Tube and pipe information is treated like other parts and subassemblies and can be detailed using the drawing manager. Autodesk Inventor standard templates are not specific to tube and pipe design. The templates are stored in the installation path of Autodesk Inventor.
- XP default: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Inventor <version>\Templates
- Windows 7 default: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Autodesk\Inventor <version>\Templates.
The default template contains a text style useful for documenting tube and pipe runs called _Piping Style. It is available under Type in the Format Text dialog box when placing text and leader text. The standard template also contains an AIP Parts List standard, but it is not active. We recommend that you create a new template from the default which contains Parts List style settings unique to tube and pipe. During installation, you specify which standard to use as the default.
You can update existing templates and create new ones to include custom tube and pipe drawing settings. For example, you may want to add the conduit segment length (BASE QTY) and raw material description (STOCK NUMBER) to all parts lists in tube and pipe drawings that are created from the template.
Before creating tube and pipe drawings, you may need to determine:
- If you are migrating R9 or earlier tube and pipe drawings to the current version of Autodesk Inventor Routed Systems, determine to migrate to the current bill of materials (BOM) or to continue with the R9 BOM. Note that tube and pipe drawings prior to R9 will be first migrated to R9 BOM.
- To allow or disable automatic drawing updates of individual routes and runs, specify the setting of defer updates in the assembly environment.
- Add the BASE QTY and STOCK NUMBER properties to parts lists and Bill of Materials table. With them, you can get the correct information for manufacturing.
What is general workflow for creating tube and pipe drawings?
- Define drawing templates and annotation formats.
- Create drawing views based on design view representations, positional representations, Level of Details (LOD) representations, and optionally assembly member if it is a tube and pipe iAssembly factory.
- Create and export tube and pipe bill of materials, optionally for specific routes and runs.
- Create parts lists.
- Add annotations such as notes, dimensions, balloons, symbols, piping styles, and other annotations. Note: To dimension routes and runs correctly, recover route centerlines so that you can document both populated routes and unpopulated routes.
- Print the drawing sheet.
How do AIP-specific drawing templates differ from normal Inventor drawing templates?
We recommend that you create a new template, either by modifying an existing drawing template or creating a new one, to include tube and pipe-specific features. AIP-specific drawing templates can provide specific notes, symbols, and piping styles to annotate tube and pipe components. Customized drawing templates can include more appropriate tube and pipe-specific drawing settings. Using the provided AIP-specific parts list style, library fittings are rolled up in parts lists as normal Inventor components but conduit parts behave differently.
To format drawing annotations, it is recommended that you associate a style library in the project file. Every designer who uses the project has access to the same style library, producing drawings with a uniform appearance. If you store styles in the template without using a style library, and later make changes to a style, designers who use the template must individually update their drawings to have uniform annotation styles.
How do tube and pipe defer updates impact drawings?
In the drawing environment, when the Defer Updates check box on the
Tools tab
Options panel
Document Settings
Drawing tab is not selected, you can defer automatic updates for individual runs or routes. Then, routes and runs remain in the original status in tube and pipe drawings until you allow automatic updates in the assembly environment.
When a new route is created and populated, it is always documented into the tube and pipe drawing even if the parent pipe run is set to defer updates.
How does tube and pipe assembly configuration impact drawings?
When you are creating drawing documents for a tube and pipe iAssembly factory, each drawing view in the drawing document can be associated with a specific assembly member. You can specify the associated assembly member upon creating drawing views or modify it later.
How do design view representations impact drawings?
The design view representation can be picked up upon creating a drawing view or can be modified at a later time. In design view representations, components, routes, and runs with visibility off are not presented in tube and pipe drawings. If you do not need to include them in a drawing view, define a design view representation specifically.
If you need drawing views to automatically respond to changes in the design view representation, set up the associative relationship.
How do Level of Detail (LOD) representations impact drawings?
When a drawing view is created, you must specify the LOD representation or use the default master LOD representation. Suppressed components in the selected LOD representation do not output in associated drawing views. In the Drawing View dialog box, all the other LOD representations are available for selection except for the predefined All Components Suppressed and All Parts Suppressed in which LOD representations drawing views are of no value.
Parts lists and bill of materials (BOM) information are always based on the master LOD representation. They are not impacted by any other LOD representation.