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Module 3
Basics & Functions
Training Manual
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Contents
View Representation.................................................................................4-11
Exercise 3.................................................................................................4-22
Session 5 ................................................................ 5-1
The Model Editor...........................................................................................5-1
Objectives...................................................................................................5-1
Must Know Points .......................................................................................5-1
Model Editor Mode......................................................................................5-2
Element Selection.......................................................................................5-9
Positioning and Orientation using the Locator Handle ..............................5-17
Positioning and Orientation Using the Edit Menu .....................................5-33
Selectable Items .......................................................................................5-38
Objectives
At the end of this session you will be able to:
• Explain some of the advantages of using PDMS to control and execute your
designs.
• Describe the database structure of PDMS.
• Describe how design data is stored.
• Navigate around the database.
• Explain attributes in PDMS.
• Explain UDAs (User Defined Attributes).
Even with the advanced features of PDMS, the main form of communication
between the designer and those who build the plant remains the drawings. Without
engineering drawings the task of building a plant almost would be impossible. To
meet this need requirement, PDMS can produce numerous types of drawing, ranging
from complex 3D illustrations to fully dimensioned arrangement drawings and piping
isometrics.
All the data in a PDMS design would be of little value without the ability to ensure the
quality of the design information. Indeed, it would be pointless to develop such a
large computer system if it could not improve on existing techniques. PDMS
contributes to the quality of the design in the following ways:
• Ensures consistent and reliable component data
In a conventional design environment, using 2D drawing techniques, the size of
each fitting must be decided before it can be drawn. This is a time consuming
process that often leads to expensive errors, which are only found during the
erection stage of the project. With PDMS, all piping component sizes and
geometry are predefined and stored in a catalogue, which cannot be changed by
the designer. This ensures that all items are true to size and are consistent
throughout the design, no matter how many users there are on the project.
• Adheres to definable engineering specifications
Piping specifications and steelwork catalogues stating precisely the components
to be used are compiled for the purpose of ensuring consistent, safe and
economic design. Design applications for piping, hvac, cabletrays and steelwork
all use specifications to control component selection.
• Ensures correct geometry and connectivity
There are many different ways of making design errors, such as incorrect fitting
lengths, incompatible flange ratings, or simple alignment errors. PDMS can check
all of these using data consistency procedures built into the system to check all or
individual parts of the design model.
• Avoids component interferences
Despite a wealth of skill and experience in plant design, traditional drawing office
techniques are still subject to human error. Laying out complex pipe runs, and
general arrangements in confined areas using conventional 2D methods,
inevitably leads to clashes between elements, which are trying to share the same
physical space. PDMS enables you to avoid such problems in two ways:
1. By viewing the design interactively during the design process, allowing visual
checks on the model from different viewpoints and resolves any potential
problems as they arise.
2. By using the powerful clash checking facility within PDMS, which will detect
clashes anywhere in the plant, this can be done interactively or
retrospectively.
DESIGN
DESIGN is the main, graphically driven constructor module within PDMS. In this
module the plant model is built and the data stored in one or more databases. The
databases contain a three-dimensional description of all items in the plant.
Component selection is provided through specifications that dictate which catalogue
components can be used.
The main features:
• Create new design elements.
• Modify existing design elements.
• Interrogate and View the design model interactively by graphical manipulation.
• Create Reports to detail MTO, project pricing, project timing, customisation of
user defined requirements etc.
• Run a Clash detection application to check interference between design
elements.
DRAFT
DRAFT is used to create and manipulate drawings, annotation and dimensioning.
The annotation can be in the form of labels attached to design elements, or 2D
annotation such as drawing notes, or drawing frames, tables, lines etc.
Annotation attached to a design data element on the drawing will move if the3D
position of the element changes. Dimensions are projected distances between
connecting points (P-Point) in the 3D design. The dimension itself is calculated
automatically and is recalculated every time the drawing is updated. The design
database can be interrogated through the drawing database, but it cannot be
changed from within the DRAFT module.
ISODRAFT
ISODRAFT produces dimensioned symbolic piping isometrics for construction and
erection purposes. This module produces isometric drawings in various formats, as
required. Its facilities include:
• Full material lists.
• Automatic spool identification.
• Automatic splitting of complex drawings.
ADMIN
Large plants designed using PDMS will usually be broken down into individual areas
(either physical areas or design areas), depending on the physical size, complexity
and configuration of the plant. On a large Project, the System Administrator will first
agree with Project and Design Management, the breakdown of the PDMS project
into sections which:
Are relevant to the needs of project reporting and control.
Form reasonable design subdivisions with sensible match-lines and design content.
Enable enough designers to work in parallel with simultaneous access to carry out
their design tasks.
In much the same way as in a design office (with its section leader, draughtspeople,
etc.), PDMS has Teams, the members of which are called Users. These Teams can
consist of any number of Users and can be organised by discipline or physical work
areas.
PARAGON
PARAGON is used to input and modify the component catalogue stored in the
project database. The catalogues in PDMS serve a similar purpose to the
manufacturers’ catalogues, which you would refer to when using conventional design
methods. The PDMS component catalogue is used to specify the geometry,
connection information, obstruction and detailing data of steelwork, piping, and
HVAC and cable tray components.
This module is used to construct the component catalogue just as DESIGN is used
to construct the design data. The catalogue data is held in a hierarchical manner and
special database. It should be noted that, where the design data is specific to a
particular design, catalogues and specifications may be specific to a company but
general to a number of projects in that company. For example, the same catalogue
component may also appear in other designs proceeding at the same time.
PROPCON
This module is used to construct a Properties database. The database contains data
for use with design databases as well as stress analysis packages and includes:
• Material properties.
• Component data.
LEXICON
This module enables User Definable Attributes (UDA’s) to be assigned to PDMS
elements so that additional information may be stored in the databases and
extracted into drawings and reports.
PDMS Databases
The heart of PDMS consists of a set of hierarchical databases that store the model
data. The database system is called Dabacon and is exclusive to AVEVA.
The databases are structured specifically for plant design data storage and each
type of database stores different data.
Design databases, where data for the model you construct in the Design module is
stored, can be of two types:
1. Update, where each user has their own database to work in
2. Multi Write, where a number of users work in the same database.
Generally multi-discipline projects are executed using discipline specific designers
who will use specific applications in PDMS to construct the model components for
their specific discipline. A project, therefore, may consist of a number of Design
databases for each discipline.
When constructing the model references are made to catalogue, property and user
defined attribute data that is held in different types of databases. As this data is
common to all users of each discipline, each user will refer to a common set of data
for the project. These databases are called Reference databases.
In order that each user can see the required design components modelled by other
users and refer to the common catalogue, property and user defined attribute data,
the Design and Reference databases are grouped together into a Multiple
Database (MDB).
There may be several MDB’s for a project, each defining specific groups of
databases, for users with different tasks to perform.
WORLD
When the database is first built, it is empty except for a single element named the
WORLD. Each database has its own WORLD element as the first element in the
hierarchy.
SITE
Below the WORLD, the second level of the hierarchy is SITE. A SITE may be
considered as a significant collection of plant, whose size is not necessarily
determined by physical area, but by practical considerations. It may, for example be
the whole project, or one part of a large project. You can have as many SITEs within
a PDMS project as required for data organisation.
ZONE
The next level below a SITE is a ZONE. Again, a ZONE is not necessarily used to
define a physical area, it is more likely to store similar types of item for easy
reference, such as a piping system in one ZONE, related equipment in another, and
so on. You can have as many ZONEs owned by a site as required for data
organisation.
SITE and ZONE elements are common to all disciplines. Below ZONE level the
hierarchy is discipline dependent, i.e. the elements depend on which discipline you
are modelling.
EQUIPMENT (EQUI)
Equipment items are built up in PDMS using elements known as primitives. Each
piece of equipment can comprise any number of primitive shapes positioned to form
the item. The primitives may be owned directly by the EQUI element or by a Sub-
Equipment element.
SUB-EQUIPMENT (SUBE)
A SUBE is an optional element to further sub-divide an EQUI. The SUBE can own
primitive elements.
PRIMITIVES
Primitives are the basic building blocks of PDMS. They are used by other disciplines
to create catalogue components. There are many types of primitive, each with its
own features which when combined with other primitives can represent complex
shapes. Examples of primitives are nozzle (NOZZ), box (BOX), cylinders (CYLI) and
pyramids (PYRA).
STRUCTURES (STRU)
STRU elements are administrative elements, i.e. they exist to own FRAMEWORK
elements, and allow the plant structures to be separated for ease of modelling and
reporting.
