Any ideas on making pipes (automatically?)

[pixelperfectg]

I hope someone can help me with this. I make 3D mechanical system drawings. These mechanical systems consist of many pipes. In the past, I would draw each pipe using the pipe primitive and then bend pipes for the corners, etc, like this:

http://www.pixelperfectgraphics.biz/CHW_System.html

 

But here lately I've started drawing them as splines and then just make the spline renderable, like this:

 

However, this makes the bends in the pipe too sharp looking, but it will get by. But, I prefer the look of the pipe primitive with a 90 degree bend. I know that I can play around with the corner vertices of the splines and make a smoother corner, but I'm looking to speed up the process. And I don't have any extra time to waste tweaking vertices.

 

Here's a screen grab of a small project I'm working on now, just to give an idea of the number of splines I have to draw (I still have pipes to add to this one):

 

So in a nutshell, what I'm trying to ask is do you guys know of a way I can speed up this process? Is there any kind of script that will help? Or perhaps a separate software program?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

Jeff

[kicks]

[kippu]

wonderful idea kicks.... now i am thinking of where to use it

[kicks]

[jucaro]

Jeff, Why not attach all the splines together into one entity and then select all verts then apply a fillet operation?

 

If you dont want to attach them into one single entity because you want them pipes to have different colors, then you could just select all you splines and add an Edit Spline modifier then select all verts and apply a fillet operation?

[pixelperfectg]

Thanks for the tips about the fillet option. That works great on smoothing those sharp edges! What I'm really wondering though is if there is a script or plugin or software package that let me click on one piece of equipment, then click on another and it will automatically draw the connecting pipes?

 

Like this:

 

I want to click on point 1, then click on target point 2 and have the PC create the shape in between the two devices.

 

Thanks again

 

Jeff

[Elliot]

Jeff,

 

My name is Elliot. I live in Atlanta. I have seen your work before. Your objectives are very similar to mine. I specialize in medical gas system for healthcare. I have the same problems you have.

 

In the past I have tried everything you could imagine to make my workflow faster. The software that got me closer to reallity is SolidWorks. However, when I bring a shape done as a solid in a parametric software like SW there will be a huge file created when you convert to dwg or max extensions. A lot of polygonal problems that will slow down the whole rendering process to the point that it renders Lightscape or Viz useless.

 

Last winter I tried Cadpipe. This is a $4,000.00 plugin that rides on autocad. I got very involved with them. They sent me to demos. They are great, not only they do the image you need, they also generate a Bill of Materials for the mechanical contractor... It is a great tool. Now I have another large mechanical consulting project and I have made the decision to buy it. First I have to upgrade my main computer that died a couple of months ago.

 

This program is basically an extensive library of 3D blocks that let you draw in 3D any piping system you may want. The tubes (vertical and horizontal) you just tell from which points you want to draw the tubes and what kind of connector you want at the end and it simply draws it for you. It also calculate laminar flow and pressure drops. It is a dwg file and it becomes easy to send it to Lightscape or Viz.

 

 

I am attaching a photo of something I did with the Cadpipe demo. I was not trying to do anything pretty. I was just trying to get the mechanical contractor to understand what he had to do. He had to upgrade the system without shutting down the Oxygen and the other gases for the hospital.

 

The ball valves on the drawings are my creation. It was not intended to do them pretty. I was just for illustration purpose. The outstanding thing on the package, is that once you do a block you can use it it over and over.

 

Please let me know of your progress. I am interested on your findings.

 

Thanks

Elliot

[pixelperfectg]

Elliot, hey man, yeah I remember you mentioning that software package before in a ductwork question I had. I looked at the program and I'm not sure how well it would fit into my work flow.

 

I have made MANY equipment models in 3dsmax that I just drag and drop into a scene. Then I go about connecting them all together with the spline pipes. To implement CADpipe, I would need to make a list of all the dimensions of my equipment models in 3dsmax and then make a representative model in CADpipe in order for everything to line up in 3dsmax(correct?)

 

Or I would just wing it in CADpipe and then import and edit the shapes in 3dsmax, but then I'm not really speeding up the process any. Here lately, I don't even receive CAD files on the systems, they are drawn on napkins, or I get a sketch via Fax, etc....so I just don't see a way around spending a lot of time on drawing these pipes one by one.

 

But thanks for the software tip none the less. I have CADpipe bookmarked and will keep it in mind for future reference.

 

Jeff

[Elliot]

Jeff,

 

 

It is difficult for me to explain how easy it is to use CadPipe. You basically tell the prom take me from point A to point B and put and elbow (90 degrees) at the begining and a "T" at the end, input the diameter and the program doeas the rest. It evens place a union if the lenght of the pipe is more than 10 feet.

 

Try the demo, they are good about awnsering questions. There is a two service support centers. One in Virginia and one in Texas. The one in Texas is the best.

 

I do the building on 3D then with CadPipe I draw the piping system. Then I bring the whole model into Viz or Lightscape. It works fine. However, you will have to do some minor tweaking. One of the modules calculate the pressure drop according to the gas flowing through the tube. The program knows about the reynold's number and laminar friction. It is a great little package.

 

I have the same problem. The clients send me the drawings on a napkin.... That is if I am lucky. Some just want to explain the design intention through the phone. Next time I go through your area we should meet. I am almost sure we are doing similar things. I do a lot of SolidWorks models for my engineering things.

 

Thanks

Elliot

[William Alexander]

Jeff,

 

May not be much help but consider this:

 

Spend an afternoon and create a libray of pipe, connectors ect in AutoCad. Import or create in Max, clean the mesh. Making sure that the vertices all have the same number around the circumferance- this will allow all tees, street ells and reducers to be copied and snaped into place in max or AutoCad. Your mesh smoothing and the whole nut is done before you even start kind of thinking in Max.

 

Yea it's not a one button solution- may beat the snot out of a 4 grand outlay if you are'nt running pipe 24/7.

 

rgrds

WDA

[Onslaught]

Why not use EXTRUDE TO PATH method.

[Scott Schroeder]

I dunno, drawing a spline then adding a Fillet/Chamfer modifier to it certainly seems more logical than dropping 4g's on a program. I could see maybe if you were to do humongusly complex pipework, but I'm still not sold on the idea. Drawing splines takes no time at all.

[pixelperfectg]

Well, it's done. Here's a look at the final image:

 

I used the edit spline modifier with a fillet on the vertices. I'll keep testing the other ideas mentioned here & at CGtalk (posted this question there too).

 

If anyone comes up with more ideas, please let me know.

 

Thanks again,

 

Jeff