In AutoCAD Civil 3D, a pipe network object serves as a container for managing pipe objects and structure objects that form a pipe network.
A pipe network can contain pipes only, structures only, or, more commonly, both pipes and structures. A part catalog provides access to pipe network items, such as circular, elliptical, or rectangular pipes, manholes, catch basins, and headwalls, and more.
After you have added a pipe network to your drawing, you can edit it in the following ways:
- Add, delete, change, swap, or move pipes or structures
- Resize pipes and structures
- Move a pipe network
- Create a parts list comprised of only the part catalog items needed for a particular project or network
- Edit elevations and sizes numerically or graphically
- Add, change, or delete labels on pipes, a span of connected pipes, structures, or on the entire pipe network
- Change the style of any pipe or structure in the pipe network
- Use styles to display pipes and structures according to their true shapes, or choose a symbolic representation, such as a block, for a structure
After the pipe network is created, you can extract a variety of data using LandXML export. For information, see LandXML Import and Export.
It is also possible to perform quantity take-off tasks on pipe networks by assigning pay items to individual parts in a pipe network parts list. For more information, see Using Pay Items to Analyze Quantities.
Like other AutoCAD Civil 3D objects, display styles for pipe network objects are based on styles assigned to the objects: specifically, the pipe objects and structure objects. Before creating pipe networks, you should be familiar with both creating and managing styles and command settings.
Topics in this section
- The Pipe Network Object
A pipe network object manages a collection of pipe objects and structure objects that are associated with each other to represent a pipe system.
- Pipe Network Styles and Display
Specify a variety of style and display characteristics for displaying pipes and structures in plan view, profile views, and section views.
- Pipe Networks Collection (Prospector Tab)
Use the Pipe Networks collection in the Prospector tree to access the pipe networks and interference checks in a drawing or a project.
- Pipe Network Collection (Settings Tab)
Use the Pipe Networks collection in the Settings tree to manage pipe network settings, parts lists, interference styles, and command settings.
- Pipe Collection (Settings Tab)
Use the Pipe collection in the Settings tree to manage pipe styles, pipe rule sets, pipe label styles, and pipe table styles.
- Structure Collection (Settings Tab)
Use the Structure collection in the Settings tree to manage structure styles, structure rule set styles, structure label styles, and structure table styles.
- Common Part Terms
This section provides descriptions for some terms that are commonly used when referring to pipe network parts.
- Hydraulics and Hydrology Feature Overview
AutoCAD Civil 3D includes additional software applications that allow you to perform a variety of storm water management tasks, including storm sewer design, watershed analysis, detention pond modeling, and culvert, channel, and inlet analysis.