A pipe object is a bit simpler than a structure object in that it is essentially the extrusion of a circle, ellipse, or rectangle. Even so, the graphical representation of a pipe is broken down into numerous parts, each of which can be stylized differently. Figure
Figure 16.5 shows a pipe and its components in profile view.
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| Figure 16.5 A pipe in profile view. |
You can use pipe styles to control the various pipe components as follows:
- Pipe Centerline
- In addition to controlling the visibility and graphical properties of the pipe centerline such as layer, color, and linetype, you can also set the width of the centerline to match the diameter of the pipe (as well as several other sizing options). The striped appearance of the storm pipes you have seen in the example drawings was achieved by setting the centerline width to theinside pipe diameter and using a dashed linetype.
- Inside and Outside Pipe Walls
- You can use styles to control the visibility and graphical properties of the inner and outer walls.
- Pipe End Line
- This is a line drawn across either end of the pipe. The style can determine whether this line is drawn to the outer pipe wall or inner pipe wall.
- Pipe Hatch
- You can use a pipe style to hatch a pipe across its inside or outside diameter or in the area between the inner and outer walls. The pattern, scale, and rotation of the hatch can be specified as part of the style.
- Crossing Pipe
- You can use a pipe style to show a pipe as though it is crossing through the profile view rather than oriented parallel to it. This typically takes the form of an ellipse, either because of vertical exaggeration or because the pipe crosses through at an angle. This is extremely useful for ensuring that crossing pipes do not conflict with one another. In profile view, you can control the visibility and graphical properties of the crossing pipe components such as inside walls, outside walls, and hatching.
Again, it is not likely that you will be responsible for creating the styles that configure these different display options. However, if you have a basic understanding of what is possible, you can more accurately request the specific styles you need from your CAD manager.
To use pipe styles to control the display of pipes in your drawing, follow these steps:
- Open the drawing named Applying Pipe Styles.dwg located in the Chapter 16 class data folder. In this drawing, the left view is zoomed in to Logan Court where a sanitary pipe crosses a storm pipe, and the same pipes are shown in profile view on the top right and 3D view on the bottom right.
- In the left view, click the green pipe labeled SAN. Click Pipe Properties on the ribbon.
- In the Pipe Properties dialog box, click the Information tab. Change the style to C-SSWR – Double Line and click OK. The appearance of the pipe changes in the plan view. The SAN label has been turned off, and the pipe is now shown as a double line representing the inside diameter.
- Press Esc to clear the previous selection, and then click the profile view grid in the top-right viewport. Click Profile View Properties on the ribbon.
- In the Profile View Properties dialog box, click the Pipe Networks tab. Scroll and locate the pipes listed beneath the Storm2 network. One of the pipes is set to Yes in the Draw column. Check the box in the Style Override column for this pipe.
- In the Pick Pipe Style dialog box, select C-PROF-STRM – Crossing and click OK. Click OK once more to dismiss the Profile View Properties dialog box. You are returned to the drawing, and the storm pipe is now represented as an ellipse. The ellipse is placed at the location where the storm pipe crosses the alignment (see Figure 16.6). When you view the storm and sanitary pipes this way, you can clearly see that there is a conflict and that you need to change the design.
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| Figure 16.6 A storm pipe crossing shown as an ellipse indicates a conflict with a sanitary pipe. |
Profile View Overrides
The Profile View Properties dialog box has a special Pipe Networks tab that lists all of the pipes and structures in the drawing. You can display any of them in a given profile view by simply checking a box in the Draw column. You can even perform a style override so that a pipe or structure can be displayed in a given profile view using a different style than the one assigned to it in the Pipe Properties dialog box. This is especially handy when you need to show a pipe using a crossing style in one profile view and using a “normal” style in another. The following image shows the Pipe Networks tab of the Profile View Properties dialog box.
