The H-Factor

Down and Dirty Block Inventory - The AutoCAD BCOUNT command

Here is a quickie - if you need a block count in a hurry, type in BCOUNT at the command line. You will be asked if you want to select all blocks (ENTER) or just some. The output is displayed on the text screen (F2):

Block.........Count

-------------------
Tos...........4
CAP...........3
VAFF..........2
VBTS..........1
OPHEAD........18
TESTPT10......1
REFPT.........92
pipex.........186
blkrdef1......4
HEAD1.........150
HEAD13........5
HEAD15........3
SIDE1.........3
36-48.........1
30-42.........1
24-36.........1
LGTITLE.......3
NORTHARR......3

Cool 2011 Feature #6 - Parametrics, or How to Sloppy Build the Perfect Rectangle

 

This is the last major new AutoCAD 2011 feature I will devote a blog entry to. There are some others, and the new features of things such as POLYLINES and LINETYPES will probably start showing up in various V51 commands in the near future.

This one is one the fringes of sprinkler design, but I am sure someone will find it useful.

1. Draw a sloppy rectangle by using a PLINE and Closing it after picking four points.

 

Pretty sloppy, huh?

2. Pick the Parallel parametric from the Parametric ribbon panel. You will be asked to pick two objects. Pick one of the lines that is going in the correct direction as your first object. Pick the opposite side as you second object. The second object you pick will be made to be parallel to the first one. repeat with the other two opposite sides.

There you go! As you stretch one side, the opposite sides will be adjusted to remain parallel.

Cool 2011 Feature #5 - Creating New Objects by Selecting Existing Ones

AutoCAD 2011 has a great feature call Add Selected. Just right-click on anything and pick Add Selected from the ensuing cursor menu and you will be creating another object the same as the one you clicked on. If it is a block, you will be inserting the exact same block in the same layer. You will be asked for the insertion point, X and Y scale factors.

If it was a line or pline you clicked, you will be asked for the Start Point for the new line/pline and then asked for the next point(s). The new line/pline will be drawn in the same layer and linetype and color as the original.

Text will match the style, layer, font, obliquing, etc of the exisitng text and you will be asked for the start point and rotation angle.

Diagnosing AutoCalc/AutoList Errors Part 3 - Not all Pipes Make it to HydraCALC

Sometimes part of a tree or some grid lines may not show up in HydraCALC when sent there by the AutoCalc process. How do you find the ones that are missing?

This drawing should have 12 loops, since it is a grid with 13 lines:

The AutoCalc process appears to run fine and gets the job set up in HydraCALC. However, when the Calculate button is pressed - only 11 loops are accounted for:

(Note: I always look check the number of loops whenever I calculate, even manual calcs and trees!)

The calc will run, but my demand will be higher than if all the grid lines were connected. So what happened? What grid line is missing?

Start AutoCalc again. This time pick the Check Model button:

This will analyze the drawing and note anything unusual. Yellow error circles will be placed at these points. Click on an error once to read the error message using Quick Properties, or double click to read using regular Properties. Generally you will get a yellow error at each cap and one at your water supply. You can ignore those if they look okay to you. But in my case, I got a second error at the upper left corner of my grid:

There should be no dead end pipe there, with or without pipe. It turns out the line does not stop at the top of the riser nipple, as it should. Redrawing it fixed the missing loop.

Cool 2011 Feature #4 - Object (or Layer) Transparency

Each object in 2011 also has a Transparency property.To adjust the Transparency of an object(s) select those objects and then pick the Properties command or pick the Properties button on the Home Tab of the ribbon menu and use the slider to adjust. Valid settings are between 0 and 90 percent transparency.

Index of Topics and Subscribing to this Blog

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Diagnosing AutoCalc/AutoList Errors Part 2 - Failed to Create File To Send To Calcs

This is the second in a series of posts on how to self-diagnose errors you may encounter while elevating your drawing to 3D or while running AutoCalc or AutoList. HydraCAD includes a number of tools to assist you with the diagnosis and correction of these errors, and these post will review some of them.

Sometimes when you AutoCalc only some of your pipes actually make it to HydraCALC, or you get an error that prevents you from loading the job into HydraCALC. Both of these can be traced back to a problem with how your pipes are connected.

 The drawing below would not calculate for a customer:

They got the following error when the AutoCalc process handed the job off to HydraCALC:

Here is how we diagnosed the problem:

1. We started the AutoCalc Process (SAC)...

2. ...and picked the Check Model button. This analyzes the piping system starting at the supply and proceeding as far as it can. When complete, this highlights all the flowing pipe using dark blue polylines, starting at the supply. The problem area becomes apparent immediately:

The dark blue pline doesn't make it very far. After we zoomed into the end of it, we were able to see an unusual piping arrangement that was to blame for the problem. Once that was reconfigured, we started the process again and picked Check Model again and all of the piping was traced in blue this time.

Using the Check Model button is similar to the old View Flowing Pipes and Paths feature in V45 and earlier versions of HydraCAD. Try is next time, problem or no.

Cool 2011 Feature #3 - Isolate or Hide Objects

The next new feature is Isolate or Hide Objects. A new property that has been added to each entity is its Visibility. You can Hide or Isolate Objects individually, or by selecting a bunch of them. Say you have an area of a drawing that is particularly crowded, and you want to be able to Hide some of it to make it easier to see. Select the area (or individual objects) to hide and right-click. Pick Isolate and then pick Hide Objects from the cursor menu that appears:

 

This will hide all the objects selected. You can also Isolate all these objects the same way.

However, you can imagine the mayhem if you Hide key elements of the drawing and ship it to the AHJ that way, and they keep turning layers on to to avail. Notice the light bulb in the extreme lower right-hand corner of your Status Bar. If it has a yellow bulb, there are no objects Hidden or Isolated. If it is red, then there are:

Pick End Object Isolation from here or the cursor menu to show these items.

You may also type in HIDE or UNHIDE to access these tools

Cool 2011 Feature #2 - Selection Cycling

Another new feature in AutoCAD 2011 is Selection Cycling. Ofttimes, you have two objects at the same place, and you may have difficulty selecting the correct one. That is where Selection Cycling is a big help.

Turn Selection Cycling on by picking the Selection Cycling toggle on the AutoCAD Status Line:

Note: If you have Use Icons deselected, the button will read SC instead.

Then, start a command such as MOVER and move you crosshairs over the object to be moved. You will notice two overlapping pick boxes.

Click on either item and you will be able to pick the specific item you want from the list that appears:

Cool 2011 Feature #1 - Select Similar

Select Similar does just what it's name implies. Select and object just by clicking it. Then right-click and pick Select Similar from the ensuing popup menu. All objects of the same type and layer will be highlighted. If you pick a block, then only the same block will be highlighted. You can now do whatever you want with them: move - erase - copy.

To control the parameters considered when picking Select Similar, you can type in SELECTSIMILAR at the command prompt and then choose SE to get to the settings dialog box.

See AutoCAD 2011 and Revit in Action

I saw Lynn Allen, Autodesk Technical Evangelist (i.e. the Face of Autodesk) today in Boston at the Museum of Science. She and others spoke about what is new at Autodesk and discussed the direction they are heading in. If you want to catch up with her, the schedule is on here blog at AutoCAD 2011 - Coming to a City Near You

Over the new few weeks I will be posting about five or six cool new features in AutoCAD 2011 and how they apply to sprinkler design. Stay tuned.