PDMS Design

INTRODUCTION COURSE

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1. Overview
 PDMS : Plant Design Management System
• Developed by Cadcentre in Cambridge, England since 1974
 Finnish users:
• Wärtsilä
• Foster Wheeler
• Fortum
• Kvaerner
• Engineering offices, subcontractors
 Mainly used for design of process plants
• A Multiple Database (MDB) system is used to achieve stability and workability
• The main target is to get a full scale model of the plant

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 All categories of design in the same database:

• Equipment
• Process piping
• Ventilation, air channels
• Steelstructures, buildings, platforms
• Cable trays
 Detail design often made in other CAD-softwares and copied into PDMS,
manually or through interfaces
 All information in one database:
• Less design errors as all designers work with the same model
• Database structure important, and often predefined by the customers

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2. Starting up PDMS Design

 This chapter will show you:
• How to login to a PDMS project
• The appearance of the Main Display, the
Members list, the Drawlist and the
Command Input window in other words
your working enviroment
a. Login
1) Click on the PDMS 11.3 icon on the
desktop
2) The CADCENTRE PDMS Login form will
appear
3) Select Project SAM, Username PIPE,
Password PIPE, MDB PIPE, MODULE
Design and Load from Macro Files
4) Note that when working with PDMS you
should use Caps Lock
5) Behind the scroll buttons you can see all
the available projects, users, MDB:s...

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b. The General User Interface

1)The Main Display

Main Menu Bar

Main Tool Bar

3D View Tool Bar

3D Graphical View

Status Line

Status Bar

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2) The Members List Quick access field; write in

the name of a design
• Shows the hierarchy of the element and press Enter

Design database
Takes you
• If you click on one of the sites Takes you
forward in the backwards in
you can see the hierarchy hierarchy the hierarchy

underneath
• The Control menu takes you to
Design
the Drawlist and gives you a hierarchy
possibility to resize the
Members List
• The GoTo menu contains tools
to help you navigate and link
to references
• The Drawlist menu lets you
add and remove elements in
the 3D Grahical View

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3) The Drawlist (Members+Draw)

• The Drawlist is basically a
more advanced Members List
• The Control and GoTo menus Design hierarchy

are the same

4) The Command Input/Output
• Used to type in (quick)
commands
• Used for querying Tools for adding
elements within a
given volume

The Drawlist: Shows

the contents in the 3D
Graphical View

Tools for removeing

elements from the
Drawlist

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3. The Design hierarchy

a. The Applications of the Design module
DESIGN MODULE

PIPEWORK EQUIPMENT STRUCTURES CABLE TRAYS HVAC

Piping Units Electrical routing Ventilation&air

HANGERS&SUPPORTS
Beams&Columns Pipe supports
Panels&Plates

ASL-Modeler

Walls&Floors Not covered in this course

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b. The Hierarchy of the different Applications

WORLD

SITE

ZONE

PIPEWORK PIPE BRAN COMPONENTS

EQUIPMENT EQUI SUBE PRIMITIVES

PRIMITIVES

BEAMS&COLUMNS STRU FRMW SBFR SCTN

SCTN

PANELS&PLATES STRU FRMW SBFR PANE

PANE

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4. Using the mouse

 This session will show you:
• How to add and remove elements to the 3D Graphical View
• How to manipulate the 3D Graphical View
- Limiting the View
- Setting the rotation centre
- Zooming, panning, rotating in the View
- Using the mouse buttons
• The mainly used buttons on the 3D View Tool Bar and Main Tool Bar
• Measuring in the Model

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a. Adding / removing elements

• Click Control>Close on the
Members+Draw window
• The Members window reappears
• Click on the site SPOOLER-SITE
• Click on the zone SPOOLER-EQUIP
• Click on the equipment C-106, which
is the same tank that the PDMS Draft
Course uses
• We will now add this element to the
3D Graphical View using four
different methods

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i. Through the Members window

• Click the Drawlist Menu
• Pick Add CE
• On the 3D View Tool Bar click the
-button to set the limits to your
current Drawlist
• You can now see the element in the
3D Graphical View, viewed from
the preset direction
• To remove the element pick
Remove CE on the same Menu
• If you add several elements,
remove them all at the same time
using the Remove All on the same
Menu

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ii. Through the Members window with

colours
• Click the Drawlist Menu
• Pick Add CE with Colour...
• The Add Current Element form
appears
• Just click any colour button and the
CE will be added to your Drawlist
with that specific colour
• This form can be left open, you do
not have to dismiss and open for
each element you want to add
• Note that this colour is active only
this session or until you change it
by re-adding the element
• To remove the element pick
Remove CE on the same Menu

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iii. Through the Drawlist window

