AUTODESK

BUILDING SYSTEMS
2006

Behind the Scenes: Meeting

Industry Standards with
Autodesk Building Systems
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1
HVAC Ductwork and Piping................................................................................... 2
Plumbing ................................................................................................................ 4
Fire Protection ....................................................................................................... 7
Electrical ................................................................................................................ 7
Symbology ............................................................................................................. 9
Template Content and Styles .............................................................................. 10
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 11

Introduction
Engineering designs must meet strict guidelines and codes to ensure that
structures are safe and economical for the public and to maintain design
consistency throughout the industry. Autodesk Building Systems software
enables engineers to create an object-based systems model that follows industry
standards. Whether youre using the duct sizing tool, placing a piece of electrical
equipment, or sizing a sanitary main, Autodesk Building Systems helps ensure
that your data is based on applicable codes and guidelines or on equipment
specifications from leading manufacturers. This white paper shows how the
codes, guidelines, and equipment specifications built in to Building Systems
software can help you improve accuracy and ensure that your designs meet
industry standards.

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HVAC Ductwork and Piping

Take a look at the guidelines that influence the development of ductwork and piping
design tools within Autodesk Building Systems and compare them with the way you
design today. Feeling confident with your engineering design is what its all about.

Duct Sizing Calculator

Designers who have sized ductwork are probably familiar with the Trane Ductulator
toolthat handy little cardboard square with the rotating circle in the middle. In fact, most
engineers have customized the tool by marking the design criteria they use most often.
Engineers rely on this duct-sizing tool because it is based on equations derived from the
industry-benchmark ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and AirConditioning Engineers) standard.
The Autodesk Building Systems duct sizing tool is derived from the same standard,
ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook 1997, and can be found in the Add Duct dialog box.
From this dialog box you can select the system type (supply, return, exhaust, and so
forth), enter the airflow (CFM), and choose the Calculate button. If you are routing round
ductwork, calculate the diameter. If your design calls for oval or rectangular ducts,
calculate either the width or the height. And as with any Building Systems tool, if youre
not satisfied with the calculated result, you can simply select a different size.

The design criteria you specify for duct sizing is linked to the system type chosen. To
specify that criteria, from the MEP Common menu, choose HVAC Systems Definition.
Select a system type, and then select the Design Parameters tab. Here you can decide
whether to size your ducts for this system based on air velocity or static pressure drop per
100 feet of duct. You can also determine a roughness coefficient as well as air density.
Being able to specify these parameters per system type is helpful. For example, you can
create a low-pressure supply duct
system and a medium-pressure
supply duct system and use
different sizing parameters for
each. This is just like marking
your Ductulator at .08 inch per
100 feet for low-pressure ducts
and at 0.3 inch per 100 feet for
medium-pressure ducts.

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HVAC Load Calculations and Duct Sizing

One of the first tasks assigned to new HVAC designers is running a load on a building.
Performing this task gives engineers-in-training their first look at what goes into a building
load calculation and how those components affect their design, such as building
construction, people densities, outdoor air requirements, equipment loads, lighting loads,
building zones to optimize equipment loading, building orientation, and much more.
Manually transferring this data to load calculation software can be tedious and prone to
errors.
Autodesk Building Systems helps eliminate costly errors by enabling designers to transfer
data from the building model directly to engineering analysis applications like Tranes
Trace 700, Varitrane Duct Designer, or Elite Ductsize. Use standard file formats, such as
gbXML and ddXML, to directly import building design data. Once the design data has
been transferred, use Trace 700 to perform heating and cooling load analyses, and
Varitrane Duct Designer and Elite Ductsize to calculate optimal duct sizes using the static
regain, equal friction, or constant velocity method.

HVAC EquipmentMvParts
Equipment location is an integral part of any HVAC design. Coordinating space
requirements, function, and ease of maintenance for each piece of equipment is essential
for its placement. Equally important is ensuring that systems dont conflict with other
equipment or structural components in the design.
Autodesk Building Systems provides an extensive catalog of equipment made up of
MvParts. Each piece of equipment has intelligent connection points for fast and easy
connections to ductwork, piping, electrical conduit, and more. MvPart objects also have
the ability to check for interferences with other components in your design, making it
easier to coordinate your mechanical rooms, electrical rooms, chases, and above-ceiling
space.
The nonproprietary equipment specifications provided in Autodesk Building Systems are
based on equipment offerings from leading manufacturers. Dimensions and connection
sizes are matched against several different manufacturers, and the most relevant data is
used. For example, Trane and Carrier both offer packaged rooftop air conditioning units.
The dimensions for length, width, and height of the equipment casings are similar for
comparable tonnages but not exactly the same. For similar units such as these, Building
Systems uses the largest dimensions.

