned with the other two heads, to make a neat triangle:

1. Set an object snap to use, in this case, Insertion

2. Pick the OTRACK button on the AutoCAD Status Bar or press F11. If you have not previously set an object snap, then you will be asked to select one here

3. Pick the Insert Sprinkler button. Move your crosshairs over the sprinkler on the upper left until you see the Insertion glyph:

4. Move your corsshairs down a few feet to see the Object Tracking begin:

5. Now, drag your crosshairs over the sprinkler on the lower right. Again, until you see the Insertion glyph. The track will temporarily disappear:

6. Now, drag your crosshairs to the left a few feet. You will see both tracks come together to an intersection right where we want the head:

7. Pick this point and your head will be inserted right there:

A Look at the HydraCAD Training Drawings

Unbeknownst to many, HydraCAD has a series of training drawings (templates, actually) to help users learn to draw and to give examples of common drawing situations. They are accessed by picking the HydraTools pulldown menu, pick Tools and pick Training Drawings:

We add new drawings every now and then. The current list is:

• 2D Version of Demo Drawing - this template is for those familiar with older versions of HydraCAD, but are not familiar with the SMaRT/3D way of doing things. You can take this drawing and add elevations and riser nipples for practice
• A - Training Job 1 - Background through I - Training Job 1 - Post AutoList - these templates take a fairly complex drawing through the various stages of construction. You can choose one and take it to the next step, or you can just look at them to see how things should be done
• Denoting a Peaked Roof - Wet - this template explains how to elevate a system installed under a (typically) wood peaked roof
• Elevating Pipes That Cross Two Differently Elevated Structures - for use with piping that shows how to properly elevate a drawing that has piping that crosses two differently elevated structures
• Mutli-Floor AutoCalc Example - this template shows a five story building and how to 'jump' from one floor to another to calculate the piping
• Pumproom - this is a drawing as opposed to a template. It shows what can be drawn using the 3D fittings accessed from the Listing toolbar
• Special Riser Nipple - Cross Swing Joint - a  specialty template
• Tutorial Background - this is the structure of the building in the tutorial, for those that wish to skip right into inserting elevations and heads and piping

If there are other situations you wish to see, please let us know and we will create them.

Resources for Learning Revit, AutoCAD and Navisworks

Need to learn Revit or Navisworks? How about AutoCAD? Many companies offer self-paced training and video tutorials. Some cost money, some are free - check these out:

CADLearning - Professional company with a wide range of courses and topics

CADD Train - Distance education; earn CEUs

Cad Tutor - Free resources - blog posts, videos, etc

List of Autodesk Authorized Resources - Offical list of products (books, videos) that help you learn Autodesk products

Specifying a Specific Cut Length for Riser Nipples

From a customer, answered by my co-worker John:

Q: I want HydraCAD to fab a consistent 0-2” nipple for all of my Riser Nipples. I know the cut length will vary depending on the pipe it is attaching to and I am having to insert Riser nipples on grid lines, armovers, and mains and guess at the different C-C lengths as I insert them.

A: AutoList looks at the fittings at both ends of each pipe and applies the appropriate takeouts based on the Fitting Instruction Groups (FIGs) used. One way around this is to insert ARMOVER overrides at the top of the riser nipples by using the Override (OV) command from the Listing toolbar. The ARMOVER override is found in the Elbow category.

This will separate the riser nipples out of the branch lines and into the ARM1 Section ID in HydraLIST. In HydraLIST change the quantity of the 0’2 pieces to the total number in the quantity column of the ID and delete the other entries.

If the text of the riser nipple is visible on the drawing and you would like it to reflect the cut length you chose, then use the Manual Cut Lengths (MCL) command on the Size Pipe flyout of the Piping toolbar.

Tools for Manipulating Riser Nipples

The previous post discussed how to alter the outlet on a riser nipple by double-clicking on it. Here I will go over some other situations (including the original situation):

In all situations, double-click on the riser nipple, then click a third time. This will bring up the Riser Nipple toolbox. Pick Apply when done to leave the riser nipple tool.

In all situations, you may use the Select VP button to Apply your changes to the previously selected riser nipple and select the next riser nipple to work on

Some Common Situations

P1 - The outlet is point the wrong way

should be:

A1 - Use the Spin arrows

...

P2 - In addition to the wrong fitting/rotation angle; the wrong number of outlets are being counted

should be:

A2 - Set the No. of Openings to 2, then use the Spin arrows

...

P3 - The riser nipple is computer generated, but should be user supplied - or vice versa

A3 - The magenta circle indicates that the lengths of this riser nipple is currently computer generated. Use the Length Determination radio buttons to change that. If you have a large number to change, then pick the Edit Riser Nipples (ERN) button on the Riser Nipple flyout. This will display the following dialog box:

Picking the first button will alllow you to change a group of riser nipple to computer generated or back. If you select the second button, the result will be the same as if you double-clicked ont he riser nipple in the first place.

Q4 - The riser nipple is listing as a part of the line, but should be part of a main

A4 - Change the This Pipe is a drop down field

...

Q5 - It's something else

A5 - Notice that the Diameter, Length and Type of Riser Nipple may also be changed here

 

 

 

 

Working with Riser Nipples (Return Bends, Too)

Say you have a standard return bend. A 1" 0-4 (CC) feeding an armover that feeds a head. It looks something like this:

Now say you need to offset that head to the next tile up, but want to keep the same connection point to the branch line. In short, you want it to look like this:

 

Here is how you do it:

1. Using grips, select the head and pipe and drag them to the new location

2. Pick the pipe and the unmoved pipe dimension. Select the middle grip of the pipe dimension, thereby making it the 'hot' grip (this is the insertion point of the dim) and put it near the moved pipe. Do NOT put it exactly at the midpoint of the pipe

Result:

3. Pick Update Pipe Lengths (UP) from the Size Pipe flyout to recalculate and reconnect the pipe size:

4. Now, double-click on the riser nipple. This will tell you to select a vertical pipe. Pick the riser nipple. Pick one of the SPIN buttons repeatedly until the outlet aligns with the pipe, then pick APPLY:

Note that you can change the type of riser nipple as well, from an RN to a Dn to drop down to a head, for example.

You are now done. The next release of HydraCAD (V51.11, V50.11) will have the added feature whereby the Update Pipe Lengths command will also rotate the pipe dimension to match the angle of the armover.

These steps can even be done if your armover pipe size has been shrunken (Scale Pipe Sizes Down command on the Pipe Size flyout [SCLSIZE] or through AutoLine) or hidden (Hide Attributes command [HAT] or through AutoLine)

Defining Sprinkler Head Part Numbers for AutoList

Taking into consideration the large number of sprinkler heads available, we decided not to clutter up the database and avoided predefining most of them. This means that you will often run an AutoList and find that the Miscellaneous tab in HydraLIST has a number of yellow highlighted head entries without a description. That is because the part number for those heads does not exist.

The printed instructions for this process can be found in the HydraLIST Select V50.16 manual on pages 12 through 14 and in the HydraLIST Help. I will summarize below:

1. Open HydraLIST
2. Pick the General Data button

3. Make sure you are on the P/N Table tab and pick the Heads button

4. This will open the Head Selector. Pick the sprinkler head(s) you would like to create part numbers for. Any and all heads that appear on the bottom half of the Head Selector will have part numbers created for them. Remember this  to create as many or as few numbers as you want. Pick the Create HydraLIST PN's button when done

 5. Choose the options you would like to have and pick OK

6. Pick Exit Head Selector and choose Yes to collect selected head data

7. Here is the list of part numbers that are now generated