FRAMEWORK (FRMW)
FRMW elements are used to store structural components in the model. A complex
structure can be divided into logical frameworks. Dividing the structure in this way
allows structural modelling, and also reporting, to be done more efficiently, e.g. by
copying a complete FRMW. Structural components may also be owned by a Sub-
Framework element.
SUB-FRAMEWORK (SBFR)
A SBFR is an optional element that can own structural components. They are used
to further sub-divide complex projects or for modelling sub-assemblies within a
framework.
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
Structural profiles are represented in PDMS by section (SCTN) elements. Profile
sizes are selected using a section specification that references standard catalogue
data for section sizes complying with various national standards. Plate elements are
represented by panel (PANE) elements and curved profiles are modelled using a
general section (GENSEC) component.
PIPE
Pipes may be considered like lines on a flowsheet. They may run between several
end connection points and are usually grouped by a common specification and
process.
BRANCH (BRAN)
Branch elements are sections of a pipe, which have known start and finish points. In
PDMS the start and finish points are called the Head and Tail. Heads and tails may
be connected to nozzles, tees or other Heads and tails, depending on the
configuration of the pipe, or left open ended.
PIPING COMPONENTS
A BRAN can own a wide variety of components such as gaskets (GASK), flanges
(FLAN), tees (TEE), valves (VALV), elbows (ELBO), etc. These form the shape and
geometry of the BRAN and ultimately the pipeline itself.
Design Explorer
The Design Explorer provides an easy-to-use graphical method of exploring the
Design databases and is displayed when PDMS is opened.
Design Explorer provides a ‘Tree View’ display of database elements in the current
MDB, which can be expanded and contracted, where applicable, by clicking the + or
– icons. The icons in the Tree View opposite the element names represent the
different database element types.
The expression, Current Element, (sometimes referred to as CE in the text and on
user interface forms) is that element of the design you are currently positioned at.
The Current Element can be identified in the Design Explorer as the highlighted item
in the Tree View and is displayed in the pull-down at the top of the form. This pull-
down is called the History List and contains a list of recently visited items.
Clicking on an element in the list will navigate to the selected element. The left and
right arrows next to the history list will navigate up and down the list one element at a
time.
Members List
As with the Design Explorer, the Members List displays the database elements in
the current MDB and is displayed by selecting Display>Members… from the main
menu.
There are a number of ways to navigate from one item to another. The right and left
arrows at the top of the Members List allow navigation up and down the list at the
level of the current element.
For example, if positioned on an EQUI element, selecting the right hand arrow would
move to the next EQUI element in the list. Selecting the left hand arrow would move
back to the previous EQUI element.
The Goto menu at the top of the form can also be used. First select this menu, then
select the Owner option, this will navigate to the owner of the CE.
Choosing the Goto>Reference option will give a list of further options depending on
the Current Element. Goto>Reference at EQUI level will only navigate to it’s owner,
i.e. a ZONE. If the current element were a nozzle (NOZZ) then Goto>Reference
would allow navigation inside the catalogue database via the NOZZ’s Catref
attribute.
PDMS databases may contain many thousands of elements, however, only one
element can be accessed at a time. As all elements, with the exception of the
WORLD, are owned by another element, deleting, say, a ZONE would cause
everything owned by that ZONE to be deleted as well.
Attributes in PDMS
Every element in a PDMS database has a fixed set of properties known as its
attributes. Some attributes are common throughout the range of elements while
others differ according to the type of element involved. For example, a cylinder
(CYLI) has Height and Diameter attributes whilst the size of a box (BOX) is
determined by Xlength, Ylength and Zlength attributes, as illustrated below.
When you create an element, a set of appropriate attributes are entered into the
database. The attributes will vary according to the type of element but essentially the
process is the same. For example, a cylinder has the following attributes:
Attribute Default Value
Name Name if specified or hierarchy description
Type CYLI
Lock false (the element is not locked)
Owner the name of the owning element or its hierarchy description
Position N 0mm E 0mm U 0mm (relative to its owner)
Orientation Y is N and Z is U (relative to its owner)
These are all of the attributes of a cylinder, and all cylinders in the database will have
precisely the same number of attributes.
NAME
Every element in PDMS can be named. Whether named or not every element will
have a unique system generated reference number. If a name is not specified, then
a hierarchy description will be displayed in the Design Explorer or Members List.
Internally PDMS uses the reference number since this cannot change. A table of
names against reference numbers is maintained for this purpose.
All PDMS names begin with a forward slash character (/) and is considered to be
part of the name. In order to save you the effort of typing this, all of the forms you
encounter will add the forward slash for you when you press the Return or Enter key
after typing a name. The forward slash character is not shown in the Design Explorer
or Members List.
The WORLD has a special name in PDMS, /*
Names cannot contain spaces and are case sensitive. For example, /E1302A is a
different name from /E1302a or /e1302A.
Elements in a PDMS database are unique, i.e. they cannot have the same name or
reference number.
TYPE
This attribute refers to the specific type of element it is, e.g. EQUI is an equipment
type.
LOCK
The LOCK attribute determines if an element may be changed or not. If an element
is locked, its LOCK attribute is set to the value TRUE, preventing it from being
modified until unlocked. By default, LOCK is false.
OWNER
The different levels in the hierarchy are maintained by an Owner-Member
relationship. An EQUI will have ZONE as its owner, while a CYLI might well be one
of the EQUIs members. The owner is that element which is directly related to the
current element at the next level up in the hierarchy, as shown in the diagram below:
The element on the upper level is the Owner of those elements directly below it, e.g.
the equipment (EQUI) owns the primitive (CYLI). The lower level elements are
Members of the owning element, e.g. the EQUI is a member of the ZONE.
POSITION
Many items in a database have a POSITION attribute which is the position of the
element in relation to its owner.
All primitives have a position attribute which relates to the its Point of Origin. As each
primitive has a different Point of Origin changing the position attribute will have the
effect of moving the cylinder to some other position with its Point of Origin positioned
on the new co-ordinates.
ORIENTATION
By default, a cylinder is created in a vertical direction; that is, with one of its ends
facing up. The orientation attribute allows this to be changed to any angle on any
axis.
LEVEL
PDMS can produce different representations of an item, depending on how it has
been modelled and the representation levels used. The default level is 0 to 10 but
levels can be set beyond this range if needed.
For example, steelwork profiles can be represented by centreline (stick
representation) only or by the full detail of the section profile. By manipulating level
settings it is, therefore, possible to have simple or complex representation of
elements for Design display or Draft drawings.
OBSTRUCTION
The OBSTRUCTION attribute is used to declare whether an element is solid or not.
Obstructions can be declared as Hard, Soft or No Obstruction, depending on the
value of the OBSTRUCTION attribute. The default value of 2 results in a Hard
obstruction, 1 results in a Soft obstruction (used for walkways, maintenance access
etc.) and 0 is for No Obstruction (used to save computing time when elements are
enclosed in another element which acts as an overall obstruction).
HEIGHT
The height of the cylinder.
DIAMETER
The diameter of the cylinder.
Objectives
At the end of this session, you will able to:
• Access the Design module and explain the different features of the VANTAGE
PDMS Login form.
• Explain the difference between loading from macro or binary files.
• Understand the default window setup of the Design Module.
• Use all the mouse functions and understand how the Menus and Forms are
accessed and used.
• Know how to use the on line Help facilities.
The Project, Username and MDB are chosen by using the option arrows adjacent
to each entry, whilst the Password must be entered using the keyboard. The options
are determined by the project set-up ‘triggered’ when PDMS is initialised.
There is no choice for password, this must be known before entry can proceed.
A Multiple Database (MDB), for example, /TRAINA, must be selected for all modules
except Admin.
The required PDMS module, e.g. Design, is selected by clicking on the Module list.
The Load From pull-down gives options of Macro Files, User’s Binary, Default
Binary and Select Binary.
Loading from Macro Files builds the user interface from all its associated program
macro files. Loading from a binary file, whichever option is selected, will load display
files saved in a previous PDMS session.
Clicking the OK button will enter PDMS whilst clicking Cancel will abort the login
process.
Window Setup
Entering PDMS the main window is displayed:
Using Menus
There are two types of menu, Pull-down Menus and Sub-menus.
Pull-down Menus
Clicking an item on the menu bar with the left mouse button will display the pull-down
menu items:
As the pointer is passed over the menu items they are highlighted in turn. There are
three types of options on a pull-down menu which result in different actions:
Options followed by a triangular pointer:
When this type of option is highlighted moving the pointer
to the right, keeping the option highlighted, will display a
Sub-menu.