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Ducts and Fittings

Most HVAC engineers have had to either write or edit a ductwork and fittings specification
that references ASHRAE and SMACNA. Autodesk Building Systems ductwork and fittings
are based on the ASHRAE Duct Fitting Database (1994), the Round, Rectangular, and
Oval Duct Industrial Construction Standards published by SMACNA, and are augmented
by offerings from the leading manufacturer of duct and duct fittings in the United States
(and primary author of aforementioned standards).

Pipe and Fittings

Traditional methods of creating double-line HVAC piping drawings are time consuming
and inaccurate. Using standard CAD tools, engineers offset simple lines to nominal pipe
sizes and frequently use a box or bowtie symbol to represent various valves and
appurtenances. Nominal pipe sizes, loosely related to the actual pipe dimensions, are
used for convenience, with elementary symbols representing more complex objects, such
as valves and gauges, to save time. Often these symbols are not drawn to the actual
sizes of the piping components they represent and can result in costly change orders in
the field.
Autodesk Building Systems can help reduce drawing inaccuracies and coordination issues
because all pipes and pipe fittings are based on widely recognized standards, codes, and
offerings from leading manufacturers. Pipe identification, outer dimensions, and nominal
dimensions are referenced against ANSIB36.19, and ANSI B36.19 as published in
Cranes Technical Paper No. 410. For example, using Building Systems, draw a piece of
6-inch diameter, schedule 40, carbon steel pipe with flanged connections (apply Building
Systems Floor 2 Line Display). Now check the outer dimension of the pipe. Even though
you drew a 6-inch nominal size diameter pipe, you get the actual ANSI-specified outer
dimension (6 5/8 inch) for that particular type of pipe, resulting in a more accurate design.
Pipe fittings are referenced against various applicable standards:

Flange: ANSI/ASME B16.5

Socket Weld and Threaded: ANSI/ASME B16.11

Cast Iron: ANSI/ASME B16.12 and 16.13

Butt Welded: ANSI/ASME B16.9

Grooved: Not described in standard, based on offering from leading manufacturer

Brazed: ANSI/ASME B16.18, B16.22, B16.23, and B16.29 among others

Plumbing
Plumbing design relies heavily on code requirements for sizing domestic water, sanitary
sewer and ventilation pipes. Why not use an application that can incorporate the code
requirements your company follows directly into its design tools.

Plumbing FixturesMvParts
Traditionally, architects have located the plumbing fixtures in their designs. Now that the
connectivity of Autodesk Building Systems objects can span the xref barrier, plumbing
engineers and designers can place toilets, urinals, sinks, and more in architectural
drawings. For effective use, these fixtures must be based on leading manufacturers

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offerings so that dimensions and sizes can be trusted. Thats exactly what Autodesk
Building Systems does. Whether youre placing a floor drain, drinking fountain, toilet, or
lavatory, Building Systems helps to ensure that the plumbing fixtures in your designs
match industry standards.

Plumbing Pipe Sizing

In the past, sizing plumbing piping required thumbing through page after page of code.
Autodesk Building Systems alleviates the tedium by providing sizing tools for supply water
piping and sanitary piping based on the Uniform Plumbing Code2000, Cranes Technical
Paper No. 410, American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) chapter interpretations,
and engineering judgment.
A typical method for sizing water piping is to tally the load values based on a fixture count,
convert that fixture unit count to gallons per minute (GPM) requirement, and use a
diagram that illustrates the relationship between GPM, pressure drop per 100 feet, and
fluid velocity. Assuming the pressure loss through taps, tees, valves, and other
appurtenances has been accounted for and compared to available water pressure, a pipe
size can be obtained from the diagram. However, performing this process manually can
be tedious and time consuming.
Autodesk Building Systems simplifies this process by providing a load demand table
based on Uniform Plumbing Code 2000. You can easily edit this table or create a new one
to meet your companys requirements. With the fixtures in place and the water piping
connected, you can then use the supply pipe sizing calculator. Use the Size Supply Pipe
dialog box to modify different factors affecting pipe sizing, such as fluid velocity (feet per
second), available pressure (psi), and pressure at highest fixture (psi). It also includes a
customizable pipe sizing table that provides equivalent length data for various fittings.
Other data fields in the dialog box are populated when you have selected a pipe segment
to size. The software calculates a pipe size using the Hazen-Williams friction loss formula
and a derivation of the Hunters Curve referenced from ASPE.

