AutoCAD Plant 3D System Tools & Variables Updated for 2015 SP2
Bruce Trevena, Trevena, Plant Solutions Consultant ,
Cadgroup Australia, November 2014
Plant 3D - System Syst em Tools Tools & Variables
CONTENTS A.
AUTOCAD P&ID SYSTEM SYSTEM FUNCTIONS ........................................................... 4 1.
GENERALINSTRUMENTROTATE ....................................................................................4
2.
SLINENOZZLEERASE ................................................................... ........................................................................................................ ..................................... 4
3.
SLINEORTHO ........................................................... ....................................................................................................................... ............................................................ 4
4.
VGRIPS ........................................................... ................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................ 5
B.
PLANT 3D SYSTEM FUNCTIONS.............................................................. ...................................................................... ........ 6 5.
COMPRESSPROJECT ....................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................ 6
6.
PLANTAUDIT ............................................................ ........................................................................................................................ ............................................................ 6
7.
PNPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER ........................................................ .................................................................................. .......................... 7
C.
ADDITIONAL SYSTEM TOOLS ..................................................................... .......................................................................... ..... 8
8.
SQL DATABASE MAINTENANCE .....................................................................................8
9.
CATALOGUE BUILDER ................................................................. ...................................................................................................... ..................................... 8
D.
PLANT 3D SYSTEM VARIABLES .......................................................................9
10.
PLANTBENDENABLEALLPIPETYPES ............................................................. ............................................................................ ............... 9
11.
PLANTCOGVALIDATIONSWITCH ....................................................................................9
12.
PLANTCONNECTIONMARKER .............................................................. ...................................................................................... ........................ 10
13.
PLANTCONTENTFOLDER............................................................ ............................................................................................... ...................................10
14.
PLANTDEFAULTLAYER ................................................................ ................................................................................................... ................................... 10
15.
PLANTDYNTOOLPALETTE .......................................................... ............................................................................................. ................................... 11
16.
PLANTERRORLEVEL ......................................................... ....................................................................................................... .............................................. 11
17.
PLANTINSULATIONDISPLAY. .........................................................................................11
18.
PLANTINSULATIONMODE ........................................................... .............................................................................................. ................................... 12
19.
PLANTFITTINGSTICKFACTOR .......................................................................................12
20.
PLANTGRIPEDITMODE................................................................. .................................................................................................... ................................... 12
21.
PLANTLOCKFADECTL .................................................................. ..................................................................................................... ................................... 13
22.
PLANTLOCKPOINTOFSUPPORT .......................................................... .................................................................................. ........................ 13
23.
PLANTMAXBENDANGLE .............................................................. ................................................................................................. ................................... 14
24.
PLANTOFFSETCONNECT............................................................ ............................................................................................... ...................................14
25.
PLANTPORTDISPLAY ................................................................... ...................................................................................................... ................................... 15
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables
26.
PLANTSELECTCOGSWITCH.......................................................................................... 15
27.
PLANTVALIDATEDEMANDCLOSE ................................................................................ 15
28.
PLANTPCFUNICODE ........................................................................................................15
29.
PLANTPIPESILHDISPLAY................................................................................................ 15
30.
PLANTPLACEHOLDERDISPLAY ....................................................................................16
31.
PLANTPROPMISMATCHDISPLAY................................................................................. 16
32.
PLANTROUTEBEND ......................................................................................................... 16
33.
PLANTSAVEDETAIL. .........................................................................................................17
34.
PLANTSLOPETHRESHOLDANGLE ............................................................................... 17
35.
PLANTSPECNOTIFY.........................................................................................................18
36.
PLANTSPECNOTIFYTIME ............................................................................................... 18
37.
PLANTSPECUPDATECHECK ......................................................................................... 18
38.
PLANTWELCOMEENABLED ........................................................................................... 19
39.
PLANTWELCOMENEWPROJECT ..................................................................................19
40.
PLANTWELDDISPLAY......................................................................................................19
41.
SYNCSTYLESMODE .........................................................................................................20
E.
ORTHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM TOOLS ................................................................ 21 42.
PLANTORTHOHIDDENLINEMODE ................................................................................21
43.
PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE................................................................................. 22
44.
PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK ........................................................................................ 23
45.
PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL...................................................................24
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables A.