Option followed by three dots:
When this type of option is highlighted clicking the left-
hand mouse button will dismiss the pull-down menu and
display a form for data entry or modification.
Option shown as plain text:
When this type of option is highlighted clicking the left
mouse button will directly perform the action described in
the menu item.
If no menu item is required, clicking the left mouse button in the 3D View Window will
dismiss the pull-down menu.
Sub-menus
As described above, highlighting a menu item which is followed by a triangular
pointer and moving the pointer to the right will display a sub-menu:
Sub-menus may contain any of the three menu options described above. If none of
the menu items are required, highlighting another option on the pull-down menu will
dismiss the sub-menu. Alternatively, clicking the left mouse button in the 3D View
Window will dismiss the pull-down as well as the sub-menu.
Using Forms
Forms are used to display information, often about current data settings, enter data
and to modify data.
Forms typically comprise an arrangement of Buttons, Text Boxes, Radio Buttons,
Check Boxes and Scrollable Lists (sometimes collectively referred to as controls).
Input to a form is usually via a combination of mouse and keyboard, the mouse being
used to select the appropriate controls and the keyboard to enter the data.
When a form is displayed, settings can be changed, reset to initial values, accept
and act on data input, or cancelled without applying any changes, depending on the
design of the form.
Radio Buttons
Radio buttons are combined in groups and only permit one selection of the group to
be set ON, i.e. the radio button with the black dot in the centre.
To set the radio button ON move the pointer over the radio button or associated text
and click the left mouse button.
Turning a radio button on will automatically turn the other radio button(s) in the group
OFF.
Check Boxes
A check box may be either ON, i.e. a checkmark (tick) is displayed in the box, or
OFF, i.e. the box has no checkmark displayed.
Check boxes do not interact so any combination of check boxes on a form may be
ON or OFF.
To change the status of a check box, i.e. to set it ON or OFF, move the pointer over
the check box or associated text and click the left mouse button.
Text Boxes
Text boxes are the areas where alphanumeric data, e.g. names, dimensions, values,
etc., can be entered. A text box will generally have a label describing or qualifying
the data required.
To enter data into a text box, move the pointer into the box and click the left–hand
mouse button. Using the keyboard, type in the required data, editing any existing
entry as necessary. The Backspace key will clear the box of any content. When
complete, acceptance of the input is confirmed the by pressing the Return (or Enter)
key.
When first displaying a form containing text boxes, the first text box on the form will
be current and a text pointer (a vertical bar) will be displayed in the box. A text box
often contains a default entry when first displayed. Some text boxes will accept only
text or only numeric data, and entries with the wrong type of data will not be
accepted.
Scrollable Lists
A scrollable list is displayed as a vertical list of options within a form, with vertical
scroll bar on the right hand side of the list and, if appropriate, a horizontal scroll bar
along the bottom of the list. If the list contents can be displayed within the limits of
the list the scroll bar(s) will be greyed out.
To select an option from a scrollable list, click with the left mouse button on the list to
display the list items.
Moving the pointer up and down the list highlights each list item in turn. To select a
list item click the required selection with the left mouse button.
Some scrollable lists allow only a single selection, so that selecting any option
deselects all others automatically. Other lists allow multiple selections, with all
selected options highlighted simultaneously. To de-select a highlighted option on a
multi-item list, click on it again. Repeated clicks toggle a selection on and off.
Buttons
Buttons are raised areas of the form with a text label, either on the button or adjacent
to it, that conveys the purpose of the button. The button may either take direct action
when activated or may display a further form.
Buttons are activated by moving the pointer over the button and clicking the left
mouse button.
Form Menus
Some forms contain a menu bar across the top of the form. Form menus act in the
same way as the main menu bar, described previously, with the same options.
Alert Forms
An Alert form is used to display information such as error messages, prompts and
requests for confirmation of changes. The form will usually have to be acknowledged
before proceeding.
Most bar menus end with the Help option. Where available, on–line help gives
detailed instructions on the use of forms and menus that drive each application.
Selecting Help on the Main Menu displays the Help menu:
On Context
This option gives help on any window currently visible in the display.
When selecting this option a question mark (?) is added to the pointer.
Moving the pointer into the window on which help is required and click the left mouse
button opens the appropriate help window.
Contents
This option displays a list of all topics for which on–line help is available.
This is effectively a Contents List for the whole of the on–line help documentation,
with search facilities incorporated.
Index
This option is similar to Contents, but displays and index of keywords within the
help.
About
This displays information about the current operating system on the computer, the
version of PDMS and its applications.
Leaving PDMS
To exit PDMS select Design>Exit from the Main Menu. If no changes have been
made to the Design databases you will be prompted to confirm your selection with
the following form:
Selecting YES will exit PDMS and selecting NO will abort the exit command.
If changes have been made to the Design databases since your last save, selecting
Design>Exit will display the following form:
Selecting YES will save the changes before exiting PDMS. Selecting NO will discard
the changes before exiting PDMS and selecting CANCEL will abort the exit
command.
Exercise 1
User Name:
Password:
MDB:
Entering PDMS
1. Double click the PDMS icon on your desktop or use
Start>Programs>AVEVA>VANTAGE PDMS 11.5>Run PDMS
2. When the VANTAGE PDMS Login form appears:
3.
Select the Arrow icon to the right of the Project text box to display a list of
available projects:
4. Select SAM from the list by clicking the entry with the left mouse button.
5. Select the Arrow icon to the right of the Username text box to display a list of
available usernames in the project:
:
6. Select the your username from the list by clicking the entry with the left mouse
button.
7. The pointer will appear as a flashing vertical bar in the Password text box.
Type in your password and press the Return key on the keyboard.
8. Select the Arrow icon to the right of the MDB text box to display a list of
available MDBs in the project:
9. Select the MDB you are going to use from the list by clicking the entry with the
left mouse button.
10. Your login form should now look similar to this:
11. Make sure that the Module selector reads Design and that the Load from
selector reads Macro Files.
12. Click the OK button with the left mouse button to enter PDMS in the Design
module.
13. Your screen layout should look like this:
Accessing Applications
Now that you have entered PDMS you can enter the various discipline applications
within the Design module.
1. Click on the Design item on the Main Menu to access the pull-down menu:
2. Move the pointer to highlight the Equipment… item on the menu and select it by
clicking the left mouse button.
3. PDMS will now load the Equipment modelling application. Note the message in
the Status Area.
4. When the application has loaded, note how the Main Menu and icon menus have
changed. These are specific menus and icons for the Equipment application.
5. Select other applications and note how the Main Menu and icon menus change.
1. In the Design Explorer click on the + icon adjacent to the TRA.SITE entry and
note how the Tree View expands to show the ZONEs owned by the SITE.
2. Expand the ZONE entries to show the Members of each ZONE and note the
element types contained within.
3. Expand some of the differing element types in the ZONEs to see what type of
elements they own.
4. Try Navigating to various elements in the Design Explorer.
5. Select Display>Members… from the Main Menu to display the Members List.
7. Click on the TRA.SITE and its members in the members List and note the
different behaviour of the Members List to the Design Explorer.
Objectives
At the end of this session, you will able to:
• Explain the principles behind the 3D display.
• Add and remove elements from the display.
• Scale elements to fit the display.
• Set and modify the viewing direction.
Elements may be removed from the Draw List by selecting the Remove from Draw
List menu item.
The Design Explorer contains a Draw List panel that displays the elements currently
in the Draw List.
The additional viewing controls on the Draw List panel are covered later in this
manual.
The check box adjacent to each element in the Draw List panel enables the element
to be temporarily removed from the display. Left clicking the check box will change
the status of the element, removing it from the display or adding back if not
displayed.
The element is not removed or added to the Draw List but its graphics are removed
from the 3D View Window. Clicking an item with the right mouse button in the Draw
List panel gives access to a sub-menu:
Navigate To makes the selected element in the Draw List display the current
element.
Remove From Draw List removes the selected element from the Draw List.
Hide removes the selected element from the display, the same as unchecking the
check box.
Show adds the selected element to the display, the same as checking the check
box.
The Draw List panel contains a scrollable list that by default is set to Draw List.
Clicking the down arrow on the list shows the Reference List menu item.
The Reference List shows all items, if applicable, connected to the current element,
e.g. the Reference List for an EQUI element would contain BRAN elements
connected to the EQUI’s nozzles.
