Piping and Plumbing

All About the Basics in AutoCAD MEP

Phil Nower, Hazen and Sawyer
ME100-1This class will cover the basic rule and principles that you will need to produce designs and layouts
for plumbing and piping using AutoCAD MEP. Instead of making 3d modeling more complicated than it
already is, how about simplifying it a bit? Im going to cover what you need to be up and running with piping
and plumbing.












About the Speaker:
Phil Nower has been using 3d modeling to solve design challenges from 1989 to present. He started to
produce parametric spread sheet driven 3d models with Mechanical Desktop R14 for the Petroleum and
Chemical Industries. When he became employed at Hazen and Sawyer he had the opportunity to use
AutoCAD MEP to build several large scale Water Treatment Plants as well as small scale pump stations. Phil
is the primary content builder for Hazen and Sawyer producing most of their parametric content that is
distributed thought out the company.
pnower@hazenandsawyer.com

Piping and Plumbing - All About the Basics in AutoCAD MEP
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Piping and Plumbing - All About the Basics in AutoCAD MEP
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Table of contents
What is AutoCAD MEP software all about? .................................... page 4
Todays class . page 4
Our Goals .. page 4
KISS
Connected Systems
Contract Documents
Class Agenda . page 5
The Beginners Guidelines for Plumbing and Piping
Always start from the correct template file . page 6
Always start piping and plumbing from placed equipment . page 9
Check that the Compass is Enabled page 10
Make sure that the Ortho is turned off page 11
Make sure that the General Osnaps are turned Off .. page 12
Make sure that the MEP Osnaps are turned On .. page 12
Learn to Select any object and then Right Click . page 12
Conclusion .. page 13
List of Documents on Line
-MEP Options
-Layer Key Styles
-Properties for Plumbing Dialog Box
-Properties for Piping Dialog Box
-Style Manager
-Piping Objects
Pipe Custom Fitting Styles
Pipe Part Routing Preferences
Pipe Rise Drop Styles
Pipe System Definitions
-Plumbing Objects
Fixture Unit Table Definitions
Plumbing Fitting Styles
Plumbing Line Styles
Plumbing Rise Drop Styles
Plumbing System Definitions
Sanitary Pipe Sizing Table Definitions
Supply Pipe Sizing Table Definitions
-Live sectioning for 3d Designing
-Project Navigator
-Constructs
-View Drawings
Plan and Section Views
Display Issues
Annotation
-Sheets
Adding Views to Sheets
Review of drafting needs
Importing 3d Images onto a Sheet
-Template Files and Projects
-3d Content
Domains
Pathing
Editing
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What is AutoCAD MEP software all about?
AutoCAD MEP is a multi-discipline object oriented
software platform. AutoCAD MEP brings in smart
objects into a drawing file from all of the disciplines
that are required in an MEP engineering firm. MEP
does not use lines, arcs and circles to produce
designs. For todays lecture we will be covering the
basics in Plumbing and Piping. When a pipe is
brought into a drawing file that pipe already has in it
many properties attached to it like, elevation, system,
connection styles, etc, etc, etc and it is these
attached properties coupled with the ability that all of
the following disciplines can operate from one
software package that makes MEP a powerful tool.
Architectural, Structural, Mechanical, Plumbing and
Electrical
Todays Class
I will be focusing on the basic principals in routing
plumbing and piping using AutoCAD MEP that I have
learned from using the program in several large
projects and smaller ones.
Our Goals
-KISS: Its easy to make a difficult task into the gorilla
that ate your lunch. Its harder to make something thats
challenging into something thats simple and easy to understand.
MEP is difficult to learn because right from the start you are activating and drawing data from several
different sources at the same time. In order for plumbing or piping to work the definitions must be
functioning, the routing or line styles must also be fully operational and correctly reading from the catalog
content, the display manager as well as the cut planes and display configurations need to be correct as
well. To help me out in getting you off the ground with MEP Ive labeled the primary aspects of MEP that
you will encounter as soon as you start to work with plumbing or piping. Reviewing these guidelines
brings into play every item that you will need to operate MEP.
-Create Connected Systems from the Start: By following the guidelines for beginners below you will
have the ability to create a connected system.
Q: What does this offer you?
The short answer. Almost everything
Advanced Editing Capabilities: if you need to
adjust the position of a pipe, the entire system
adjusts accordingly, if you change the size,
connection style or system that change is made
throughout all of the connected items. Having a
connected system will also bring you into the
possibility of apply the many other features of MEP
like; plumbing sizing tables, pipe and fitting
schedules, etc, etc...
-Contract Documents: To get you from an empty
drawing file to a finished contract document. You
might be surprised to find out what you can do with
this program if you just follow some basic rules
and guidelines.
By adjusting a single pipe,
everything that was connected
to that pipe has also been
adjusted, and if this assembly
was linked to a pipe schedule
all of the affected pipes, lengths
and elevations would have
been automatically updated.
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Class Agenda
Plumbing Basics
Using a contract
drawing of a Floor Plan
for a Sanitary System
as our guide, we are
going to cover the
basics in Plumbing by
producing a similar
sanitary floor drain
system. We will review
the advantages in MEP
Plumbing, like sloped
pipes and automated
pipe sizing. Many of
the basics in plumbing
are the same for
piping, so we will not
need to review the
same information
twice.
Piping Basics
As with plumbing we
will use a similar set of
plans and sections
based on contract
documents for guides.
We will be designing
the Discharge and
Suction lines from two
pumps, then linking the
suction and discharge
lines up to two larger
diameter pipes. In the
process we will be
reviewing the pluses
and challenges of
using piping.