AUTOCAD P&ID SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
GENERALINSTRUMENTROTATE Sets whether inline instrument can be rotated ON
OFF
SLINENOZZLEERASE Sets whether nozzles are erased when connected slines are erased Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1 0
Nozzles are not erased when connected sline is erased
1
Nozzles are erased when connected sline is erased
SLINEORTHO Sets whether ortho is turned on when sline is activated and whether corner points are implied Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
0
Does not turn on ortho when sline is activated. Corner points are not implied
1
Temporarily turns on ortho when sline is activated. Enforces strict orthogonality. Corner points are implied
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables VGRIPS Controls the display of vertex grips. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Drawing
Initial value: 0 Does not display vertex grips
0 Displays all vertex grips except the first and last points. Set VGRIPS to 1 to alter sline arcs
1 Displays all vertex grips. Set VGRIPS to 2 if you want to enable grips on the first and last points of a line so that you can shorten line segments
2
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables B.
PLANT 3D SYSTEM FUNCTIONS
COMPRESSPROJECT Compresses and defragments the cached drawing data that accumulates while project drawings are modified. Access Methods Command entry: compressproject Summary Compresses the drawing data, which is constantly updated as you work on project drawings. To optimize the data cache and improve the program performance, you can do a periodic project compression. For compression to succeed, the project cannot be locked by another designer. If the project is locked, the compression process is halted.
PLANTAUDIT Audits and repairs project data and drawing synchronization errors. Access Methods Command entry: plantaudit Summary If a Plant object is not found in the project database, it is erased from the drawing. List of Prompts The following prompts display if synchronization errors are found. Updated cache connection data for part Erased component not linked to project database
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables
PnPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER Running this executable purges your local cache. Access Methods Command entry: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Plant 3D 2013\ PnPLOCALDATACACHEPURGER.exe
Summary Plant 3D uses a local cache to hold drawing and object data. This is done to streamline graphic performance. As the cache file increases in size and reaches a maximum, older contents are deleted. Fatal errors, power outages and illegal procedures such as “SAVEAS” can lead to corruptions in the cache file and it is good practice to purge this local cache from time to time (once a week).
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables C.
ADDITIONAL SYSTEM TOOLS
SQL Database Maintenance PnPProjectMaintenance.exe
CATALOGUE BUILDER AutoCADPlant3DCatalogBuilder.exe
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables D.
PLANT 3D SYSTEM VARIABLES
PLANTBENDENABLEALLPIPETYPES Enable bends for all types ON OFF
PLANTCOGVALIDATIONSWITCH Enables weight validation. Command entry: plantcogvalidationswitch Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
If live COG is enabled and you select piping, pipe supports, or equipment that has no weight, a COG Validation dialog box displays. The validation dialog lists selected objects that do not have weight.
Click on the link to zoom to the component. You can disable COG Validation without closing the validation dialog. Disabling validation allows you to select and set the weight of individual objects without resetting the list. Locked components are not displayed in the COG Validation dialog box. 1
On; Weight validation is enabled
0
Off
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTCONNECTIONMARKER Toggles the display of the disconnect marker.
Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 0 0
Hides disconnect markers
1
Displays disconnect markers
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.
PLANTCONTENTFOLDER Displays the shared content catalog folder. (Read-only) Type:
String
Saved in: Registry You can use PLANTMODIFYSHAREDCONTENTFOLDER to set this variable. Note: The Shared Content Folder applies to the installation of AutoCAD Plant 3D. Default: C:\AutoCAD Plant 3D 2015 Content\
PLANTDEFAULTLAYER Sets the piping layer to use when using automated layer assignments and the layer cannot be determined. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: ”0” Sets the layer to use when the automated layer name cannot be determined. For example, if you are naming layers by line number and change the line number to unassigned. An empty value (setvar "PLANTDEFAULTLAYER" "") will use the current layer.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTDYNTOOLPALETTE Loads the dynamic pipe spec tool palette fr om the current spec. Access Methods Command entry: plantdynamictoolpalette Summary You can enable or disable the dynamic pipe spec tool palette.
List of Prompts The Dynamic Pipe Spec Tool Palette is currently . PlantDynamicToolPalette [Enable/Disable]: Enable Displays the current spec in the tool palette. Disable Do not use the dynamic tool palette. You can create and customize a static piping component tool palette using the spec viewer. This behavior is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2011.