If the current has no connected items the Reference List is empty.
Clicking an item in Reference List with the right mouse button displays a sub-menu:
Navigate To makes the selected element in the Draw List display the current
element.
Add To Draw List adds the selected element to the Draw List.
Add Connections to Draw List adds all elements connected to the selected
element to the Draw List.
The additional viewing controls on the Draw List panel are covered later in this
manual.
The form adds a Draw List panel to the standard Members List form.
The Add CE button adds the current element, highlighted in the Members List, to the
Draw List and displays the element name in the Drawlist window.
The Volume… button displays the Add Within Volume form which enables you to
select, through various methods, the opposing corners of a ‘Limits Box’ which will
add all the elements within the box to the Draw List.
The Item button removes the item highlighted in the Draw List panel from the Draw
List.
The Id button prompts you to identify the item(s) in the 3D View Window to be
removed from the Draw List. After clicking the button items selected in the 3D View
Window will be highlighted. Pressing the Esc key on the keyboard terminates the
selection process and the selected items are removed from the Draw List.
The CE button removes the current element from the Draw List.
The All button removes all elements from the Draw List.
There are several ways by which the elements to be viewed can be scaled to fit the
screen:
• Using the Icons in the 3D View Window
At the top of the left-hand side there are three icons which can be used to scale
elements to the screen:
Limits CE & Options sets the display limits to the current elements.
Zoom to Selection fills the 3D View Window with the current element or graphical
selection, if one exists.
Walk to Draw List zooms and centres the display with all the elements in the Draw
List.
NOTE: Graphical selections are covered in Session 6.
The Limits CE & Options icon has a sub-menu:
The Explicit… menu item displays the Volume - Design [1] form that enables
display limits to be set explicitly using co-ordinates:
The volume is defined by setting 3D co-ordinates for the opposing corners of a box
that defines the limits you wish to display, using the From and To options on the form
list.
The Select form menu enables you to select elements or their owner to define the
limits:
The majority of the menu items are covered later in the manual, however, the Zoom
To and Walk To items concern the view limits. Both items have sub-menus:
Selection fills the 3D View Window with the current element or current graphical
selection, if one exists.
Identify Element… allows you to graphical identify an element, by clicking on it with
the left mouse button, then fills the 3D View Window with the identified element.
Graphically identifying an element in this context does not set the selected element
to be the current element.
Entire Draw List fills the 3D View Window with all elements in the Draw List and
centres the view.
NOTE: Graphical selections are covered in Session 5.
Walk To differs from Zoom To in that it sets the viewing limits, also Walk To
removes items between your eye position and the target item that are not in the
immediate vicinity of the target item. Items in the immediate vicinity of the target item
will continue to be displayed, so it may be necessary to remove items still obscuring
the target item by removing them from the Draw List.
This menu is similar to the View menu on that Main Menu bar except that some
menu options are excluded.
The Zoom To and Walk To items have identical sub-menus to the View menu and
operate in the same way.
Look displays a sub-menu with six viewing directions. Selecting a direction will set
the view direction to one selected.
Plan displays a sub-menu with four cardinal directions. Selecting a direction will set
the view to a plan view with the selected cardinal direction pointing up the screen.
Isometric displays a sub-menu containing four pre-set isometric view directions.
Each direction corresponds to North pointing towards bottom right, top right, top left
and bottom left of the screen:
The Look, Plan and Isometric sub-menus are the same as those on the View menu
and the options operate in exactly the same way.
The current viewing direction is displayed in the Status Area of the 3D View:
Exercise 2
9. Click on the checkbox next to TANK1 in the Draw List panel and note that the
equipment item is now removed from the display.
10. Click on TANK1 in the Draw List panel with the right mouse button and select
Show from the menu. Note that the equipment item is now displayed again and
that the checkbox is now checked.
11. Remove TANK2 from the Draw List by clicking on the element in the Draw List
panel with the right mouse button and selecting Remove From Draw List from
the menu.
12. Experiment by removing and adding items from the Draw List and hiding and
showing items already in the Draw List, noting the effects of your actions on the
display.
13. Remove the TRA.SITE element from the Draw List and note that the Draw List is
now empty and no elements are displayed.
14. Display the Members List by selecting Display>Members from the Main Menu.
Navigate to the equipment item TANK1 and add it to the Draw List by selecting
Drawlist>Add CE from the Members List form menu. Note that the equipment
item has been added to the display.
15. Add the remaining equipment in the EQUI.ZONE to the Draw List by selecting
Drawlist>Add Owner from the form menu.
16. Navigate to one of the primitives, i.e. CYLI, BOX, NOZZ, etc. owned by one of
the equipment items and remove it from the Draw List by selecting
Drawlist>Remove CE from the form menu. Note that the owner, i.e. the EQUI
element is removed from the Draw List and display.
17. Display the Members+Draw form by selecting Control>Drawlist… from the
Members List form menu.
18. Use the Add CE button and various Remove From Drawlist buttons to add and
remove items from the Draw List, noting the elements displayed in the Drawlist
panel.
19. Using the Design Explorer or the Members List, navigate to various elements
adding and removing them from the Draw List using the Add CE to Drawlist and
Remove CE from Drawlist icons on the menu bar.
4. Display the entire Draw List again by clicking the Walk to Draw List icon on the
right-hand side of the 3D View.
5. Navigate to PUMP1 in the Design Explorer and set the limits to the current
element by clicking the Limits CE & Options icon on the right-hand side of the
3D View. Note that the equipment item now fills the 3D View.
6. Click the Limits CE & Options icon with the right mouse button and select
Explicit… from the menu to display the Volume – Design [1] form. Select
Select>Owner from the form menu and note the co-ordinates change on the
form. Click the Apply button on the form and note that the 3D View now displays
all the equipment items and a limits box around the owner, i.e. the EQUI.ZONE.
Click the Dismiss button on the from to dismiss the form an remove the limits
box from the display.
7. Navigate to various elements and set the view limits using a combination of the
View menu, the 3D View Shortcut Menu and the appropriate icons on the right-
hand side of the 3D View.
Objectives
At the end of this session, you will able to:
• Manipulate the model to achieve any view you require.
• Change the graphical representation model elements including colours.
• Print a view of the 3D View.
• Copy a 3D View to the clipboard.
Multiple 3D Views
PDMS provides the ability to view the model in multiple 3D Views, however, the
number of views will probably be limited by the physical size of your display.
Selecting Display>Graphical View from the Main Menu bar creates a new 3D View.
The new view initially fills the main PDMS window but may be modified in size and
shape by dragging the view corners or edges, as in standard Windows operations.
Additional 3D Views may also be created and deleted by selecting Display>View
Control… from the Main Menu bar and selecting the appropriate option from the
form menu of the displayed 3D View Control form.
Each 3D View is numbered in top bar of the window and has a full set of view
manipulation icons on the left-hand side of the view.
All 3D Views use the same Draw List, however, each view is independent in terms of
view manipulation and representation.
Only one 3D View can be active at any one time, the currently active view being the
one whose top bar, containing the view number, is highlighted. A view may be made
current by clicking the top bar, clicking anywhere in the view with the left mouse
button or by selecting Window>3D View (x), where x is the view number, from the
Main Menu bar.
Overview
The 3D view can be interactively manipulated using the mouse by Zooming,
Panning and Rotating to achieve the desired viewing direction. Each of the three
modes uses the middle mouse button or scroll wheel and may accessed in a number
of ways:
Using the View menu
Selecting View>Middle Button Drag from the Main Menu displays a sub-menu:
The desired mode may be selected from the sub-menu and a check mark (tick)
appears next to the selected mode the next time the sub-menu is accessed.
Clicking an icon will set the appropriate mode. The ‘depressed’ icon depicts the
current mode, e.g. Zoom Rectangle in the picture above.
If a mode is set using any of the other methods described, the appropriate icon will
appear ‘depressed’.
All modes are persistent, i.e. the mode will remain in operation until you change it.
The current mode is displayed in the Status Area in the bottom right corner of the 3D
view:
ZOOM
Zoom mode has two options, Zoom Rectangle and Zoom In/Out.
Zoom Rectangle
This option allows you to drag a rectangle in the 3D View around the item you wish
to zoom in to. The sequence of operation is as follows:
1. Identify the item or area you wish to zoom in to.
2. Click in the 3D View, using the middle mouse button, at a point to the left and
below the item or area.
3. Hold down the middle mouse button and move the pointer up and to the right to
display a rectangle.
