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Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

Kimberley Hendrix D3 Technologies, LLC


Jason Drew D3 Technologies, LLC

PD416-1
Learn how to migrate your existing P&ID drawings into AutoCAD P&ID using your company standards. The class will
provide in-depth, step-by-step instructions to convert your existing P&ID drawings to intelligent AutoCAD P&ID. You will
improve your drawing accuracy, coordination, and overall productivity with the use of consistent methods to transfer and
read data from plain AutoCAD and from CADWorx P&ID's, giving you the ability to check the accuracy of your drawings
as you do the conversion. This class will benefit drafting professionals, CAD and IT managers, as well as the one-person
shop. Attendees should have general AutoCAD P&ID knowledge.

About the Speaker:


Kimberley has worked in the Manufacturing/Plant industry for 23 years and specialized in Automated
solutions for the Heat Exchanger industry. She has worked with Autodesk products since 1984.
Kimberley is currently working with D3 Technologies, LLC, as a Lean Engineering Specialist, focusing on
Plant, Automation, and Mechanical issues.

Kim.Hendrix@d3tech.net
Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

Migrating P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID


Overview
We will cover my 10 steps to converting P&IDs created in vanilla AutoCAD to intelligent
AutoCAD P&IDs. The steps I will outline reduce the time to convert/replace objects to
intelligent objects and the need for comprehensive checking system.

We will discuss the conversion of CADWORX P&IDs as well, gathering the information from the
CADWORX database.

Objective
10 steps to quickly and completely covert standard AutoCAD drawings to AutoCAD P&ID
intelligent drawings

Steps
1. Setup new Project
2. Create a NEW drawing using your company standard templates
3. Insert your existing drawing as a BLOCK , explode, move all items to layer 0
4. Convert or Replace all equipment items
5. Trace all the Process & instrumentation lines (draw over in-line assets)
6. Tag your lines
7. Inline Assets
8. Instrumentation
9. Clean up, Annotation, Properties
10. Off page connectors, Validation

If we say these steps quickly it all sounds very easy. I assure it is not a difficult task, but
hopefully these steps will speed the process up and make it less tedious.

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Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

Step 1 Project
If this is your first project in P&ID take the
time to properly set up a template project
based on all of your company standards.
Custom blocks, annotations, layers, title
blocks etc.

If you dont spend the time upfront to setup


you company standards, it will slow down your
conversion time, and make future projects
harder to complete.

Create a new project using your template


Project to copy the settings from.

Step 2 New Drawing


Do not skip this step; it is important that you allow
P&ID to create a new drawing with all the properties
from the Project propagated down. This is when you
take the time to fill in all appropriate drawing
properties: drawing name, area, etc it will make the
off page connectors function better when we get to
that point.

Step 3
Insert the existing drawing as a BLOCK in model space, explode, and then change everything to
Layer 0.

Tip: a couple of commands to make this process cleaner.


Layer Translator laytrans, and Layer Merge laymrg
Both of these commands will move nested block
information to the layer of your choice.

Create two layer states one with only Layer 0 showing, and
one with all layers available.

Do not explode blocks with attributes until you have noted


the values. If you convert a block with attributes to a P&ID
object it will lose the attribute and the tag.

Importance of layer 0 if you have used AutoCAD for any length of time you know that layer 0
is special, and we should avoid drawing on it when possible. The reason I recommend moving
all items to layer 0 before converting is when you use the Convert to P&ID Object it creates

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Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

a block and moves it to the appropriate layer, if the objects currently reside on layer 0 then all
colors / line types will take on the new layers attributes.

Step 4 Convert or Replace all equipment items


Select equipment items and convert to P&ID object. If the item is
currently a block with attributed text, make note of the attributed
values. When you use the convert utility the attributes are lost. This
is done by right mouse click select Convert to P&ID Object ..
select which class the item belongs to, you will be prompted for an
insertion point. Notice that the item was moved to the appropriate
layer and has all the properties available for the selected class.

By default equipment items converted will have auto nozzle


turned on.

Alternately -

If your company standards require all equipment to be of a


standard look and feel, then you can replace the equipment with
standard items from the standard palette you are using, and then erase the old off of layer 0.

P&ID does not care whether you use the standard block or you convert from your existing
drawings, the intelligence is the same for either version.

Right click on the equipment, Assign Tag and Annotate.

Step 5 Process Lines


Trace all your lines from point to point right on top of and over any inline assets. Be sure you are
using the appropriate line (Primary Line Segment, Secondary Line segment etc.)

Change your layer state to 0 and delete all the old lines and flow arrows.

Tip: Converting long line segments to P&ID doesnt work well. For every inline asset, corner, or
break P&ID assumes it is a different line, so they are not continuous splines. If you have a
small signal line, or a complicated pattern on a line, then go ahead and convert but be sure to
heal any breaks prior to doing that.

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Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

Step 6 Tagging
Return to all layers, and tag as many of your lines as possible. That way has you begin to add
inline assets and fittings; the appropriate information is put in the annotations.

This is a good time to take a look at the Data Manager, make sure all lines are tagged, or at
least sized.

Step 7 Inline Assets


There are many ways to skin this proverbial cat.

I have found that with most Inline Assets it is cleaner and more efficient to move the old valve
over slightly, insert a new one from the palette, and match the tagging then erase the old one.
While you can convert inline assets, you do lose attributed text, and will have to manually
annotate them.

If there are items that you will use often I recommend that you take the time to incorporate that
block into the project on a permanent basis, and then still do the replace.

Fun fact: if you do convert an inline asset that is currently residing on one of your new process
lines, P&ID will supply the break in the line.

Step 8 Instrumentation
By far the most difficult part of the conversion process.

Instrumentation does not convert well; I


strongly suggest that you actually insert
new instrumentation when possible.

In this example, I have converted the items


marked, and replaced all the other items.
That way I retain the integrity and look of
my drawings, and still maintain all of the
intelligence.

Notice that the converted control valve did


break the process line.

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Migrating Existing P&IDs into AutoCAD P&ID

Step 9 Clean up, Annotate, Properties


Switch the layer state to 0 make sure there is nothing left on there. At this point it would be
typical to find misc text, flow arrows that were covered up. If there are any process items left be
sure to convert them now.

Take all of your misc text to a TEXT layer.

Switch to Paper Space, and check all the properties in your title block, you did use fields .. right?

Step 10 Off Page Connectors - Validation


As you complete all the P&IDs in this project, you can now come back and complete your Off-
Page connectors. If you have off page connectors that are attributed, move them off the plot
area and leave them there until all the new connectors are in place and properly filled out.

If you have done several P&IDs you have undoubtedly ran into not being able to tag a line,
because it was already tagged in another drawing. Complete all your remaining off-page
connectors; make sure all the tagging flows properly from one drawing to the next.

Run Validation this needs to be run when all your drawings for
this project are complete, otherwise all of your off-page
connectors that are not connected with another drawing will not
error out.

Congratulations you have successfully converted plain drawings to AutoCAD P&ID intelligent
drawings.

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