Connecting Piping Design in

AutoCAD Plant 3D to Piping

Fabrication Through Spoolgen
Ian Matthew
Ian Matthew Consulting

ENR225902
About the speaker

Ian Matthew
Specialist in AutoCAD Plant 3D providing services in:
• Basic & Advanced Product Training
• Project Customization Training
• Hands-on Piping Specs & Catalogs Customization
• Plant 3D Technical Support
35 years experience in Plant Design CAD software with
Autodesk, Bentley, Hexagon (Intergraph), Aveva
 Learning Objectives

• Tune Plant 3D Isometric Generation to create ‘clean’ PCF’s

• Create Error-free PCF’s
• Avoid Spoolgen (and Isogen) pitfalls
• Follow a step-by-step process for customizing Plant 3D Isometric Creation to interface correctly to
Spoolgen
 Introduction

Piping Fabrication Trends

Increasing requirement to provide Piping Isometrics in Digital Format - WHY?

• Reduce errors
• Improve productivity
And hence control costs
De Facto interface standard is the Isogen PCF file format
Most common software used by Piping Fabricators is Hexagon’s Spoolgen
And YES – Plant 3D creates PCF Files compatible with Spoolgen
Spoolgen
 Acknowledgements

Thank you to Hexagon for their support in creating this presentation

The following slides are inserted by request of Hexagon and have not been edited
Pipe spool fabrication challenges
Handle piping design data from many different sources
Check that the design can be fabricated
Generate drawings and documentation
Estimate work content and cost
Automate pipe cutting, bending and welding
Manage material availability
Make spools in the right order for the project
Balance labour and machine resources
Track progress and quality
Manage revisions and other changes
Handover as-built data to construction/operations
Reuse Isogen piping data – work with anyone

Plant 3D
SmartPlant
Smart 3D PDS CADWorx PlantSpace PDMS
Isometrics
AutoPlant
PCF IDF PCF PCF PCF IDF
ISOGEN
ISOGEN
(old version)

FABRICATION and OPERATIONS

CONSTRUCTION

Pipe Stress / Fluid flow / Process simulation /

Heat Tracing / Insulation / Inspection
Improving data flow to fabrication and construction
How to improve the flow of information on projects (PIF)

Extend the standard for piping data exchange – the PCF - and
make it open for all stakeholders
“Super PCF” now available in Smart 3D, CADWorx and Spoolgen with additional
fields to support data exchange
SmartPlant Spoolgen - What Existing Customers Say

• “Quick to implement, configure, learn and become productive”

• “Ten fold productivity gain over manual drafting of spool sheets”

• “95% reduction in manual data entry”

• “Elimination of most drafting errors and rework”

• “Production of consistent quality drawings”

• “Clearer communication between design and engineering disciplines”

• “Key enabling technology for improvements to

o Material management, workshop utilization, reduction of construction hold-ups due to inaccurate fabrication, missing or incorrect
materials”
Example
Plant 3D Model
Plant 3D Isometric
Plant 3D Isometric
Spoolgen Output
Spoolgen Output
Spoolgen Output
Spoolgen Output
Compare
Iso Generation Process
How Isometrics are created

Spoolgen…..

Plant 3D
PCF
Gen Iso
PCF
Generator
Piping Component Files (PCF’s)
 Example PCF
Header Information Component Information Material Data
 Pipeline component definition

Valve Example

SKEY END TYPE

 Valid End Types for Spoolgen

Spoolgen End Type End Prep Plant 3D Default End Type

BW Butt Weld BW
CP Compression
SW Socket Weld SW
FL Flanged FL
SC Screwed / Threaded THDM
PL Plain End PL
LN Liner Nut
LC Liner / Clamp
LR Reducing Liner / Nut
MP Male Part MJM, THDM
PF Push Fit PFS
GL Glued PPL, PSW
CL Clamped TC, GRV
FA Flared FA
BS / SB Ball and Socket (used on fixed
length type pipe work)