4. Move the pointer to the desired location and release the middle mouse button.
Zoom In/Out
This option enables you to zoom in and out by clicking and holding down the middle
mouse button, anywhere in the 3D View, and moving the pointer up or down the
screen.
Moving the pointer up the screen zooms in, whilst moving the pointer down the
screen zooms out.
Zooming with the scroll wheel can be performed in any of the middle mouse button
drag modes.
Holding down the Shift while performing a scroll wheel zoom makes the zoom
faster.
Holding down the Ctrl key while performing a scroll wheel zoom makes the zoom
slower.
The Zoom To options available from the View menu are covered in Session 3.
PAN
Pan mode enables you to move across the 3D View in by clicking and holding down
the middle mouse button, anywhere in the 3D View, and moving the pointer in any
direction.
The view will pan in the opposite direction to the pointer in direct correlation to the
amount the pointer is moved.
Panning may also be achieved by setting the Centre of Interest of the 3D view.
Positioning the pointer anywhere and in the 3D view and Clicking the middle mouse
4-6 Module 3 Basics & Functions
Working with the 3D View
button will move the selected to the centre of the view, thus effectively panning the
view.
The view will pan by the distance between the picked point and the centre of the
view.
Keeping the pointer in the same location and repeatedly clicking the middle mouse
button will keep panning the view.
ROTATE
Rotate mode enables the elements in the 3D view to be rotated around a vertical or
horizontal axis by clicking and holding down the middle mouse button, anywhere in
the 3D View, and move the pointer up and down or left and right.
Moving the pointer left or right rotates the view around a vertical axis, whilst
moving the pointer up or down rotates the view around a horizontal axis.
The model may be rotated around the eye point, the position from which the model is
being viewed, or the eye may be rotated around the model.
The method of operation depends on the setting displayed in the Status Area in the
bottom right hand corner of the 3D View. If the status reads Model the eye is rotated
around the model. If the status reads Eye the model will be rotated around the eye.
Selecting View>Settings>Eye will set Eye if the option is currently unchecked, or
set Model if the option is currently checked.
Rotating may also be performed using sliders along the bottom and right-hand edges
of the 3D View.
The slider along the bottom of the view rotates the view around the vertical axis and
the slider on the right-hand side of the view rotates the view around the horizontal
axis.
Clicking and holding down the left mouse button on the appropriate slider and
moving the pointer in the required direction will rotate the view.
WALK
In Walk mode the eye point moves towards or away from the model. When in Walk
mode, clicking and holding down the middle mouse button and moving the pointer
up walks the eye point forward, i.e. towards the model, whilst moving the pointer
down walks the eye point backwards, i.e. away from the model.
Walk mode only works in perspective views. Selecting View>Settings>Perspective
will set Perspective if the option is currently unchecked or set Model if the option is
currently checked.
Function key F4 also toggles between Perspective and Parallel.
Selection
This option centres the view on the current element or the graphical selection, if one
exits.
Identify Element…
This option enables you to select an element to centre the view on.
Having selected the option, click on any element in the 3D View with the left mouse
button and that element will be centred in the view. This option does not make the
selected element the current element.
Screen Pick…
This option enables you to pick a point anywhere in the 3D View with the left mouse
button. The picked point will become the centre of the view.
When any method described above is used to set the centre of the view, the centre
of rotation is also reset to the view centre.
View Representation
As well as providing functionality to manipulate the 3D view, PDMS provides tools
that enable you to modify the view representation
Print Graphics…
This option enables you to output the contents of the active 3D View to a printer.
Selecting View>Print Graphics… displays a standard Windows print form giving
you the ability to select a printer, select the number of copies and set properties for
the print.
Copy Image
This option enables you to copy the contents of the 3D View Window to the Windows
paste buffer so that it can be pasted into any Windows application that supports
picture objects.
Selecting View>Copy Image displays a sub-menu containing standard image
resolutions from 640x480 to 1600x1200.
Save View
This option enables you to save the current state of a 3D View so that the direction
and magnification can be restored when required. The sub-menu allows you to
select up to four views to be saved:
If View 1 has already been saved, selecting it again will overwrite the previous view
and save the new one.
Restore View
This option enables you to restore one of the four saved views. The sub-menu allows
you to select one of the four views to be restored. If any of the Save View options
have not been selected the corresponding Restore View option will be greyed out:
Restore View is also available from the icons on the left-hand side of the 3D View.
When a view is saved, the corresponding Restore View icon is highlighted. As with
the sub-menu any Save View options have not been selected the corresponded
Restore View icon will remain greyed out.
Settings>High Quality
This option on the Settings sub-menu can be used to toggle between ‘high’ and
‘standard’ quality image(s) of the Design module.
A high quality image will be slower to draw and manipulate than a standard quality
one.
Settings>Show Tooltips
This option on the settings sub-menu enables you to toggle Tooltips on or off. When
set on, the name of the element under the pointer will be displayed in the Tooltip.
Animations
This option on the Settings sub-menu toggles smooth pan and zoom operations in
the 3D view when the Zoom To or Walk To options are used.
The pan or zoom operation is animated to show the transition from the original view
definition to the final view definition.
Animation only operates if the system determines that the hardware is capable of
performing a smooth pan or zoom with the size of the model displayed in the 3D
View.
Shading
Usually the model is viewed in solid shaded colour, however, in some
circumstances it may be more beneficial to work in wire-line mode.
Selecting View>Settings>Shaded will set shaded mode if the option is currently
unchecked and set wire-line mode if the option is currently checked.
Solid shaded and wire-line modes may also be toggled by selecting
Settings>Graphics>View… from the Main Menu bar to display the 3D View
Options form and checking or un-checking the Shaded checkbox.
Function key F8 also toggles between Shaded and Wire-line modes.
The visual properties shown are those of the element highlighted in the Draw List,
which may not be the current element.
The available visual properties are Colour (covered in the next section),
Translucency and Show Edges.
Clicking the down arrow icon on the right of the Translucency text box displays a
form that enables the percentage translucency to be set:
Clicking the slider with the left mouse button and moving it along the scale sets the
percentage of translucency. The current setting is displayed in the bottom right-hand
corner.
Clicking the Show Edges list enables you to toggle the display of the elements
edges ON and OFF
Having selected the appropriate options, clicking the Add CE button will alter the
display to the chosen options.
It should be noted that the properties can only be set for the current element and not
elements displayed in the Draw List panel of the form.
Colours
By default PDMS displays elements in the 3D View using default Autocolour rules
which colour elements depending on the element type.
Modifying the Autocolour rules is not covered in this manual, see M4 Equipment
Modelling or M6 Basic Steelwork Design. However, colours of individual elements,
or groups of elements, may be changed in three ways:
1. From the Design Explorer
Clicking on the Colour list of the visual properties in the Draw List panel of the
Design Explorer displays a colour palette. Clicking the More>> button on the palette
displays a further palette with additional colours:
Clicking one of the colour buttons in either o f the palettes sets the colour property
for the element highlighted in the Draw List.
Selecting a colour button from this form adds the current element to the 3D View
using the selected colour.
It should be noted that the element will not be initially displayed in the selected
colour as its colour property is set to the CE Colour (see below). Making another
element the CE will display the added element in the selected colour.
Selecting one of the colour buttons on this form changes the colour of the Colour
button. Clicking the Add CE button on the Members+Draw form will add the current
element in the selected colour.
As with the Members List, the added element will not be initially displayed in the
selected colour.
Apart from the default Autocolour settings, PDMS sets colours for the current
element, associated elements, modelling aids and highlighting. These colours enable
you to distinguish, say, the current element from other elements in the 3D View.
Clicking Settings>Graphics>Colour… on the Main Menu bar displays the Colours
form:
Highlight is the colour used for highlighting selected items, e.g. for deleting.
Note: Active and Visible colours are used when Auto Colour is turned off.
Clicking any of the colour buttons displays a colour form appropriate to the selection:
Selecting a colour button from the palette sets the colour for the selected item.
The Autocolour rules can be toggled ON or OFF by checking or un-checking the
Auto Colour On/Off checkbox.
Representation
Additional representation properties, apart from colour and translucency previously
described, of elements in a 3D View, can be controlled using the Representation
form.
Selecting Settings>Graphics>Representation… displays the Representation
form:
Insulation
This option allows Insulation for piping components and tubing, as defined in the
catalogue, to be displayed.
Clicking the Insulation list and selecting a value turns the insulation representation
ON. A percentage of translucency can be applied to the insulation representation by
selecting an appropriate value from the list.