Applying Plumbing and Piping to each other
During the plumbing basics and piping basics sections
we will review their individual strong points and their
weakness. In this section we are going to examine
some examples where the strong points of one can
help solve design needs of the other.

Review of class material

Questions and Answers

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The Beginners MEP Guidelines for Plumbing and Piping
1 11 1) Always start from the correct template file,
never from an old drawing file
In order for MEP objects to act like they should, they
need the supporting data that is found in the Style
Manager and Display Manager. You can open up a 2d
or an older AutoCAD drawing file using MEP, but if you
do understand that it will have none of the support
data found in the Style Manager and Display Manager.
MEP Options and Primary Support
Data for Piping and Plumbing
MEP Options: Located on the pull-down menu Format
Options, there are several additional tabs that deal with
MEP object only. see MEP Options they handle some
routing controls, drafting display, custom elevations and
the pathing for the MEP Content Catalogs. see Content







Plumbing and Pipe System Definitions: System Definitions controls what layer the pipe is created
on, what abbreviations are used for the labels, what rise drop styles are used for the pipe system,
how the pipe is displayed as one line or two, etc, etc it does not control what fittings, connections
and type of pipe are being used. These can be edited and new ones can be created see Style
Manager Plumbing and Piping Objects












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Plumbing Line Styles and Pipe Part Routing Preferences
Pipe Routing Preferences and Plumbing Line Styles directs MEP to look for specific fittings in the
content Library, by establishing specific sizes that are attributed to a routing preference. You can
use any Pipe Routing Preference with any Pipe System Definition and you can use any
Plumbing Line Style with any Plumbing System Definition. see Style Manager Plumbing Line
Styles and Pipe Part Routing Preferences












Pipe Routing Part Preferences Plumbing Line Styles











Properties Dialog Box for Plumbing and Piping
When you activate either the Add Pipe or Add
Plumbing a different Properties Dialog appears for
Piping and Plumbing. See Page 8 and Properties
Dialog Box for Plumbing and Piping







System Definitions Focuses on drafting standards,
layers, etc, etc
Line Styles Pipe & Routing
Preferences
Catalog Content
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Reads the Pipe System Definitions, covered on page 6,
also see Style Manager Pipe System Definitions
Controls what fittings, pipes and connection
types to look for in the catalog content see
page 7 and Pipe Routing Preferences
Self explanatory however the Elevation lock
lets you run pipe from general osnaps without
resetting the elevation. For example you can run
pipe along a wall with a 6 selecting end points if
you have the elevation locked first.
Here is where you can set a slope for
your pipe run.
Heads Up! Some of the
equipment that you will
start from will have
these items nested into
the object.
Reads the Plumbing System Definitions,
covered on page 6, also see Style Manager
Plumbing System Definitions
Controls what fittings will be used in the plumbing
line, however they are 2d not 3d, hence the name
Line Styles. see page 7 and Plumbing Line Styles
Slope calculator a very
powerful tool in laying out
any plumbing design.
Dont write off Plumbing just because its
2d not 3d. The Slope Calculator and the
other automated sizing charts that
Plumbing can do are powerful stuff.
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2) Always start piping and plumbing from placed equipment
When you are beginning to use MEP it is very easy to
miss one of the many dialog box items that you need to
operate for plumbing and piping. However since MEP is
an object oriented software if you always start piping or
plumbing from placed objects equipment to placed
equipment, you will maintain a connected system and
thats where the time saving attributes of MEP are.






