Part rules are properties that affect how pipe network parts behave on creation and when you move or edit them.
Autodesk Civil 3D pipe network objects use part rules in the following ways:
Primarily, part rules automatically determine reasonable levels for parts as they are created. The specific level behavior you see is based on choices you make, such as how you define the minimum gradient, minimum cover, and desired drop across a structure. Rules also provide automatic validation of your pipe network design, such as checking to see if a structure is too small to accommodate a pipe size, if the length of a pipe is greater than desired, or the maximum cover above a pipe is exceeded.
Rules provide an excellent way to give a good starting point for design. They also provide a way to quickly determine if the location of a series of pipes and structures is actually constructible.
Rules are applied to parts automatically as they are created. However, you can reapply rules to existing parts in your drawing as needed. Reapplying rules ensures that unintended changes are not made. For example, if you move a structure that has pipes connected to it, you may want to reapply rules after moving the structure to ensure that the pipes connected to it still have the desired levels, minimum cover, and do not exceed a maximum length.
The pipe network rules features provides a high level of design automation, while still allowing you to specify the design according to your judgment and site-specific requirements. When rule parameter values are violated on pipe network parts in the drawing, you can quickly review the violations and determine if you need to edit the drawing or simply allow the rule violations.
The default rule behavior for pipe network parts is designed to meet the needs of some typical design scenarios. You can lay out a pipe network without editing, removing, or adding part rules, and this behavior may suit your needs. If you want to change the default rule behavior, you can do so by edit part rule values, or by adding or removing rules from a part using Rule Sets.
The default pipe network rule behavior in Autodesk Civil 3D is controlled by the following files:
These files are located in the C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D <version>\eng folder by default.
Each part in a pipe network parts list references a set of pre-defined rules. When a pipe or structure is inserted into a drawing, the rule set is referenced by the part itself. Therefore, changes made to the part in the part catalog, or removing a part from the parts list, will have no effect on a part that has already been inserted into a drawing.
A default “rule set” exists for both pipes and structures that are inserted into your drawing. The rule set behaves like a style, except that you can also override values if desired. Rule sets simply provide a way for you to create a set customized set of rules. You can add or exclude certain rules, edit certain rule values, or change the order in which the rules are processed on a part, and you can save all these changes in a named rule set. This gives you the ability to control and customize the rule behavior for a specific pipe network or pipe network part.