Obstruction
This option is similar to Insulation except that it controls the representation of
Obstruction volumes.
Obstruction volumes are used to represent areas in the model which must be kept
clear of obstructions , e.g. walkways, escape routes, access volumes for valves and
instruments, etc,.
Holes Drawn
This option determines how negative primitives, e.g. holes, cut-outs, etc., are
represented in the 3D View. If Holes Drawn is OFF the negative primitives as shown
as black lines in a shaded view. If Holes Drawn is ON the negative primitives will be
shown cutting the appropriate model elements
Holes Draw is toggled on and off by checking and un-checking the Holes Drawn
checkbox.
Arc Tolerance
This option sets the tolerance for the representation of arcs, i.e. the ‘smoothness’ of
curved surfaces, will be represented.
The Arc Tolerance value is set by entering a number in the text box. A value of 1.0
will give the ‘smoothest’ arcs.
When the desired values have been set, checking the update all Graphics
checkbox and clicking the OK button modifies the representation.
The Level section of the Representation form enables different drawing levels to be
set for groups of elements.
All elements used for building Plant items in the catalogue, e.g. piping components,
structural profiles, etc., or in Design, e.g. equipment, panels, etc., have a Level
attribute. Different representations of a Plant item can be made and assigned to
different levels such that modifying the level displayed in the 3D View will change the
representation of the Plant item.
For example, a simple representation of a pump may be constructed of primitives
with a Level attribute set to a range of 0 to 3, whilst a more detailed representation of
the pump may be constructed of primitives with a Level attribute set to a range of 4
to 10. Entering a value of 0 to 3, inclusive, on the Representation form will display
the simple representation of the pump, whilst entering a value of 4 to 10, inclusive,
will display the detailed representation.
The representation Level is set by entering a value in the appropriate text box.
• Pipe is used for piping components and tubing
• Nozzle is used for equipment nozzles
• Structure is used for structural profiles
• Others is used for all other appropriate elements.
• Mass is used to determine the representation used when calculating mass
properties.
As with the General section of the form, when the desired values for Level have
been entered, checking the update all Graphics checkbox and clicking the OK
button modifies the representation.
The Specific section of the Representation form is used to set and modify the
representation of Ppoints and Plines in discipline specific operations and is outside
the scope of this manual. Ppoints and Plines are covered in discipline training course
manuals.
Exercise 3
Multiple Views
1. Select Display>Graphical View from the Main Menu. Note the main Window
header bar now reads Design – General Application – VANTAGE PDMS – [3D
View (2)].
2. Click the Restore Down icon on the 3D View to make the view window smaller
and move 3D View (2) to reveal 3D View(1) beneath.
3. Select Display>View Control from the Main Menu to display the 3D View
Control form. Select Create>Standard Design View… from the form menu to
create 3D View (3), make the view smaller and move it to reveal all three 3D
Views.
4. Adjust the 3D View windows, using standard Windows dragging techniques, so
that your display looks like this:
5. Click anywhere in 3D View(1) to make it the current view and modify the view
direction. Make the other 3D Views current in turn and adjust their viewing
direction.
6. Remove some items from the Draw List and note that the items are removed
from the display in each 3D View.
7. Delete 3D View(2) and 3D View (3) by selecting Display>View Control… from
the Main Menu, highlighting the views in the displayed View Control form and
selecting Delete>Selected from the form menu. Restore 3D View (1) to fill the
window by clicking the Maximise icon on the view.
up the screen to walk the eye point forward. Move the pointer down the screen
to walk the eye point backwards.
11. Press the F4 function key to set the view to Parallel, Walk To the entire Draw List
and set an Iso 3 view direction. Make TANK2 the current element and select
View>Set Centre of View>Selection from the Main Menu. Note that the view
adjusts to move the equipment item at the centre of the view. Rotate the model
and note the rotation centre.
12. Select Set Centre of View>Identify Element… from the 3D View Shortcut
Menu and select any primitive on the PUMP1 equipment item. Rotate the model
and note the rotation centre.
13. Select Set Centre of View>Screen Pick… from the 3D View Shortcut Menu and
click anywhere in the 3D View with the left mouse button. Note that the pointer
location when you clicked has moved to the centre of the view.
View Representation
1. Select View>Save View> View 1 from the Main Menu. Note that the first
Restore View icon on the left-hand side of the 3D View is highlighted whilst the
others remain greyed out.
2. Modify the view by zooming, panning and rotating. Select Save View>View 3
from the 3D Shortcut Menu. Modify the view again by zooming panning and
rotating.
3. Select Restore View>View 1 from the 3D View Shortcut Menu, noting that the
first saved view has been restored.
4. Select the Restore View 3 icon from the left-hand side of the 3D View, noting
that the second saved view has been restored.
5. Set the view to an Iso 3 view direction. Select View>Settings>Shaded from the
Main Menu and note that the view is now displayed in Wire-line mode. Press the
F8 function key to restore Shaded mode.
6. In the Draw List panel of the Design Explorer, select TANK1 and make sure the
visual properties are displayed at the bottom of the form. Click the Translucency
list to display the Translucency form and click the slider with the left mouse button
and hold it down while dragging the slider to the right. Set the Translucency to
approximately 50%, release the mouse button and note the effects on TANK1.
Try different percentage translucency on other elements in the Draw List.
7. Toggle Show Edges On and OFF on some of your translucent selections and
note the differences.
8. Display the Members+Draw form, make TANK2 the current element and select a
translucent percentage from the list. Click the Add CE button on the form and
note the changes in the equipment item. Set various translucency percentages
for various items, toggling the Edges checkbox on some selections before
clicking the Add CE button.
9. Make any element the CE. Click the Colour button on the Members+Draw form
and select a colour from the displayed Drawlist Element Add Colour form.
4-24 Module 3 Basics & Functions
Working with the 3D View
Dismiss the form and click the Add CE button to add the current element in the
selected colour.
10. Modify the colours of other elements using the visual properties on the Design
Explorer.
11. Select Settings>Graphics>Colour… from the Main Menu to display the
Colours form. Click on the colour button next to CE to display the Colour for
Current Element form and select a brightred from the palette. Dismiss the form
and click the OK button on the Colours form. Make any element the CE and
note that it is displayed in the selected colour.
12. Display the Colours form again and un-check the Auto Colour On/Off
checkbox. Click the OK button on the form and note the changes to the colours in
the 3D View.
13. Select Settings>Graphics>Representation… from the Main Menu to display
the Representation form. Uncheck the Tube checkbox and check the
Centreline and update all Graphics checkboxes. Note how the piping elements
in the model are represented.
14. Display the Representation form again and check the Tube checkbox. Select
50% from the Obstruction scrollable list and click the OK button on the form.
Note the obstruction volumes displayed around the valves in the model.
15. Turn the obstruction volume representation Off. Remove the PIPE.ZONE from
the Draw List, set the view to an Iso 3 direction and zoom in on PUMP1. Display
the Representation form again and check the Holes Drawn checkbox. Click the
OK button on the form and note the holes in the ends of the pump nozzles rather
than the black lines of the negative geometry. Note the ‘faceted’ reprsentation of
the nozzles.
16. Display the Representation form again and change the Arc Tolerance setting to
1.0. Click the OK button on the form and note that the pump nozzles are now
displayed as perfect circles.
Objectives
At the end of this session, you will able to:
• Explain the principles behind the 3D display.
The Model Editor is a mode of operation in the Design module that enables you to
reposition selected Plant items using the mouse pointer.
The Model Editor is a general editor, i.e. it is not discipline specific, and the same
principles can be to appropriate items from all disciplines in PDMS.
You enter Model Editor mode by clicking the Model Editor button on the toolbar,
and return from the Model Editor to Design Navigate mode by clicking the button
again. Alternatively, the Edit>Model Editor menu selection may be used to enter
and leave Model Editor mode. The Save Work operation also exists Model Editor
mode.
In this manual, a 3D View that can be switched into Model Editor mode is called a
3D Model Editor View. The features described here for selecting, moving and
rotating items by using the mouse are available only in the Model Editor.
This combination of direct graphical manipulation handles offers you the ability to
move selected items constrained in a direction or to lie in a plane, or rotate the
selection about an axis.
See Positioning and Orientation using the Locator Handle for details of using the
locator handle.
Movement
A Graphical Selection is moved using linear
and planar handles on the Locator Handle, or
by using the Edit menu.
