Ideas for Pipe Support Modeler Palette

I was talking with support last week and they are looking for ideas for the new pipe support palette. So I thought of having a collective list of requests going here.

i am going to start with

1. Dummy legs - support pipe needs to be able to be offset in order to match BOP.
2. The ability to stretch supports (example, a base el that isn't touching grade needs to be measured and redrawn when it could just be stretched.)

3. A point or node on the centerline of pipe. it can be tough to move or copy a support without knowing where it connects to the centerline at.

Already submitted a feature request on item 1, but additional pushes can't hurt. Common BOP should be the default on all horizontal eblow-type supports.

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4. Allow multiple custom supports to be combined in the same way as parametric files. Would make building some of our more complex supports easier.

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5. Export the PSA file contents to Excel (or CSV for easy import to Excel) in the same way as the Specification Editor, for verification and checking.
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6. Additional options for shoes: end plates, multiple webs, clamps. Also, clamped shoes typically have the clamps rotated at an angle to allow for closer spacing; a rotation angle for components such as these would be welcome.

7. Additional options for plates: circular plates, different orientations

8. Parametric data files for common steel shapes: tees, channels, wide-flanges, and so on. Or, ability to use the steel data files.

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you got a lot of the same ideas that i have.

Thanks. Most of these are rolling out as I work out how we will be implementing this new feature. Would have been nice to pick this up during the Beta, but I got slammed with a bunch of project work part way through so I had to prioritize: does it work? Check. Custom supports? Check.

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8. Store the last used PSA support file, in the same manner as the last used insulation INU file. This will allow us to programmatically set the file the users are supposed to be using while still keeping a single CFG file (either local or centralized) pointing to the same Pipe Support folder with multiple PSA files.

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9. Use custom component along with the other components in an pipe support assembly.
for example, a base el (pipe and plate) sitting on top of a custom support.

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10. One from the waaaay-out-there club: links to support pictures. Engineers like to put all sorts of "weasel notes" (not my term, by the way...) on support standards, such as "only use in this condition", "don't use on vertical lines", "make 100mm longer if this is the case". Designers need to have a copy handy when designing. Wouldn't it make things easier if each support could include a pop-up picture of the standard drawing, like at the bottom of the XREF palette? Or even just hot link to a PDF, DWF, or other external file?

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Add stanchions for tees. In some cases you need an anchor right at a tee. This would be just like an elbow stanchion but we need one for a tee.

For some reason I can place a stanchion for pipe but it bombs out if I add the plate to the assembly. It will only run without the plate.

Can you email the *.sup data files and *.psa assembly that has the issue to cadworx@coade.com?

I am trying to figure out a way to do spring cans.
I don't think it can be done with the current stuff, even the custom blocks because of insertion distance from pipe.
so i am adding to the list

11. Spring Cans

12. To be able to put notes on support that can be transferred on isogen. like what ive seen on the last project that i work with.
Two different shoe tag mounted on the same pipe on the same point. one is mounted on the BOP and the other is TOP.
on Shoe A we put the note "to be mounted on TOP", and for Shoe B "to be mounted on BOP"

can't that already be done with the CEDIT > ISOGEN button?

For now, I do that sort of thing with a number of custom blocks with a range of nominal heights and the optional flag set to "1" in the data file. The user selects the closest available size, then does a 3D move face.

Some of these supports can get a little crazy, and a parametric type system can't cover them all. How about a "generic support" function, similar to the "generic attach" function to convert some of these oddball items?

well the generic support function can already be done with the custom block, wouldn't it?

Sort of. All of the parts need to be 3D solids and unioned together in the source file. But that doesn't work well for complex/one-off objects, like those spring cans or anchors on either side of a beam. Stress engineers can also issue case-specific deviations from standards.

The generic support function would allow the user to build the pieces, including user-made 3D solids, orient and/or space them, and create a support object out of that.

I see where you are going with this now. I think you could be on to something here.

You're Right ! ooops...