Start routing Piping and Plumbing
By holding my mouse over the plus sign Grip I have
enabled the Add Pipe command. Notice that the
properties dialog box automatically appears. The
properties dialog box for piping and plumbing have
some minor differences however they each follow in
same logic. Each item controls certain aspects of the
pipe line. Each of these items are gone over in detail
see Style Manager - Plumbing Objects and Piping
Objects

















Tip Pipe Routing Troubles
If youre having difficulties in getting the
pipes to work at this point, double check
your pipe routing preferences they
should all look like this.
Pipe Routing
Troubles
If your pipe
routing
preferences look
like this it
means that your
catalog content is
not being read
see Content and
Pathing for more
information.
Look for the MEP Object Grips
By selecting any MEP object you will see a
different set of grips. If you hold your mouse over
each one a text box appears telling you what it is
for. In the screen capture below the mouse is held
over the plus sign, when I selected it, the Add Pipe
command was activated.
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3) Check that the Compass is Enabled
To double check if your compass is enabled go to the pull down menu

















A: For beginners in MEP software the compass becomes an important key factor in establishing the link
between the catalog content and your mouse when using the parametric routing application for plumbing
and piping.
From purely a beginners technical perspective when it comes to trouble shooting, having the
compass enabled will automatically eliminate one of the first mistakes that people make. This is to
unwhitingly attempt to force pipe fittings based on angles that are not supported by the catalog content.
see 3d Content List of Documents on Line
For example, instead of having 150 Ductile Iron Elbows being properly inserted into your pipe line, you
might get a bunch of generic elbows populating your ductile iron piping layout all over the place.
What happened? The short answer is that one or more of the values that control those specific fittings
could not be applied to the routing that you attempted to do. If you did not have the compass enabled
you night have mistakenly attempted to put a 42 degree elbow in a piping layout instead of a 45 degree
elbow, because Ductile Iron Elbows do not contain 42 degree elbows MEP will give you the option to
instead insert a generic elbow instead.
From a personal learning view, always having the compass constantly enabled helps the beginner to
develop a better understanding of where MEP is drawing the information from. A solid understanding of
the functions of MEP will be required to perform the higher tasks in MEP, like producing parametric parts
or developing template files and template projects.
Acquiring a substantial knowledge base as soon as possible not only for performing more technically
advanced tasks but for the day to day tweaking of designs and basic trouble shooting needs.


Check to see that the
Enable Compass
Box is checked
Locate in the pull down menu
View Compass Compass Settings
Q: What Does the Compass do for me and
why should I be concerned about it?
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4) Make sure that the Ortho is turned off
When you are routing either piping or plumbing youre
drawing fittings from the content library.









































Having the Ortho on will only
allow you to see the 90 degree
options on the compass
Having the compass enabled and the ortho off you will
be able to see all the options available to you when
youre either piping or plumbing.
For Piping only! The compass
serves as tool to route pipe in the Z
Coordinate. Type P in the
command prompt and the compass
will change orientation.
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5) Make sure that the General Osnaps are turned off
When you begin to use MEP you do not want to
mistakenly run pipe or plumbing from end point of an
object to an end point of another object, or from the
center of an object to an end point or center of another
object. This will cancel out developing the ability to
establish a connected system.

6) Make sure that the MEP Osnaps are turned on
Get in the habit early to run pipe and plumbing only from
pipe end connector and pipe curve connector MEP
Osnaps. This will enable you to create connected systems
and allow you to apply the many other features of MEP.


7) Take your time to always look for the MEP Osnaps
The MEP Osnaps do not
appear quickly, you have to
wait and look for them. If
you dont you have a
greater potential not to
properly connect to another
MEP object. Remember that
piping and plumbing read
the same MEP Osnaps.

8) Learn to select any object and then Right Click
A large amount of the commands that you
can do to any MEP object can be
accessed just by selecting that object and
Right Clicking it. From walls, slabs,
mass elements, pipes, pipe fittings,
plumbing lines, MvParts, etc, etc, etc if
the object was made using MEP software,
you can right click that object and find out
what you can and cant do with it. For the
example to the right, Ive selected a pipe.
Then I right click on it, and all of the
commands that are applicable to that
object appear. All of the MEP objects
have this ability in them. You can right
click and see what commands are
available for that specific object, from
plumbing and pipe fittings to concrete
slabs and structural steel members.
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Conclusion
AutoCAD MEP software has served Hazen and Sawyer well to help us make the transition from a 2d
CAD environment to a 3d Object orientated environment. This transition was not easy and it was not
without challenges that we had to face and over come.
What this course attempts to do is to summarize and organize the basics of piping and plumbing into
clear cut guidelines that are based entirely upon the lessons that were learned from making that
transition from a 2d environment to a 3d environment.
Relaying on work-around-s dont get projects done.
The majority of the modeling effort for any of the 3d projects did not relay on work-around-s. The
majority of the modeling relayed on the ability to apply the basics. Gaining a thorough understanding
of the basics in MEP, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of piping and plumbing gave us
the ability to disseminate the required knowledge base to use MEP quickly to the project team
members. Including the larger 3d projects where the team members for those projects were spread
out in different offices along the east coast.
I hope that this class with the handout and the documents will provide you and your company with the
same capabilities that AutoCAD MEP has done for us.

Special thanks to everyone that helped me out in making this class a reality.
Sincerely, Phil Nower