Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
(OP)
Hello everybody,
can somebody give me some advices on how to make pipes in an assembly (industrial installation)? I think I have to use "design in context" because the pipes are linking different equipments and the paths are not very simple. I'm working with SW Office 2006 - so the routing function is not yet available. I'va started to make pipes as sweeps with "thin" option activated, based on 2d sketcher or, where no other possibility, 3d sketcher (I try to avoid working with 3d sketches because for me there are not so easy to control as 2d sketches). Maybe somebody has some "best practice" advices for me?
Thank you very much in advance!
Donnis
can somebody give me some advices on how to make pipes in an assembly (industrial installation)? I think I have to use "design in context" because the pipes are linking different equipments and the paths are not very simple. I'm working with SW Office 2006 - so the routing function is not yet available. I'va started to make pipes as sweeps with "thin" option activated, based on 2d sketcher or, where no other possibility, 3d sketcher (I try to avoid working with 3d sketches because for me there are not so easy to control as 2d sketches). Maybe somebody has some "best practice" advices for me?
Thank you very much in advance!
Donnis






RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP, Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo, 4GB RAM, Nvidia 3500M
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
If the pipes are primarily pictorial and you don't have to make an assembly of fittings and such, my recommendation is to model the pipe network as a single (probably multi-body) part. In the context of your assembly, just use sketch relations to locate sketch points to key locations. Then back in the part, do your 3d sketch, connecting the dots and continue with your thin feature sweep.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
A further question would be what is the use of a sketch made directly in assembly (without creating a new part or editing an existing one)? I'm confused because normally it should only be possible to create sketches in parts, but not also in assemblies!?!
Donnis
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 06/08
ctopher's home (updated 10-07-07)
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
An example of an assembly level feature is if two parts are bolted together and then a match drilled dowel pin hole is added. The two parts would not have the dowel hole... the assembly would.
-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Certified SolidWorks Professional
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
Donnis
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
RE: Best way / tipps to design pipes in context
SW Routing is clunky, slow and overcomplicates things sometimes. It's not meant for aircraft hydraulics, which is what I was doing. Maybe for a couple steam pipes with 90 degree fittings, flanged fittings etc, it'd be better.
Skeleton parts (containing lots of 3d sketches) driving an assembly of tubes worked well for me. This allows you to group a bunch of tubes parallel to one another, and easily move that group around during redesign.
3D sketches are not very robust. If theyre too complicated they fail to rebuild. If you put radii on everything, it has a hard time rebuilding if u move stuff around, especially if youre not along global XYZ. This is one area where CATIA blows solidworks out of the water.
For in-context, dont use convert edges to get lines. Draw the lines from point to point (ie coincident relations), it rebuilds way better, especially when you apply radii. Convert edges is actually some sort of clunky collinear relation with ambiguously defined endpoints.
save bodies can be used to split a run into individual tube segments. Name the solid bodies before you save them, with part numbers, so that you can call them up on the drawing with balloons without having to look anything up...saved so much effort.
Anyway thats what I did, hope it helps
Chris