Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
Kimberley Hendrix, Solutions Consultant D3 Technologies, LLC Tulsa, OK
PD2681
I have all of our equipment modeled already for fabrication in Autodesk Inventor. Do I have to recreate that for my AutoCAD® Plant 3D models? The short answer is NO. Learn the process, along with some tips and tricks, to use your existing 3D models inside your AutoCAD Plant 3D models. This class will cover getting your existing 3D models into your Plant 3D environment without crippling your model and without recreating your work.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this class, you will be able to:
• Manipulate your full fabrication models from Inventor so they are useful in Plant 3D
• Use the features of the AEC Exchange, including the BIM information
• Set up connection points so that you can correctly pipe up to your equipment
• Use the step-by-step instructions to facilitate the process in your work environment
About the Speaker
Based in Tulsa, OK, Kimberley provides custom solutions for lean engineering, using Autodesk
products and industry knowledge to streamline design and engineering departments. Kimberley
has worked in the manufacturing/Plant industry for 24 years and specialized in automated
solutions for the Heat Exchanger industry. She has worked with Autodesk® products since 1984.
Kimberley is associated with D3 Technologies, LLC, as a Solutions Consultant, focusing on
Plant, Automation, and Mechanical issues.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
2
Overview
As with all things Autodesk there are many ways to accomplish the same task. Today
we are going to manipulate a full fabrication model of a Heat Exchanger to be used in
the plant environment, without destroying the operability of your plant model.
We will explore the different ways that files may come to you from a vendor and how to
manipulate those for your plant environment. We will also take a full in-house fabrication
model and accomplish the same task.
The secret to a successful import from a full fabrication model is to simplify! Let’s
explore some common steps to simplify a rather complicated Model, for use in our
Plant.
Different file types received from Vendors
Many manufactures have content online, these can be downloaded from the web, and
you would usually receive them in a .STEP or .IGES file. This same process works for
AutoCAD 3D models.
When you download these types of files, they are usually pretty simple, remember the
more surfaces the more complicated, and thus the more drag on plant it takes.
This illustration is a Horizontal pump
downloaded from a vendor site online. It is
relatively simple. However even this pump
should be simplified in Inventor prior to
exporting via BIM Exchange.
Notice the exposed internal components.
This Model will be modified to look like the
next illustration.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
3
Steps to complete this conversion without affecting the original model.
• Download the .step or the .iges file from web
• Save the original .ipt file
• Insert the .ipt file into a NEW assembly
• Create a Phantom part in place o Fill parts with Extrusion A, and Loft B
• Save the assembly file
• Run Shrinkwrap – we will dissect this command later.
• The resulting .ipt file that comes from the Shrinkwrap is what we run the AEC Exchange utility on – we will dissect his command as well later.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
4
Full fabrication models from Inventor so they are useful in Plant 3D
Let’s start with a full in-house fabrication model, for this example, I am using a Heat
exchanger designed by Chart Cooler Service Company out of Tulsa, they have their
units fully automated using iLogic. This Model was stripped of iLogic and sent to me in
full detail. For plant the only thing that is important, is the size of the footprint and the
nozzle locations. We also will need a general ideal of the look of the equipment. While
Shrinkwrap will reduce the complexity of an assembly, it really doesn’t simplify it
enough to make it work well in Plant. We will place a completed model in a new
assembly so that we can create some solid extrusions to simplify the model as much
as possible.
The goal, is to take a
model that has all of this
detail
To a model that has the exact
external dimensions, but without
all of the faces and complexities
that slow down Plant3D and are
not required.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
5
To do this we need to digress into the Shrinkwrap command. The shrinkwrap command
was introduced a few years back in the Labs, and has been an integral part of Inventor
for the past couple of releases.
Definition:
The Shrinkwrap command creates a part from an existing assembly. The shrinkwrap
part is a simplified version of the source assembly that can provide a significant
reduction in file size in consuming assemblies or applications. Use the hole and
geometry removal tools to help protect intellectual property. The default method creates
a single surface composite. A surface composite is the fastest method and creates the
smallest file of the three options.
For the simplification to use in Plant 3D,
I actually use Shrinkwrap twice. So
using the substitute is not necessary
Create the first Shrinkwrap using options that
reduce as much detail as possible.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
6
Steps for fabrication model
1. Open fabrication Model
2. Create a Shrinkwrap .ipt file from the full model
a. This reduces the size of the model so that you can easily manipulate it in
Inventor.
3. Create a NEW assembly file
4. Insert the .ipt file from step 2 in the assembly.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
7
5. Create a part in place
a. This allows you to make modifications
without effecting the original model
b. While in that part, begin to place simple
shape extrusions through the model, to simplify and reduce the number of
faces. The extrusions used to simply the heat exchanger are shown in Gold
in the following illustration.
6. After you have created extrusions to reduce all faces, change the entire model to a
single color. Turn visibility off of any work features, be at the top level of the
assembly.
7. Run the Shrinkwrap command again, with the same options as described
previously. The output (.ipt) from this last Shrinkwrap is what we will use for the
ADSK exchange to Plant.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
8
BIM Exchange – creating the ADSK file for Plant 3D
With the newly simplified model you are now ready to begin the BIM Exchange to create
the ADSK file.
While it appears that the “Pipe Connector” in the BIM
Exchange ribbon would be useful in identifying
connections for Plant 3D it is not. This are is set up for
MEP and the connections and such are different, and not
suitable for most Plant 3D installations.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
9
At this point you should run the “Check Design” command as it will tell you if
your model is ready to be exported to ADKS, you are looking for a Model
Complexity of “LOW”
Save your new Assembly, and execute the “Export Bulding Components”
command.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
10
Fill in all aplicable data,
Description,
Manufacturer, Model as
required, these properties
will carry over to Plant 3D
when you import your file.
Depending on the size of your model, this may take a minute or two but a progress bar should
appear.
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
11
With this newly created .ADSK file we can now add to Plant and identify the nozzles.
Plant 3D – Convert Equipment from inventor
Execute the command “Convert Inventor equipment”
Autodesk® Inventor® for Plant
12
Browse to you .ADSK file you created, it will appear in the model space and the following dialog box will open
For this example select Heat Exchanger
Notice the Properties import with the ADSK file from
Inventor.
All that we have left to do now is identify the Nozzles.
Select the Heat Exchanger, and click on the add
nozzle icon.
Use the Object Snaps to select the center of the nozzle, Move mouse using the ORTHO mode,
so that the nozzle is pointing up in the Z direction, identify the nozzle in the Plant 3D nozzle
dialog box.
You can now successfully pipe up to your new equpment.
