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Thread: Duct and pipe fittings

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    Default Duct and pipe fittings

    Not posted for a while but since I was last here we have been forging ahead in leaps and bounds with Revit MEP, on a high rise development here in Sydney.
    However.....!!
    Seems to me that a major inadequacy in Revit is the limited number of pipe / duct fittings available. Of what is provided with the software, there seems to be a general lack of ability to manipulate fittings, especially ductwork.

    A few examples:
    1. Rather than use the standard bend radius, how to I specify a particular radius?
    2. How do I draw any non-standard piece of duct? For instance, a combination square bend / transition, or radius bend / transition?
    3. Is there a duct branch with a 'shoe'?
    4. How do I draw a flexible connection (either square or round)?
    5. How do I draw a pipe going STRAIGHT into a header, without Revit coming up with some wierd and wonderful connection piece??

    The attached files illustrate these and a few other points. Maybe I have not investigated this enough and it's all there in the system somewhere.

    Interested in any feedback / comments.

    Thanks,

    Michael
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Michael,

    If you want an on-the-fly radius selection, you will have to delve into making a family with that parameter open for selection/input. If you want a set radius function, some already exist and you could add others by copy/modifying an existing family.

    As to non-standar ductd, you could make a special part - using the in-place family method or if you want to get elaborate, develop a family on your own with all kinds of parametric options.

    Flexible connectors? make a family...

    Take a look at a couple of fittings and see if you would like to take on the modification of existing or the generation of new families (also look at pipe families where a .csv table can be utilized for generating a range of parts).

    Stadtler

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    Revit MEP Moderator mjdanowski's Avatar
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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Quote Originally Posted by michael.crowhurst View Post
    1. Rather than use the standard bend radius, how to I specify a particular radius?
    2. How do I draw any non-standard piece of duct? For instance, a combination square bend / transition, or radius bend / transition?
    3. Is there a duct branch with a 'shoe'?
    4. How do I draw a flexible connection (either square or round)?
    5. How do I draw a pipe going STRAIGHT into a header, without Revit coming up with some wierd and wonderful connection piece??
    Michael
    1. I think the radius elbows have a type parameter called "bend ratio" or something like that, you should be able to adjust this to get your desired size.

    2. Draw it with a custom family. Don't even try to make it dynamic unless you really, really need to use it many different times at many different sizes. The Autoroute system and the duct connections on dynamic fittings are something which will cause you a lot of time and aggravation with custom fittings.

    3. I spent about 2 days trying to make a shoe tap, and about another month on and off refining it due to the errors we got. Custom duct fittings are a pain to make, but takeoff mechanics generally tend to be the worst of them due to the mechanics being a bit odd compared to other fittings such as a tee.

    4. Flex duct, or are you referring to something different?

    5. Good question
    Matthew Danowski, PE, LEED AP BD+C
    Project Electrical Engineer
    Baltimore, MD

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Quote Originally Posted by Stadtler View Post
    Michael,

    If you want an on-the-fly radius selection, you will have to delve into making a family with that parameter open for selection/input. If you want a set radius function, some already exist and you could add others by copy/modifying an existing family.

    As to non-standar ductd, you could make a special part - using the in-place family method or if you want to get elaborate, develop a family on your own with all kinds of parametric options.

    Flexible connectors? make a family...

    Take a look at a couple of fittings and see if you would like to take on the modification of existing or the generation of new families (also look at pipe families where a .csv table can be utilized for generating a range of parts).

    Stadtler
    Thanks for that, Stadtler.
    You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by just saying: "Do it yourself"!!

    The purpose of my original post was partly to point out the lack of capability that Revit appears to have in drawing these, and many more items.
    I guess that their intent is to continue a gradual build-up of a fittings library in future releases.....at this point in time though, unless we do it ourselves, we appear to be stuck with drawing the limited options that come with the software.

    Cheers,


    Michael

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Quote Originally Posted by michael.crowhurst View Post
    You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by just saying: "Do it yourself"!!
    Ok - "Do it yourself !!" (don't wait for me to do it - my focus is dealing with the plumbing side of things and if you think that the HVAC side is bad.... )

    later,

    Stadtler

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Quote Originally Posted by mjdanowski View Post
    1. I think the radius elbows have a type parameter called "bend ratio" or something like that, you should be able to adjust this to get your desired size.

    2. Draw it with a custom family. Don't even try to make it dynamic unless you really, really need to use it many different times at many different sizes. The Autoroute system and the duct connections on dynamic fittings are something which will cause you a lot of time and aggravation with custom fittings.

    3. I spent about 2 days trying to make a shoe tap, and about another month on and off refining it due to the errors we got. Custom duct fittings are a pain to make, but takeoff mechanics generally tend to be the worst of them due to the mechanics being a bit odd compared to other fittings such as a tee.

    4. Flex duct, or are you referring to something different?

    5. Good question

    Thankyou Matthew…

    1. I don’t remember seeing one but I’ll have another look.

    2. “Draw it with a custom family”. We went to great lengths in creating a family for this piece in our office, and have come up with something that seems to work ok.

    3. Would have to be one of the most commonly used duct fittings and it ain’t there!!

    4. Yes, something different. I’m not referring to long flexible ducts that run from rigid ducts to ceiling outlets, I’m referring to the flexible connections, (sometimes referred to as ‘canvas connections’) which we use when connecting vibrating equipment, fans usually, to ductwork. They’re normally 100mm or so long. Either rectangular or round, depending on the duct / equipment they are connecting to.

    5. Waiting for a ‘good answer’ from someone!!


    Thanks,

    Michael

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    All AUGI, all the time Liamnacuac's Avatar
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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    I thought Autodesk's original philosophy was to have the retailers of such components use some of their time (money) developing these families as a form of advertising. You want a Greenheck fan, put one on your drawing from their website. Accuduct could finance their fitting for us to use because I certainly don't want to spend the time to create just one component of many that are in my design

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    All AUGI, all the time kyle.bernhardt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Michael,
    Per your item #3, see a recent thread at http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=68220.

    Kyle B

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    I'm really hoping in the next release AutoDesk will start creating these fittings/ducts to some kinda standard.

    All of us need to use SMACNA standards so why not just create the ducts to match.

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    Default Re: Duct and pipe fittings

    Quote Originally Posted by kyle.bernhardt View Post
    Michael,
    Per your item #3, see a recent thread at http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=68220.

    Kyle B
    Kyle,

    Thanks for that....yes, they look like just what we need.
    Cheers,


    Michael

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