PLANTERRORLEVEL 0
1
2
PLANTINSULATIONDISPLAY Controls whether insulation is displayed on AutoCAD Plant 3D piping objects. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1 0
Do not display insulation on piping
1
Display the insulation on piping
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTINSULATIONMODE Controls whether insulation is displayed on AutoCAD Plant 3D piping objects. Type:
String
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: simplifiedFull simplifiedFull
All components display insulation.
simplifiedPartial
Display tubing and fittings with insulation. Valves and flanges do not display insulation. Recommend setting when creating orthographic drawings.
PLANTFITTINGSTICKFACTOR 2.0000
PLANTGRIPEDITMODE Controls whether inline fittings are constrained to move within the current pipe segment or if they move to other connected pipe segments in the network. Command entry: plantgripeditmode Summary You can control whether the inline fittings can be moved only within the current pipe segment or if they can be moved along the connected network to other pipe segments as well. List of Prompts The following prompts are displayed. Grip editing constrains inline fittings to move within [pipeSegment/pipeLine] pipeSegment
Constrains movement of inline fittings to a single pipe segment. This mode is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2010 behavior. pipeLine
Allows movement of inline fittings to other pipe segments or to an open area in the drawing.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTLOCKFADECTL Fades locked piping in the 3D model.
Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value:
0
0
Do not fades locked piping
1
Fades locked piping slightly
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.
PLANTLOCKPOINTOFSUPPORT Locks the point-of-support on pipe supports. When on (1), pipe supports that are copied or moved retain their point-of-support. The point-of-support is where the pipe support connects to structure. For example, if the support is copied to pipe that is lower in elevation, the support rod of a hanger support increases in height. Not all pipe support types have a point of support. For example, hangers and stanchions have a point-of-support. This variable can also be set with the Lockpointofsupport option of plantpipesupportmove. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value:
0
0
Height of pipe support does not change.
1
Maintains the support point when copied or moved.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTMAXBENDANGLE Specifies whether pipe bends can be used up to 90 or 180 degrees.
Type:
Real
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value:
90
90
Specifies that bends over 90 degrees are not created.
91-179
Specifies that bends larger than 90 can be created.
180
Allows a return bend to be created .
PLANTOFFSETCONNECT Controls whether AutoCAD Plant 3D attempts to connect piping when snapping to a pipe connection and using pipe offset while routing. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1 0
Do not connect when snapping to a pipe connector
1
Connect when snapping to a pipe connector
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTPORTDISPLAY ON
OFF
PLANTSELECTCOGSWITCH Plantshowconnectedcenterline
ON
OFF
PLANTVALIDATEDEMANDCLOSE CLOSEWAIT
PLANTPCFUNICODE Creates Unicode PCF files. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
0
Creates ASCII compatible PCF files. This format is compatible with AutoCAD Plant 3D 2011 and earlier.
1
Creates Unicode PCF files to fully support multi-byte characters. This setting may not be compatible with other programs.
Multi-byte characters are supported in ACSII PCF files using escape sequences, but this restricts the number of characters supported and can affect formatting.
PLANTPIPESILHDISPLAY Sets the display of the pipe silhouettes. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
0
Hides pipe silhouettes. If dispsilh is on, plantpipesilhdisplay is ignored and pipe silhouettes display.
1
Displays pipe silhouettes
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables
PLANTPLACEHOLDERDISPLAY Toggles the display of the Placeholder Part glyph. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1 0
On
1
Off
PLANTPROPMISMATCHDISPLAY Toggles the display of the property mismatch markers. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 0 0
Hides property mismatch markers
1
Displays property mismatch markers
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.
PLANTROUTEBEND Creates pipe bends while routing pipe.
Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value:
0
0
Creates elbow fittings when routing.
1
Creates pipe bends when routing.
This variable can be set with the pipeBEnd option of plantpipeadd.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables
When plantroutebend is enabled, you set plantmaxbendangle to create bends over 90 degrees.
PLANTSAVEDETAIL Sets the detail of the proxy graphics when Plant 3D objects are viewed in AutoCAD or Navisworks without object enablers. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
0
Low detail. Sets proxy graphic detail to use lines. This setting reduces the size of the DWG file when saved.
1
High detail. Sets proxy graphic details to use surfaces. Recommended setting when the drawing is used in Navisworks.
PLANTSLOPETHRESHOLDANGLE Specifies the angle below which piping is treated as sloped. Command entry: plantslopethresholdangle Summary You can specify the angle that identifies what piping is treated as sloped and what is not. Type: Integer Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 5
1-45
On. Piping over this value is considered sloped. Piping over this value is considered angled. The default angle is 5 degrees.