• Click Control>Drawlist... on the
Members window
• The Members+Draw window
appears
• Here you can also set colour
attributes by clicking the Colour
button
• Just click any colour button and the
colour will be set but the element will
not be added until you press the Add
CE button
• With this form you can also add
elements with a percentage of
transparency – try it out!
• With this form you are also able to
see all the elements you have in your
Drawlist
• To remove the element you can use
the Remove From Drawlist Tool Bar
at the bottom of the window

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iv. Through the Main Menu Bar buttons

• The + button adds the CE to the
Drawlist
• The - button removes the CE from
the Drawlist

• In this case no colour settings can be

used, everything will be added with
grey colour
• To use colours you have to set
automatic colours with rules, for
example all pipes will be added with
colour green
• Some customers use a colour
attribute to the design elements
which works with these buttons
• By trying out all these possibilities you
will find out which one suits your way of
working

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b. Manipulating the 3D View

i. Limiting the View
• Remove the equipment C-106 from
the Drawlist
• Add in the equipment G-104A using
either of the four ways
• Since we set the View limits to the C-
106 tank we are not able to see the
new equipment yet
• Press the Limits CE-button to set the
View limits to the new element
• The program sets the limits using a
boundary box covering all three
directions of the element. It then puts
the 0-point of the box in the centre of
the View

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• Now also add in the C-106

equipment
• In order to see both elements we can
not use the Limits CE since that
command only takes the Current
Element (CE) into account
• Move the cursor inside the 3D
Graphical View, and click the right
mouse button
• Pick Limits>Drawlist to set the
limits to all the elements in the
Drawlist
• The program now sets the limits
using a boundary box covering all
three directions of all the elements.
It then puts the 0-point of the box in
the centre of the View

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ii. Setting the rotation centre

• By default the rotation centre is
defined by the 0-point of the
limits boundary box
• Use the Horizontal and
Vertical sliders to rotate the
View, observe the rotation
centre(the limits box)
• In the 3D Graphical View
move the cursor to the main
cylinder of the body of the C-
106 equipment and click the
left mouse button
• We have now selected the the
cylinder and made it the CE

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• Click the Rotate Origin CE- button

to set the rotation centre to the 0-
point of the cylinder
• The graphics will now rotate
around the new point
• The limits of the View are not
affected, we will still see the pump
G-104A
• Use the Horizontal and Vertical
sliders to rotate the View, observe
the rotation centre(the cylinder)
• Move the cursor inside the 3D
Graphical View, and click the right
mouse button
• Pick Rotate> to see the different
possibilities concerning the rotation
centre

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iii. Zooming, panning, rotating

• The middle button on the mouse is
used to move around in the model
• Use the F2, F3 and F5 buttons or
click the right mouse button to
select the desired mode
• Zoom mode: Press and hold the
middle mouse button and move the
mouse upwards/downwards on the
screen to zoom in/out
• Pan mode: Press and hold the
middle mouse button and move the
mouse in the direction you want to
pan
• Rotate mode: Press and hold the
middle mouse button and move the
mouse in the direction you want to
rotate, note: orthogonally only

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• A fast way to pan in steps is to

first place the cursor anywhere
in the 3D Graphical View and
then click once with the middle
button of the mouse. The
selected position will then
move to centre of the screen
• The most common way to
work is to use the Zoom mode,
rotate the view with the
Horizontal and Vertical sliders
and pan with the method
mentioned above
• The Horizontal and Vertical
sliders are activated with the
F9 button or through the right
mouse button

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iv. Using the mouse buttons

• The left mouse button is used
in menus, pull downs, for
selecting elements and
activating buttons in toolbars
• The middle mouse button is
used for zooming, panning and
rotating in the 3D Graphical
View
• The right mouse button
activates a pop-up menu in the
3D Graphical View, mainly
used for view settings

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c. The main buttons and menus

i. The Main Tool Bar
Measure

Remove CE Create/Modify lists

Active list
from Drawlist Takes you to the lists
menu
Add CE to
Drawlist

GET WORK
Updates the Delete CE Auto Clash
database Automatic
active clash
SAVE WORK
Display Axes on CE checking
Saves your
work to the Displayes the X, Y
database and Z-axis of the CE

Navigate to
element
Change CE
during active
commands
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ii. The 3D View Tool Bar

Limits CE Rotate Origin CE

Sets the View Sets the rotation
limits to the CE centre to the 0-point
of the CE

Zoom / F2
Rotate / F5
Go to zoom
Go to rotate
mode
mode

Pan / F3
Go to pan
mode Restore View 1-4
Restores saved
Views

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iii. The right mouse button pop-up