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Autodesk Building Systems also provides a sanitary pipe sizing calculator, which extracts
the fixture units connected to the pipe segment being sized and compares this value to
maximum permissible load data stored in the sanitary pipe sizing table. The load data is
further categorized as stacks, branches, or offsets to accommodate different design
conditions. The sanitary pipe sizing table, like the fixture unit table, is based on Uniform
Plumbing Code 2000. Customize this table or create a new one to reflect the codes and
standards your company follows.

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Fire Protection
Autodesk Building Systems fire protection content was created using industry standards.
Customize your fire protection designs by taking advantage on in-the-box content design
tools to create more equipment on the fly.

Fire ProtectionMvParts
Like other engineering equipment included in Autodesk Building Systems, the equipment
provided for fire protection is based on specifications from leading manufacturers.
Equipment includes wet and dry sprinklers, various types of hose cabinets, fire
department connections, hose connections, applicable valves, and tanks. Fire protection
equipment is included with Mechanical MvParts.

Fire Protection Pipe and Fittings

With Autodesk Building Systems, add fire protection pipe and fittings to your design using
the Add Pipe command for HVAC piping. Since both disciplines use virtually the same
types of pipes and fittings, the standards and guidelines referenced in the HVAC Pipe and
Fittings section apply here as well.

Electrical
Electrical designs require code compliance. Use Building Systems electrical design tools
with confidence knowing that your construction documents meet the requirements set
forth by code officials and local authorities.

Electrical Wire Sizing

Looking up wire sizes manually in the National Electric Code ampacity tables is a tedious
and time-consuming job. Autodesk Building Systems automates that process. To use wire
sizing, you first draw the wiring, associate it with a circuit, and designate a wire style. If no
wire style is specified for the circuit, the wire cannot be sized. The circuit must be
assigned because the conductors are sized based on the circuit rating. With the

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necessary values in place, Building Systems retrieves wire sizes from the ampacity table
in the wire database (ampacity.mdb). This table is arranged in much the same way as the
National Electric Code table 310-16. It includes columns for ground conductor sizing for
both copper and aluminum conductors, similar to the table in section 250-122 of the
National Electric Code. An additional table (ambients.mdb) contains correction factors
based on ambient temperatures specified in National Electric Code 310-16. These tables
provide the information required for accurate wire sizing and are fully customizable using

Microsoft Access.

ElectricalMvParts
Autodesk Building Systems includes a wide selection of electrical equipment based on
specifications from leading manufacturers. The electrical MvParts catalog includes
equipment such as transfer switches, motor starters, termination boxes, variable
frequency drives, and emergency power
generators. Providing intelligent connections
and enhanced properties, electrical MvParts
can be easily integrated into your designs. If
youre accustomed to specifying equipment
from a manufacturer that is not included in
Building Systems, you can create that content
using the Content Buildera feature that has
come a long way since earlier releases. In just
a few steps, you can create large catalogs of
equipment quickly and easily. Before creating
custom content, however, check out the
manufacturers website to see if they offer the
equipment you need. Many manufacturers
have already created MvPart catalogs of their
equipment, which you can drag into your

design using i-drop technology.

Electrical Devices
Electrical devices are the primary graphical objects used in electrical drawings. Generally
schematic in nature, they can contain additional 3D blocks as part of the object, which
makes them useful for interior elevations and interference detection with other building
systems objects such as ductwork and piping. The connectors for electrical devices are
different from the connectors for MvParts and are created using the Style Manager.
Electrical devices modeled as symbols have been developed using the same standards
as symbols. And if they contain 3D elements, they are referenced against data from
leading manufacturers.
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Electrical Panels
Electrical panels are similar to electrical devices but do not have connectors. They are an
integral part of electrical designs created with Autodesk Building Systems because circuits
cannot be created without them. Although you can draw the wiring, the circuit it represents
will not exist. The panels that ship with Autodesk Building Systems are model-based parts
that are referenced against offerings from leading manufacturers where appropriate, but
are mostly generic. You can easily create new panel types through the Style Manager to
meet the specifications of the manufacturer you choose.