0
Off. No piping is sloped.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTSPECNOTIFY Checks for spec file updates when the drawing loads, and on a time interval. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 1
1
On. Checks for spec file updates when the drawing loads, and on the time interval specified by the plantspecnotifytime system variable
0
Off. Does not check for spec file updates
PLANTSPECNOTIFYTIME Sets the time interval that spec files are checked for updates. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 2 0
Checks for spec file updates only when the drawing loads
1-4
Sets the time interval (in hours) that spec files are checked for updates. The first check is made when the drawing loads
PLANTSPECUPDATECHECK Checks for changes made to spec files that are in use in a drawing. Access Methods Command entry: plantspecupdatecheck Summary You can check for changes to a pipe spec that is used in a 3D model. If changes are discovered, you can update the model.
NoteThis command can run automatically by setting the plantspecnotify and plantspecnotifytime system variables. See Also Update a Spec in a Plant 3D Model
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTWELCOMEENABLED Displays the Welcome Screen Setting to 0 will prevent the opening of Plant 3D Welcome Dialogue, a address the issue of Plant 3D freezing on the Welcome Screen. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 0 1
On; You can create a project from the welcome screen
0
Off
PLANTWELCOMENEWPROJECT Displays the New Project button on the welcome screen. Type:
Integer
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 0 1
On; You can create a project from the welcome screen
0
Off
PLANTWELDDISPLAY Toggles the display of connection markers. Type:
Switch
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 0 0
Hides connection markers such as weld and glue markers
1
Displays connection markers
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables SYNCSTYLESMODE Sets how project drawings synchronize with the project database.
Type:
Bitcode
Saved in:
Registry
Initial value: 42 The setting is stored as a bitcode using the sum of the following values: 1
Synchronize P&ID drawings when they are opened.
2
Synchronize open P&ID drawings when the project is modified.
4
Synchronize 3D Model drawings when they are opened.
8
Synchronize open 3D Model drawings when the project is modified.
16
Synchronize Ortho drawings when they are opened.
32
Synchronize open Ortho drawings when the project is modified.
Turn this variable off (0) to improve performance. Set all bits (63) to update P&ID, 3D Model, and Ortho drawings when they are opened, and if the project is modified in Project Setup. The default (42) synchronizes open P&ID, open 3D Model, and Ortho drawings if the project is modified in project setup.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables E.
ORTHOGRAPHIC SYSTEM TOOLS
PLANTORTHOHIDDENLINEMODE Specifies whether hidden lines are shown and whether they are shown for piping only or for all plant objects. Access Methods Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Command entry: plantorthohiddenlinemode
Hidden Line Piping
List of Prompts
Specify the display mode for hidden lines when creating Ortho drawings [Nohiddenlines/hiddenPipingonly / Allhiddenlines]: Nohiddenlines
Pipes behind other pipes are hidden. hiddenPipingonly
All pipe lines show (default). Allhiddenlines
All pipe lines and other objects behind pipes or objects show.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE Specifies whether matchlines are generated on plan view orthos. Access Methods Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Command entry: plantorthomatchlinemode
Matchlines
List of Prompts Enter new value for PLANTORTHOMATCHLINEMODE : Enter OFF or ON to toggle the generation of matchlines on plan view ortho drawings. The default is ON.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK Displays an overlaid preview of the paper size in relation to the selected ortho view scale. Access Methods Ribbon: Ortho Editor Output Size panel Command entry: plantorthopapercheck
Paper Check
Summary
You can see whether the current scale setting is appropriate and make changes to the scale before placing the view in the ortho drawing.
Use the scale drop-down list on the ribbon to make adjustments. The preview reflects your changes. List of Prompts
Enter new value for PLANTORTHOPAPERCHECK [On/oFF] Toggles the display of a preview showing the paper size in relation to the selected ortho view scale. Default is On.
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Plant 3D - System Tools & Variables PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL Cycles through the open pipe symbol modes in ortho drawings: no cut-pipe symbols shown, only symbols on pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube shown (default), symbols on open-ended pipes as well as pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube shown. Access Methods Ribbon: Ortho Editor tab Output Appearance panel Command entry: plantorthoshowopenpipesymbol
Cut Pipe Symbols
List of Prompts
Enter new value for PLANTORTHOSHOWOPENPIPESYMBOL :
0 = shows no symbols on pipes cut by the OrthoCube.
1 = shows symbols on pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube (default).
2 = shows symbols on open-ended pipes as well as pipes or components cut by the OrthoCube.
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