CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Routing Lines in 3D using the Router Command

Routers are a great tool in CADWorx Plant Professional. They allow you to route
centerlines of piping runs in 3D, and then have the system automatically place elbows
and pipe segments along the routing line.
The Router command also has a number of options to it which make modeling in 3D
even easier. For instance, you can tell the system to route your piping using a Bottom of
Pipe elevation, or you can have the system Slope the line. If you route a Rolled Offset,
the system will automatically Trim the Elbows for you as well.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

122

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

This next section illustrates using the Router command, and then
you will route some lines in 3D in your model.
Some topics covered in this lesson:
You will . . .

1.

2.

3.

Construct Router Lines

Work with the various options in the Router
command
Construct rolled offsets
Output these piping runs to Isogen
Learn how to route lines in your 3D model
Get extensive practice in routing in 3D

Start a new drawing, using the Metric template.

(Remember you always use a template in CADWorx.
You can always insert your border at any time later.)
Have the AutoCAD View tool bar available at the top of
your screen.

Click on the SW Isometric button.

Starting up a new
drawing in
CADWorx

Viewing from a SW
3D view

Setting the size,

spec, and line
number

Setting up the Sheet

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Click Plant, Click Setup.

Set the Drawing Mode to 3D Solids.
Set the Main Size to 6.
Set the Specification to 150_M.
Click the Line Number tool button.
Set the line number to have a Service of LH, and a Count
of 2000.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

123

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Starting the Router Command

You can start the Router command two ways:
Typing in RT
Or
Click through the Pull-down menus (Plant, Accessory,
Auto Route, Router)
Note: If you make an error in typing during a Router
command, simply type U <Enter>, to Undo the
segment just placed. You can correct it, and not
have to start over.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Type: RT <Enter>.
Type: 3000,3000,10000 <Enter>.
Drag the mouse toward the lower right direction and
Type: 2000 <Enter>.

Changing Elevations Method One

14.
15.

Right click, and click Elevation.

Type: -1500 <Enter> (the router line moves 1500mm
down.). So typing a positive or negative number, and
pressing <Enter>, locates the next point of the 3D Router
line that far up or down from the current point.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

124

Using the Router

command to route a
piping centerline

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Changing elevations
with the routed line

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Right click, and click Slope.

Right click and click Meter (for Slope per meter).
Type: -100 <Enter> (for a 100mm fall per meter).
Drag the mouse toward the lower right and
Type: 4000 <Enter>.

Routing a sloping
centerline

21.
22.

Drag the mouse toward the upper right direction and

Type: 2000 <Enter>.

Routing a rolled
offset

Routing a Rolled Offset

23.
24.

Type: @3000,-2500,-2000 <Enter>.

Type: C <Enter> (to instruct the system to move to your
current elevation).

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

125

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

This will route the line 10 toward the upper right, 8

toward the lower right, and 6 down in elevation.

25.
26.

Drag the mouse toward the lower right and

Type: 2000 <Enter>.

Changing Elevations Using Bottom of Pipe settings and

World Elevations
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.

Right click on the mouse, and click Position.

Right click and click BOP.
Press <Enter> if prompted for 6 size (if not prompted,
proceed to the next step).
Right click and click Elevation.
Right click and click World.
Type: 2000 <Enter> (when piping is generated soon, the
bottom of the pipe will be positioned at a 2000mm
elevation).

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

126

Setting an elevation
change based on
bottom of pipe

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

33.
34.
35.

The routed
centerline is
completed

Drag the mouse toward the lower right direction of the

screen and
Type: 3000 <Enter>.
Press <Enter> once again to exit the command.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

127

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Placing Elbows and Pipe

36.
37.
38.
39.

40.
41.

Click Plant
Click Accessory
Click Auto Route
Click Buttweld LR

The system places

pipe and elbows
automatically

Elbows get trimmed

as needed
automatically

Press <Enter> (for Select Polylines).

Click on the router line you just drew.
The system will automatically place elbows and pipe
along the router line.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

128

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Generating an Isogen Iso

42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.

Save the drawing as

C\CADWorx_Video_Training\Lessons\Router_1.
Click Plant
Click Accessory
Click Isogen
Click Isogen Out
Select the Metric_Inch_A2 border and
Click OK
Press <Enter> (for select components) and
Window the piping and press <Enter>.
Click the Open Plot Files button to view the iso.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

Isogen draws all the

information,
including labeling
the elevation
changes and the
trimmed elbows

Reviewing the
Isogen Iso

129

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

The beginning area shows the coordinate at the start of

the iso, the change in elevation, and the sloping portion
of the line.

