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Can P&IDs
created in vanilla AutoCAD be converted to AutoCAD P&ID format?
At this time
there is a manual utility, called Classify, for migrating legacy
drawing geometry to the data rich format of AutoCAD P&ID. A more
automated method is something we have considered very seriously, and
we continue to research it. We encourage anyone interested in
converting drawings to offer us feedback on how the utility would be
used, how often, etc.
Creating P&ID
drawings with AutoCAD P&ID is much faster and easier than with
vanilla AutoCAD. Until there is an automated utility for converting
drawings you may find that it is more cost effective to simply make
changes to your P&ID drawings in AutoCAD P&ID (which can be done in
any drawing created in vanilla AutoCAD). For many of our customers,
the benefit of converting legacy drawings would be in making changes
to existing systems. Making those changes in AutoCAD P&ID will
capture all of the data required for the change, allowing you to
generate all necessary reports and lists for the new lines, valves,
equipment and instrumentation. As more changes are required, more
rich data and intelligent geometry are captured in the drawing when
the changes are made. This could prove to be fast and easy enough
to satisfy your need for conversion.
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Can
AutoCAD P&ID data be linked with a database?
Yes. Links with
external databases can be made through application programming in
the API for AutoCAD P&ID 2008. The AutoCAD P&ID Developer API is a
superset of the AutoCAD API. P&ID-specific features are available
as extensions to ObjectARX and the ObjectARX managed wrappers for
.NET. Both of these require Microsoft Visual Studio. Linking with
an external database would typically be done as a services
engagement with Autodesk Consulting, but the tools to do it are
available to everyone as part of the SDK.
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Does P&ID
instrumentation/equipment support I/O information? If it does
can this info be made into lists?
Yes. There are
standard reports in AutoCAD P&ID, including line, valve, equipment
and instrument lists. Also, AutoCAD P&ID supports the output of
project data to Excel which, not only allows for formatting and
reporting, but also allows non-CAD users to add data to lines,
valves, equipment and instrumentation without interrupting ongoing
design.
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Is
it possible to export from any of the programs databases to word?
Could this be used in conjunction with data sheets for automatic
generation?
There is no
direct export to Microsoft Word at this time. This type of export
would be done directly to Microsoft Excel. From Microsoft Excel,
data can be moved to Microsoft Word.
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What
kind of support/training is offered with any/all of the products?
We are currently
working on web-based training modules and as with most of our
products, a full complement of classes will be offered by our
resellers, as necessary.
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Can
I give AutoCAD P&ID drawings to my colleagues that only have
AutoCAD?
AutoCAD P&ID
drawings can be saved in older DWG formats and then opened and
viewed in any version of AutoCAD after AutoCAD 2000i. Drawings can
be marked up, but no changes can be made. The drawings in the older
formats can be opened in AutoCAD P&ID 2008 without loss of fidelity.
To publish a drawing so that it can be delivered to a customer for
editing in an older format will require a utility that will be
released after AutoCAD P&ID 2008. Drawings published in this way
will look the same, but no longer retain the AutoCAD P&ID data.
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What
can be done in AutoCAD LT, in vanilla AutoCAD and in AutoCAD with
P&ID Object Enabler with a document created in AutoCAD P&ID?
We’ve considered
two common workflows for working with plain AutoCAD,
Review/Print/Markup and a Publish to plain AutoCAD:
• Review/Print/Markup
User A works for
an EPC and draws P&IDs using AutoCAD P&ID. He stores his P&IDs on a
network drive. The piping designers, managers, etc open his P&ID in
AutoCAD as a read only file to view and plot it. Typically, markups
are done on paper, but a reviewer could also open the drawing in
AutoCAD to add clouds, additional text, etc. The user would not
change the P&ID graphics themselves, only add mark ups.
The
Review/Print/Markup workflow can be accomplished today with AutoCAD
P&ID 2008 without any problem.
•
Publish to Client
In the publish
scenario, an EPC uses AutoCAD P&ID to create P&IDs. The ultimate
customer, the OO, uses vanilla AutoCAD for all their P&IDs. The OO
doesn’t care what application is used to create the drawings as long
as they can maintain them in the future. During the project, the EPC
saves the P&IDs in native AutoCAD P&ID format. When the time comes
to hand over the P&IDs to the customer, they publish it to a native
AutoCAD format. There is no expectation that the drawings will be
returned to the EPC with the intelligence maintained.
The Publish to Client workflow
is not supported in AutoCAD P&ID 2008. There are tentative plans to
create a separate utility after the release to accommodate it.
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