CREATING CATALOGS EN PIPE SPECS

You use or want to use AutoCAD Plant 3D for routing pipes in 3D. As you have noticed or already know, AutoCAD Plant 3D uses catalogs and pipe specifications to be able to model these pipes correctly. AutoCAD Plant 3D is therefore what we call "Spec Driven". Spec Driven means very simply that without pipe specifications you cannot draw piping with AutoCAD Plant 3D.

By using pipe specifications AutoCAD Plant 3D can make sure that you as a user can make almost no mistakes when selecting the components to use. Pipe specifications are very important and should be set up very carefully. For example, with a pipe specification you determine what pressure or temperature your installation is suitable for. You can also indicate in the pipe specification which material you want to use and how components should be connected to each other (welding, flanged, screwed, etc.).

Based on the connections set in the project, the pipe specification will, for example, ensure that when a flange connection is placed, the correct gasket and bolt set is placed. The specification also ensures that when you want to make a branch on a pipe, the exact components that you need for branching are used. This "Branch Table" knows, based on the components present, how a connection should be made when you want to make a branch.

Pipe specifications can be set up for specific metric sizes and components, but also for working with the Imperial (inch) system. Several industries sometimes even use a combination of both, mixed metric, but that's not a problem either.

No matter how you look at it, AutoCAD Plant 3D cannot be used without a pipe specification.

To set up a correct pipe specification, you need catalogs. Where a pipe specification has detailed components to route pipes with, a catalog is a large collection of all possible components you might want or be able to use. A pipe specification is often also made up of components that come from different catalogs, for example pipe fittings and valves are often defined in separate catalogs. Often for valves catalogs are even built supplier specific.

Whatever catalog is used or made, often the components in the catalog are made according to standard. Non-standard components, such as components often delivered by suppliers, can easily be modeled or downloaded, after which they can also be added to the catalog. Depending on the quantity and type of components, several catalogs are generally used.

Over the years, Van Zijtveld Consulting has built many catalogs and pipe specifications for a wide range of customers and industries. Whether it concerns installations for oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, aseptic, hygienic or water installations, Van Zijtveld Consulting has built a catalog or pipe specification for almost every industry. This for both national and international companies, in the different industries using AutoCAD Plant 3D.