• A menu used to change the
settings for the 3D Graphical
View

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d. Measuring in the Model

• The Measuring Tool is started with the
Measure button or through
Query>Measure Distance on the Main
Menu Bar
• The Positioning Control menu is a
common menu also appearing when
positioning elements
• Possibilitiy to specify what kind of
element is to be chosen through the
Pick Type option and Pick Method
option
• The Explicit Position lets you
bypass graphical picking and enter
an explicit position
• The Measure screen gives the result in all
three directions with the 3D distance and
direction

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•The Positioning Control Pick type

- Any finds Elements, P-lines, Aids
and P-points
- Element is restricted to elements,
for primitives and pipe components
the 0-point, for beams the end
nearest to the pick and according to
the justification
- Aid is restricted to drawing aids
- P-line is restricted to structural P-
lines
- P-point is restricted to P-points
- Screen lets you pick anywhere on
the screen for quick measures (2D)
- Graphics finds edges and vertices
on any element

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•The Positioning Control Pick Method

- Snap selects the snap point nearest
to the cursor pick point
- Distance snaps to a given distance
± from the point, in the direction of
the point
- Mid-Point snaps to the mid-point
of a linear item
- Fraction subdivides the distance
between two points into a specified
number of parts
- Proportion snaps to a position
between two points, given as a
proportion
- Intersect lets you pick two lines of
three planes and derives the
intersection point
- Cursor places the derived point
exactly where the cursor picks on
the element

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•Measuring in practice
- Zoom in on the tank using the
zooming, panning and rotating tools
- Click the Measure button on the
Main Tool Bar
- Set the Pick Type to Any and the
Pick Method to Snap
- Move the cursor onto the main
cylinder of C-106, press and hold
the left mouse button
- The P-points, in this case, will
highlight
- Move the cursor onto one of the
endpoints and when the haircross
turns thick, release the mouse button
- Again move the cursor to the
cylinder, press and hold the left
button on your mouse
- Search for the other endpoint and
release the button when you find it

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- The Measure window now

gives you the result
- You are also able to see the
result in the 3D Graphical
View if you press the F8-button
to see the wireframe
•The Measuring Tool is an event-driven
graphics command which means that it is
active until you dismiss the form
- To change the CE during an
event-driven graphics
command click on the
Navigate To Element button
- You do not have to click the
Measure button to measure
again, just start picking new
points

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5. PDMS Equipment
 Used to represent pumps, vessels and other units
 Nozzles are used for piping connections
 Basic 3D shapes are created and assemblied, for example:
• 2 dishes, 1 cylinder, 2 boxes, 1 nozzle could make a vessel
Equipment
origin

 Different representation levels can be used for main volumes, obstructions e.g.
 Start the PDMS Equipment Training lesson

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6. PDMS Pipework
 Specifications
• A group of components taken from the Catalogues
• For example:
- One specification for DIN – components
- One specification for ANSI – components
- One specification for stainless steel components
 Catalogues
• The Point set & Geometry set define the size and outlook of the components
• Contains the Material texts & Dimensional texts ( standards ) e.g.
 Piping components are picked from the Specifications, connected to the previous
component and then orientated and positioned
 Snap functions available, forwards / backwards modes
 Start the PDMS Pipework Training lesson

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7. PDMS Beams&Columns
 Uses pre-defined Specifications, for example:
• One Specification for beams according to DIN-standard
• One Specification for beams according to EURONORM-standard
 Sections are created explicitly or through graphical picks
 Sections can be connected to each other, with or without joint types such as
endplates...
 The sections use P-lines, representing the edges, that can be used as insertion
lines
 Curved beams can be made, for example to draw a liftingrail
 Catalogue defined fittings available
 Start the PDMS Beams&Columns Training lesson

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8. PDMS Panels&Plates
 Used to represent any sheet material and non standard beams
 A panel is an extruded user-defined 2D shape
• The planar area is defined by a Panel loop, defined by linking together a set of
Panel Vertex elements
• The thickness is defined by setting the Height attribute of the Panel loop
 Panels can have positive and negative radiuses
 Panels are created explicitly or through graphical picks
 Justification can be set to Top, Middle or Bottom
 Catalogue defined fittings available
 Start the PDMS Panels&Plates Training lesson

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9. PDMS Utilities checking, Clash checking

 The Utilities checker is used for internal checking of the piping systems and
steel structures
• Checks for compability between connected components, piping bores, Head and
Tail settings, inline deviations...
 The Clash checker is used to detect possible clashes between design elements
of all the categories
• Inclusion / Disclusion lists
• Different levels of clashes depending on the type of element and its representation
level, for example
- Soft/soft, soft/hard, hard/hard
 Reports can be produced from both checkers
 Start the PDMS Checking Training lesson

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