Dragging a linear or planar handle with the
mouse pointer moves the current Graphical
Selection. The movement is made in steps, the
size of which can be controlled by you (the
Movement Increment). This allows the
Graphical Selection to be positioned accurately
in relation to its original position.
The Graphical Selection can be moved until it
is aligned with another item in the display by
using Locator Handle shortcut menus, the Edit
menu, or by dragging with Feature
Identification mode switched on.
Clicking and dragging one of the three Linear Movement Handles constrains the
movement of the selection to be in the direction of the selected axis.
Clicking and dragging one of the three Planar Movement Handles constrains the
movement of the selection to be in the plane of the selected planar handle.
Rotation
Clicking and dragging one of the three Rotation Handles constrains the rotation of
the selection to be about the axis corresponding to the selected rotation handle.
Alignment
The Graphical Selection can be moved or rotated until it aligns with a point, P-point,
P-line or straight line (edge) in the model. In this document, the target points and
lines are called features.
The origin of the Locator Handle is the reference datum for aligning the Graphical
Selection.
Feedback
The locator handle changes shape to show movement or rotation constraints.
Movement and rotation feedback for freehand operations is displayed both in the 3D
View and on the status bar. This allows both world position and displacement from
the starting position to be shown. The distance values are output in the style and
Unconstrained Positioning
The Locator Handle provides functions for positioning the Graphical Selection
constrained in a given direction or in a plane. However, it is sometimes necessary to
specify a new position without any constraints applied to movement of the Graphical
Selection.
An unconstrained position can be specified by typing world co-ordinates into a form,
by typing a 3D offset from the current Location Handle position, or by snapping to a
Point feature.
Performance
The speed of interactive selection and dragging operations is dependent on both the
specification of the hardware being used, and on the complexity of the model
displayed in the 3D View. Generally, it is advisable to minimise the size and
complexity of the displayed model in order to obtain good interactive feedback from
the system.
Performance tips when using Model Editor:
• Display only those elements that are necessary for the modification that you are
performing. As you drag a graphical selection on the screen, the display is
continuously redrawn.
• Avoid using large graphical selections. It may be better to make bulk moves in
small groups.
• Avoid drawing the model with high levels of detail. For example, do not display the
model with holes drawn; do not use a fine arc tolerance.
• Avoid drawing the model with P-points switched on.
Element Selection
In order to move or rotate plant items, you must first select plant items to modify. The
collection of selected items is called the Graphical Selection. Plant items may be
added to or removed from the current Graphical Selection by various selection
methods:
• picking with the mouse pointer
• dragging a rectangular fence around items to be selected
• using selection operations to select related groups of items
• clearing the Graphical Selection.
The Design database elements that can be selected and modified using the Model
Editor are listed in Selectable Items at the end of this Session.
Selection Feedback
Selected elements are highlighted so that they stand out from all the other elements
in the graphics display.
A Locator Handle appears when a Graphical Selection is present. This can be used
to manipulate the position and orientation of the entire Graphical Selection.
● Picking implied tube, or using a Select Leg operation on a Piping Item selects a
Pipe leg. Using the Ctrl key with a Pipe leg selection adds to the Graphical
Selection if an unselected item is picked. Ctrl with selected implied tube pick
removes the Pipe leg
.
Note that Ctrl with a shortcut menu selection on a selected item does not remove the
selection from the list.
Fence Selection
A group of Plant items can be selected by using a fence selection. There are two
fence selection options:
1. Wholly Within selects items that are entirely contained inside the rectangular
boundary of a fence selection.
2. Wholly And Partially Within selects both items that are entirely contained inside
the rectangular boundary of a fence selection, and items that cross the boundary.
Fence selection can be made with either the right or left mouse button.
Fence selection using the left mouse button
Drag a rectangle surrounding the items to be selected by clicking and holding down
the left mouse button at one corner of the rectangle, and drag the mouse pointer to
the opposite corner. The selection will take place when the mouse button is
released.
The items selected depend on the current setting of Selection>Select Rectangle on
the Main Menu bar. The following illustrations the effects of each selection.
Pressing the Esc key during the drag will abort the selection.
The selection takes place when one of the options on the shortcut menu is selected.
Pressing the Esc key during the drag or prior to selecting from the shortcut menu
aborts the selection. Clicking away from the shortcut menu or selecting Cancel on
the menu also aborts the selection.
Adding to an existing Graphical Selection with a fence selection
Holding the Ctrl key down while performing a fence selection adds the selected items
to the existing Graphical Selection.
Select>Connected
Select>Connected is a special piping selection that selects a group of connected
piping items. In the picture above, the gaskets and flanges connected to the Valve
would be added to the Graphical Selection along with the Valve. Using the Ctrl
button with Select>Connected adds to the Graphical Selection if an unselected item
is picked.
Select>Leg
Picking implied tube, or using the Select>Leg shortcut menu selection on a Piping,
HVAC or Cable Tray component will select a leg of a Branch.
Select>Leg selects those components in a Branch that are in-line with the selected
component or implied tube. A change in direction of the Branch (e.g. at an elbow) is
regarded as the end of a Pipe leg.
The illustrations below show examples of the use of these two options:
The picture above shows the name of the Branch and Pipe that own the selected
component in the Select menu.
Using the Ctrl key with Select>Attached adds to the Graphical Selection if an
unselected item is picked.
Select>FRMW and Select>SBFR are similar to Select> PIPE and Select>BRAN
described above. Choosing these options will add either all the members of the
FRMW or SBFR that own the selected SCTN.
Feature Highlighting
enables or disables Feature Identification Mode. Feature Identification Mode is
described in Positioning and Orientation using the Locator Handle.
If the mouse pointer is over a 3D Model Editor view, and the Model Editor is active,
pressing the F key on the keyboard toggles between feature identification mode
being switched on or off.
Set Increments
shows the Select Increments form for setting the active movement or rotation
increments:
The Linear increment is specified in the currently active units, or units can be
specified by using PDMS units of measure syntax.
Drag Image
During a drag operation using the Locator Handle, an image of the Graphical
Selection follows a constrained path defined by the current mouse pointer position.
The style of feedback for all items in the Graphical Selection can be selected from
the submenu list.
Select Rectangle
sets the mode of operation of Select Rectangle on the left mouse button to be Wholly
Within or Wholly And Partially Within.
Overview
The Locator Handle provides three ways to move or rotate a Graphical Selection:
1. Dragging the linear, planar or rotation handles freehand with the mouse pointer
2. Aligning with points, P-points, P-lines or straight lines (edges) on other displayed
plant items
3. Typing in offset distance or angular displacement values
Aligning the Graphical Selection with points or lines on other displayed items
When aligning a Graphical Selection with other plant items in the displayed model,
you enter feature identification mode, where the mouse pointer is sensitive to
finding features on the Design graphics. Features are points, straight lines (edges),
P-points or P-lines. Points are located at vertices on the model, such as the corner of
a box, and at the mid-point of lines. Lines are straight edges on the model (Design
Aid graphics cannot be used as a feature).
Feature identification mode is turned on and off by selecting Feature Highlighting on
the Selection menu, or by pressing the F key when the mouse pointer is over a 3D
Model Editor View, and the Model Editor is active.
Some operations turn on feature identification mode temporarily to allow you to pick
a feature. For example, Edit>Move Selection>Snap To Point. Once the required
feature is identified, the mode will revert to its state before the command was
actioned.
Automatic scrolling
If the target location for a drag operation is outside of the 3D view, the mouse pointer
can be moved to an edge of the view, where the view will pan automatically up,
down, left or right according to the 3D view edge that the mouse pointer hits. The
mouse pointer must move in order for the panning to continue. This may necessitate
you making a small movement of the pointer near to the view edge to keep the pan
operation going.
This technique for panning the view is appropriate for locating a target position that is
just out of view.
Feedback
When moving a selection in a constrained direction, the Locator Handle changes to a
cut-down version of the full handle to show the direction of movement, as shown
below. The current World position of the Locator Handle is displayed on the status
bar, and an offset from the original position of the handle is displayed on the 3D
View.
As the mouse moves over a linear handle, the pointer symbol changes to the linear
drag pointer.
Enter Value…
shows the following form:
The field corresponding to the selected axis is activated for input. In this case,
entering 2500 in the X field tells the Graphical Selection to move by 2500mm in the X
direction of the Locator Handle.
Align with Feature…
This method allows you to position the Graphical Selection in relation to another
object on the screen, but forces the Graphical Selection to move only along the
selected axis. The sequence of operations is as follows:
• Make a Graphical Selection.
• Optional: Position the Locator Handle at the required datum position.