The next section shows the rolled offset area. Note the
trimmed elbow which is labeled as 55.3 degrees on the
isometric.

The isometric
contains annotation
for the starting
coordinates, and
each change in
elevation

You can also see

how it labels the
slope

Here you can see

how the system
shows a rolled offset

A rolled offset can

be displayed a
variety of ways in
Isogen

Isogen has several options on how it displays the rolled

offsets.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

130

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

You can see the Router command gives you many

options in routing piping runs in 3D. Youll use this
method extensively in some real examples in the next
section.
52.

53.

Save the drawing in your

C:\CADWorx_Video_Training\Lessons folder as
Router_Iso1.
Close the drawing and you should have open your
Router_1 drawing (the 3D model of the line).

Placing Restraints and Support Information used in the

CAESAR II Pipe Stress Program

Note: If your organization designs lines that are

analyzed with pipe stress software, then this is a
valuable section to go through. If not, you can
skip this section and move on to the next section.
54.
55.
56.

Click Plant
Click Tool Bars
Click Restraints
This brings up the CADWorx Restraints tool bar.

57.

Click the Anchor restraint button and

place it on the lower end of the line.
58. Right click and click UP.
59. Type: 300 <Enter> (for a 300mm tall anchor).
60. Press <Enter> <Enter> to take the defaults for the length
and description of the anchor.
61. This will tell the stress analysis system that the line is
anchored at each end (for instance, being connected to a
vessel nozzle on the high end, and a pump suction nozzle
on the lower end).

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

131

Using the
CADWorx
Restraints tool bar,
you can place
hangers and supports

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

62.
63.
64.
65.

66.
67.
68.

Click the OSNAP button at the bottom of your screen, to

turn it OFF.
Click the Spring Hanger button on the Restraints tool bar.
Type: Mid <Enter> (for Osnap Mid Point).
Pick the mid point of the 2000mm pipe run thats
between the sloped portion of the line and the rolled
offset portion of the line.
Right click on the mouse and click Down.
Type: 600 <Enter> for the depth.
Press <Enter> <Enter> to accept the defaults for the
length and the description of the hanger.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

132

Placing hanger and

support information

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

69.
70.

Save the drawing again at this point.

Run another Isogen isometric of the line (Plant,
Accessory, Isogen, Isogen Out, choose the C border).

71.

Save the isometric drawing at this time as Router_Iso_2.

Isogen will bring in

the support
information (see
videos in Lesson
Four in piping)

You can export the

geometry and
restraint information
out to CAESAR II
(see Lesson Six in
piping for more
information)

Sending the line out to CAESAR II

72.
73.
74.
75.

76.
77.

78.
79.

Click Plant
Click Accessory
Click CAESAR II
Click System Out

Click the Save button to save the output file out under the
name given (it matches the drawing name).
Press <Enter> to select components (but notice the
prompts you can select by line number or from a
database, if you are running the system with a database
option).
Window the drawing and press <Enter>.
Press <Enter> and Click OK to exit the command.
CADWorx has just built a CAESAR II file that can be
read directly into CAESAR II for analysis! This file will
come into CAESAR II with the geometry fully done, and
nodes numbered correctly. This saves a tremendous
amount of time for the stress engineers, since they can
start to analyze the line without having to create all of the
geometry.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

133

CADWorx Video Training Series

Lesson Five
Using 3D Routers

Once the stress engineers have analyzed the line, they

can save the file with any changes made to it. Perhaps
they added additional supports to it, or added an
expansion loop. If changes were made, you could then
go to the pull down menus (Plant, Accessory, CAESAR
II, System In) and bring the modified line back into your
model. The system would automatically update your
model with the engineers changes.

This bi-directional information exchange makes

CADWorx and CAESAR II a very powerful combination
of software to do project work.
80.

Save your line again, and close the drawing.

Written by Anthony W. Horn 2011

CAD Training Technologies, LLC Houston, TX USA

134

The CAESAR II
bidirectional
interface will save
the stress engineers a
great deal of time,
since the geometry
will come directly
from the model as a
CAESAR II input
file