GF Gland (used on fixed length type MJM, MJF, MJP

pipe work)
 SKEYS

• Google Isogen Symbol Keys

SKEYS
Create PCF
Check PCF
 More about PCF’s
• Download the manual
https://hexagonppm.com/products/pfc-product-family/isogen/super-pcf
Avoid Spoolgen Pitfalls
 END TYPES

• SPOOLGEN Only Supports End Types defined in the Documentation

Spoolgen End Type End Prep Plant 3D Default End

Type
BW Butt Weld BW
CP Compression
SW Socket Weld SW
FL Flanged FL
SC Screwed / Threaded THDM
PL Plain End PL
LN Liner Nut
LC Liner / Clamp
LR Reducing Liner / Nut
MP Male Part MJM, THDM
PF Push Fit PFS
GL Glued PPL, PSW
CL Clamped TC, GRV
FA Flared FA
BS / SB Ball and Socket (used on
fixed length type pipe work)
GF Gland (used on fixed length MJM, MJF, MJP
type pipe work)
 Defining SKEYS - Example

MUST
Match

Put Valid END TYPE instead of ** or ??

 Bad Example

• TC is invalid End Type for Spoolgen

 Gotcha’s

• Instruments
o Inline Instruments have two endpoints and the SKEY is II**
o Offline Instruments (e.g.dials) have one ONE endpoint and have the SKEY as IDFL or IDPL (not ID**)
• Multi-Port Valves:
o If no common centerpoint (one or more ports in a different plane) SKEY = MD** or MZ**
▪ Iso Symbol Type = VALVE-MULTIWAY
o If ports are on the same plane, SKEY is selected from the Symbol Key Definitions
▪ Iso Symbol Type = VALVE-3WAY or VALVE-4WAY
 Screwed Connections sometimes appear as welds

• In some cases a screwed weld component is placed in the PCF:

• Delete this component from the PCF

 Tapped Cap

• Occasionally, Spoolgen can struggle when going ‘up’ through tap connections
• Can be fixed in Spoolgen
o open I-Configure, select the SGImport style for your project and then edit
o Go to Drawing Area > Piping Features > Taps > Convert Tap To Straight Through
▪ Ensure that this option is checked
o Save the changes and re-import the PCF
Tune Isometric Generation
 PCF Header Syntax

Need to replace ISOCONFIG.FLS with ISOGEN.FLS

 End Type Definitions

• Try to stick with End Prep Definitions in SKEY documents

o You MUST follow this in the SKEY Definition in Catalog Library
• Problems may occur in Spoolgen in following example
Step by Step Process
 Planning Plant 3D Customization?

• Steps to consider
1. Stick to End Types supported by Spoolgen
2. Use SKEY’s defined in the SKEY Definition Document
▪ No “**” or “??” in the catalog component SKEY
3. Make sure the SKEY and Iso Symbol Type correctly match the SKEY Definition Document
4. Beware of the “Gotcha’s”
▪ Instrument Dials vs. Inline Instruments
▪ Multi-Port valves vs. 3-way or 4-way valves
SKEY and Iso Symbol Definition
Error-Free PCF’s
 Produce error-free PCF’s using pre-processors

• Use a script to edit line 1:

o Change “ISOGEN-FILES ISOCONFIG.FLS” to “ISOGEN-FILES ISOGEN.FLS”

• Use the Spoolgen Preprocessor to change some invalid settings

o This needs to be done by the fabricator – he has the documentation to create the .PPC file:
PCF CHANGE-PROPERTY SKEY SC WW
PCF CHANGE-PROPERTY SKEY SO WW
PCF CHANGE-COMPONENT VALVE-MULTIWAY VALVE-3WAY SKEY MD??
Conclusions
 Plant 3D CAN create Spoolgen PCF’s

• Use correct end types

• Use correct SKEYs
• Change line 1 in the .PCF
• Use the Spoolgen Pre-processor to handle some of the errors
 For more information:
ian.matthew@comcast.net
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