• Select Align with Feature on the linear handle shortcut menu.
• Move the mouse to the target feature. This highlights the target feature, and the
mouse pointer changes shape to indicate that the Graphical Selection will be
aligned with the target position if the mouse button is clicked.
• Click the left mouse button to move the Graphical Selection to the target position.
Linear drag can align with a point feature or a line feature.
Snap To Point…
Snap To Point allows the Graphical Selection to be moved to a Point feature. The
Graphical Selection is not constrained to move along the direction of the Linear
Handle. See Positioning and Orientation Using the Edit Menu.
Move Handle
The Move Handle sub-menu provides the same movement commands as the main
Linear Handle menu, but these commands move the Locator Handle only. They do
not move the Graphical Selection.
The Locator Handle may be moved independently of the Graphical Selection in order
to change the datum position for the next operation on the Graphical Selection.
To initiate a planar drag, you press the left mouse button down over one of the
planar movement handles. With the left button still pressed, moving the mouse drags
the Graphical Selection constrained in the selected plane, in steps defined by the
movement increment.
Feedback
A triangle is displayed on the current constraint plane, between the original position
of the handle and the current position. The relative movement distances are shown
on the sides of the triangle. The current World position of the Locator Handle is
displayed on the status bar. All values are shown in the current selected units.
The Locator Handle changes to a simple version of the full handle to show the plane
of movement as shown:
As the mouse moves over a planar handle the pointer symbol changes to the planar
drag symbol.
Enter Values…
This command shows the following form.
The fields corresponding to the selected plane are activated for input. In this case,
entering 8000 in the X field and 4000 in the Z field tells the Graphical Selection to
move by X8000mm Z4000mm in the XZ plane of the Locator Handle.
This facility allows you to position the Graphical Selection in relation to another
object on the screen, but forces the Graphical Selection to move only in the selected
plane. The sequence of operations is as follows:
Snap To Point…
Snap To Point… allows the Graphical Selection to be moved to a Point feature. The
Graphical Selection is not constrained to move in the plane of the Linear Handle.
See Positioning and Orientation Using the Edit Menu.
Move Handle
The Move Handle sub-menu provides the same movement commands as the main
Planar Handle menu, but these commands move the Locator Handle only. They do
not move the Graphical Selection.
The Locator Handle may be moved independently of the Graphical Selection in order
to change the datum position for the next operation on the Graphical Selection.
Rotation Handle
The rotation handles allow you to rotate the Graphical Selection around the relevant
axis using the current angular increment to control the angular step size.
Dragging a Rotation handle with the left mouse button rotates the handle and the
Graphical Selection about the axis of rotation. To perform a rotation, press the left
mouse button over the relevant rotation handle. With the left button still depressed,
drag the mouse to perform the rotation.
Feedback
The angular movement from the original orientation is shown as the Locator Handle
is rotated. The angular displacement is also shown in the status bar.
As the mouse moves over a rotation handle, the pointer symbol changes to the
rotation drag symbol, and half of the Rotation Handle arc changes to show two
arrows. This feedback indicates which of the axes will be aligned with a feature when
feature alignment is used.
Rotation Handle Shortcut menu
A Rotation Handle has the following movement operations on its shortcut menu:
Enter Value…
This allows the Graphical Selection to be rotated about one of the Locator Handle
axes.
Orient to Point…
Align with…
Rotates the selection until the chosen axis points towards the given direction. The
Graphical Selection is rotated about one of the Locator handle axes, such that the
chosen axis points as close to the direction specified as possible.
Rotate Handle
The Rotate Handle sub-menu provides the same rotation commands as the main
Rotation Handle menu, but these commands rotate the Locator Handle only. They
do not rotate the Graphical Selection.
The Locator Handle may be rotated independently of the Graphical Selection in
order to change the frame of reference for the next operation on the Graphical
Selection.
Rotate Handle>To World
This command aligns the Locator Handle with the World co-ordinate system, without
rotating the Graphical Selection. The Locator Handle Y axis points North, and the Z
axis points Up.
Feature Snapping
Having made a graphical selection in Model Editor mode, use Selection>Feature
Highlighting to switch into a mode where features are identified as the mouse
pointer passes over them on a 3D view. If Feature Snapping is on, selecting it again
will switch feature snapping off. Alternatively, the F key can be used to toggle feature
identification on and off if it is pressed over the 3D View while in Model Editor mode.
If the Graphical Selection is dragged using the Locator Handle while Feature
Snapping is on, it will align itself with key features on the displayed model as the
mouse pointer passes over them. See the sections on Linear, Planar and Rotation
Handles for a description of how feature snapping works for each handle.
There is an alternative method to select a feature. Moving the mouse over the 3D
model without dragging the locator handle still highlights features. Pressing the right
mouse button over a highlighted feature shows a menu that allows the Graphical
Selection or the Locator Handle to be moved to the selected position.
Selecting Move Handle Here in the picture above will move the handle to the
selected point.
In order to select features of a Plant item, it is necessary to move the mouse pointer
over the item before features are shown. In most cases, the target P-point or P-line
lies on, or inside, a plant item, so selecting a feature is straightforward. In the few
cases where the P-point or P-line is outside of the plant item, or partly obscured by
another item in the scene, it is necessary to make sure that the mouse pointer first
passes over the associated plant item.
On steelwork items with P-lines, the Justification Line (JUSL) P-line is shown as a
feature.
Feature identification:
1. Using the standard Undo and Redo icons on the main toolbar.
2. Using the Undo and Redo options on the Edit pull-down menu.
You may step back through undo states one at a time. Following an undo, you can
then choose to re-do the sequence, stepping forward one state at a time until the
sequence of changes that were undone are restored. If you do one or more undos
and then save a new state, the re-do option is no longer available and the
corresponding icons/menu options will become inactive.
Switching in or out of Modify mode resets the undo state, and all undo/re-do icons
and menu options become inactive. Switching between applications in DESIGN will
also cause the Modify mode button to be switched off and the undo/redo states to be
re-initialised.
If you modify the database by any means other than using the features of Model
Editor mode, then it will no longer be possible to undo previous database changes
made using graphical manipulation. This will not become apparent until you press
the Undo icon and the undo does not occur as the Undo/Redo icons are greyed out.
The operations described below apply to both Move Selection and Move Handle.
Move Selection/Handle>Offset in 3D…
The Graphical Selection can be moved relative to its original position, in the co-
ordinate system of the Locator Handle. The position of the Graphical Selection will
only change if OK is clicked.
This form shows the current position of the Locator Handle in World co-ordinates.
Changing the settings and clicking OK will move the selection to the specified world
co-ordinates.
Move Selection/Handle>Snap to Point
This facility allows you to position the Graphical Selection at a selected position in
relation to another object on the screen. The sequence of operations is:
1. Add one or more plant items into a Graphical Selection
2. Optional: Position the Locator Handle at the required datum position
3. Select Move Selection/Handle>Snap to Point from the Edit menu
4. Move the mouse pointer to the target position. The pointer will change to indicate
that the Graphical Selection will snap to the target feature
5. Click the left mouse button to move the Graphical Selection to the target position.
Rotate Selection rotates the Graphical Selection. Rotate Handle rotates the
Locator Handle only.
The operations described below apply to both Rotate Selection and Rotate Handle.
Entering a value enables the Graphical Selection to be rotated about one of the
Locator Handle axes.
Delete Selection
Delete Selection on the Edit menu deletes all items in the Graphical Selection from
the database. This command is only available while a Graphical Selection exists.
Note:You will be asked to confirm the deletion
Selectable Items
The following table lists element types that can be selected and modified using the
Model Editor. Note that some types of element can be modified if they belong to an
administrative element such as a ZONE or FRMW, but they cannot be individually
modified if they belong to a Plant Item. For example, A SCTN element can be
selected and moved if it belongs to a FRMW or SBFR element, but not if it belongs
to a TMPL element.
HVAC
HVAC SITE>ZONE>HVAC using Select Owners operation
BRANCH SITE>ZONE>HVAC>BRAN using Select Owners operation
HVAC component SITE>ZONE>HVAC>BRAN>(any component)
HANGERS
RESTRAINT …PIPE>REST & …HVAC>REST using Select Owners
operation
HANGER …PIPE>REST>HANG & …HVAC>REST>HANG
DATUM SITE>ZONE>DATU
Note that the Model Editor does not work with Design Template elements in the
Template World. It is not possible to selected elements owned by a
TPWL>TMAR>TMPL hierarchy.