Interference checking lets you quickly identify pipe network parts that may be in conflict with each other.
This feature compares the actual 3D model of parts to check for interferences. You can run an interference check to identify pipe network parts that physically overlap, collide, or intersect in an inappropriate way, or that have violated predefined, proximity-based criteria.
For example, you may want to run an interference check on one or more pipe networks to see if any parts physically overlap or are too close to one another. You can select style-based visual markers to identify the interferences, or you can choose to display the interferences as true, three-dimensional representations. You may choose to leave the interference conditions as they are, or you may decide to resolve them by moving parts in the drawing.
When you run an interference check, you can choose a single pipe network or you can choose two pipe networks. When you run an interference check on a single pipe network, it checks for interferences on parts included in that network. When you choose to check two pipe networks, it checks for interferences between the two pipe networks.
The following illustration shows two different pipe networks with structures that physically overlap. Running an interference check would quickly indicate that these parts interference with one another.
Another type of interference that can be detected is when two pipes intersect without a structure joining them, as shown in the following illustrations:
If desired, you can also perform a check for pipe network parts in their 3D representation that are too close to one another, according to predefined distance or scale factor criteria. In the following illustration, the two pipe networks shown are less than ten feet away from each other at the closest point, even though they do not physically collide:
You can run an interference check that identifies parts in their 3D representation that are less than a specified distance away from any part in the other network. The distance is checked in every direction surrounding each part.
When you run an interference check, an Interference Check object gets created and is displayed in the Prospector tree in the Pipe Networks 
Interference Checks collection. For more information, see Viewing Interference Check Results.
Topics in this section
- Proximity Checking Criteria
When you run an interference check, you can enable or disable 3D proximity checking criteria.
- Running an Interference Check
Run an interference check to identify parts in a pipe network that collide or violate proximity criteria.
- Viewing Interference Check Results
After running an interference check, view the results in the drawing or by looking at the data in the Toolspace list view.
- Updating an Interference Check
Update an interference check after pipe network parts have been changed.
- Setting Interference Styles
You can create styles to display interference conditions in your drawing.
- Deleting Interference Checks
You can easily delete interference checks.