Electrical Conduit and Cable Tray

The 3D components of conduit and cable tray are useful when coordinating clearances
above ceilings, determining space constraints in electrical equipment rooms, and checking
interferences with ductwork and piping. The most commonly used standards are NEMA
FB 1 for conduit and NEMA VE1 1998 for cable tray. Autodesk Building Systems uses
these standards for conduit and cable tray content.

Symbology
Companies doing engineering design work need to establish drafting standards. Autodesk
Building Systems incorporates the most common standards and guidelines used in the
industry. Many of the original symbols used in Autodesk Building Systems software came

from Softdesk 8, which were referenced to various AMSI and ISO guidelines. In addition,
symbols included many user requests for specific images that may or may not have met
various code requirements. These symbols were matched against the ASHRAE
Fundamentals Handbook, Chapter 34, Abbreviations and Symbols, the AIA Architectural
Graphical Standards, and the SMACNA CAD Standard. However, not all symbols have a
match in these standards. All new symbols added to Autodesk Building Systems meet
specific applicable codes such as NFPA 170 2002.
Connector symbology for single-line piping such as grooved, welded, threaded, bell and
spigot, brazed, flanged, glued, and socket welded were referenced against the National
CAD Standard and ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook. A few of these connectors were
not described in either of these standards, so graphics were based on alternate resources
such as data from leading manufacturers.

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Template Content and Styles

Establishing template content and styles based on your current design practices sets you
on the path of increased productivity. Once your standards have been incorporated into
the software, youll find that creating model-based designs doesnt get any easier.

Templates
Template content and styles in Autodesk Building Systems cover everything from duct
and pipe system types to electrical voltage definitions. You can customize templates to
meet your companys requirements or get started quickly out of the box with the default
templates that ship with the software. For example, without using one of the electrical
templates the values that are stored for electrical preferences would not exist. Voltage
definitions would be undefined, requiring you to create them manually. Without specifying
voltage definitions, you could not add circuits to the drawing. The template content comes
from a variety of sources, including but not limited to the Uniform Plumbing Code, the
National CAD Standard, the SMACNA CAD Standard, ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook
1997, National Electric Code, ASPE Data Books, engineering judgment, and, most
important, the AIA Architectural Graphic Standards.

System Definitions
Various system definitions are provided in the templates for each of the disciplines:
HVAC, plumbing, and electrical. Based on different reference materials and guidelines,
engineering judgment was used to determine the different system types available out of
the box. The important thing to note about system definitions is that youre not limited to
the examples provided in Autodesk Building Systems. These system definitions were
offered to help you start designing quickly and to serve as examples of how to create
other system types. Once youre familiar with Building Systems software, you can create
and customize system types as needed.

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Labeling Standards
Labeling engineering designs manually is a tedious and time-consuming task. Autodesk
Building Systems automates much of the annotation. From labeling a rectangular duct
size to automatically tagging an electrical device upon insertion, your productivity
increases and your design accuracy improves. Because labeling is not standardized
across the industry, many of the labeling styles are based on engineering judgment. And
like most Building Systems design tools, annotation is highly customizable so you can
meet your companys unique needs.

Conclusion
Autodesk Building Systems is easy-to-use design software that increases productivity,
enhances collaboration among design team members, and improves workflow efficiencies
using an object-based systems model. Building Systems improves on existing methods for
creating construction documentation while supporting traditional design requirements. The
most widely accepted engineering codes, standards, and guidelines have been
incorporated into Autodesk Building Systems to help ensure that your designs meet
industry standards. Furthermore, all tables, symbology, system settings, and values can
be customized as necessary to meet the requirements of your organization, while still
meeting industry requirements.

Occasionally, Autodesk makes statements regarding planned or future development efforts for our existing or new
products and services. These statements are not intended to be a promise or guarantee of future delivery of
products, services, or features but merely reflect our current plans, which may change. Purchasing decisions should
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Autodesk and AutoCAD are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and other countries.
All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
2005 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

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