Drawing conduit runs in 3D

[cargo33us120260]

My boss wants me to draw some conduit runs. The mechanical contractor has given us some of their drawings in 3D and he would like me to draw our conduit in a way that will show us if our stuff is going to hit their stuff.

I haven't done 3D in years! We decided that it would be ok to just give my lines a Z coordinate, but if there is a slightly more elegant way of doing it, that, I'd rather try that. Maybe just giving it a thickness?

Can anyone recommend anything? I'm worried trying to draw cylinders and extrude them, yadda yadda, is way more complicated than I have time for. And 3rd party add-ons are out of the question for now, but I'd be interested in hearing about any for future reference.

TIA,
cargo

EAT: using plain ACAD 2007

[jaberwok]

Please do try to work in 3d - you already have a start from the contractors' drawings. Pipes/conduits are the easiest things to make and they are (supposedly) easier than ever in A2007.

All you need to do is create polylines to represent the centrelines and Extrude appropriately sized circles along them.

[cargo33us120260]

Please do try to work in 3d - you already have a start from the contractors' drawings. Pipes/conduits are the easiest things to make and they are (supposedly) easier than ever in A2007.

All you need to do is create polylines to represent the centrelines and Extrude appropriately sized circles along them.


Thanks so much for replying!! That's just the info I needed! I can extrude and it will give me what I need if I'm doing straight lines.....hopefully it will be just as easy when I'm drawing corner and turns.

Thanks again!

[jaberwok]

..hopefully it will be just as easy when I'm drawing corner and turns.

Simple!
Model a torus (doughnut) and use Slice to cut it up into corners/bends. Keep copies and start to build a library of parts.

Have fun.

[Ed Jobe]

Simple!
Model a torus (doughnut) and use Slice to cut it up into corners/bends. Keep copies and start to build a library of parts.

Have fun.
I don't think that is necessary. Draw a polyline. Fillet it with the desired radus. Draw a circle, e.g. .5 dia. Type SWEEP, select the circle, Enter, select the pline. If you do want "parts", another method is to sweep an arc instead of a line.

[jetsflyer]

Or simply revolve a circle 90 degrees. your center of circle to revolve axis being the C-E dim of your ell. put 3 nodes in, at the 2 faces of the ell and at the apparent intersection of the runs. route your conduit with the line command in the new 3D profile and snap and 3Drotate the elbows into position.

[jaberwok]

I don't think that is necessary. Draw a polyline. Fillet it with the desired radus. Draw a circle, e.g. .5 dia. Type SWEEP, select the circle, Enter, select the pline. If you do want "parts", another method is to sweep an arc instead of a line.

Yes, that's true but I prefer to keep the fittings separate. (BoM fodder).

[Ed Jobe]

Yes, that's true but I prefer to keep the fittings separate. (BoM fodder).
That's a good idea. Just depends on the end results desired. I was assuming that if he was just checking for interference, that he would want do draw it as quick as possible.

[cargo33us120260]

Looks like the winner is filleting and sweeping....I hope. That's about 3 mouse clicks (after filleting) vs much more if I try to do fittings, etc.

And this:


Or simply revolve a circle 90 degrees. your center of circle to revolve axis being the C-E dim of your ell. put 3 nodes in, at the 2 faces of the ell and at the apparent intersection of the runs. route your conduit with the line command in the new 3D profile and snap and 3Drotate the elbows into position.

is way more than I understand right now, but thanks for playing!

Thanks so much for all the help and opinions!

cargo

[rjairath]

and if you make fitting folder learn to use align command it will save you bunch in trying to find the right snap points

wheni learned alighn i never had any problems putting pies down .. in any which way i wnat