Drawing Linear Elements: Pipes and Ducts

What it does
It allows you to draw pipes, ducts, or electrical channels.

What it’s for
This command allows you to quickly draw linear elements such as pipes, ducts, or electrical channels.

How to Use

The command simplifies the layout of linear sequences of components through some important features:

  • Connector Management
  • Parameter Propagation
  • Color Propagation
  • Material Propagation

These features speed up the process of inserting components.

Once the command is launched, a dialog box appears where you can select the MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) component family to use. Each family is defined by a folder on the file system containing the available components.

Through the configuration dialog, you can define the following options:

  • Propagate Parameters: Allows you to propagate connectable parameters from one part to the next.
  • Propagate Material: Propagates the material appearance from one part to the next.
  • Propagate Color: Propagates the color from one part to the next.
  • Create Part: Creates a new part for each block inserted.
  • Color: Sets the color of the loaded components.

In addition to the options, the dialog also exposes several commands:

  • Insert Component
    Allows you to insert the selected component. This is equivalent to double-clicking on the component's image.
  • Rotate by 1/4 Turn
    Rotates the inserted component by a quarter turn around the connector's input axis.
  • Propagate Component Parameters
    Requires selecting a reference component and then selecting the components to propagate the parameters to. This is useful if you want to change the characteristics of an already inserted element and propagate those changes to the connected components.
  • Connect Components
    Allows you to connect components that are currently disconnected. First, the command requires you to select the elements that need to be reconnected, such as a sequence of pipes that need to be connected to a flange. Then, it asks which of these components is the primary one, meaning the one that should be reconnected to the reference component. Finally, it asks for the reference component.