CAXperts

3D SymbolDesigner
Reference Guide

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide Copyright

Copyright 2002 CAXperts GmbH. All Rights Reserved. Including software, file formats, and audiovisual displays; may be used pursuant to applicable software licence agreement; contains confidential and proprietary information of CAXperts and/or third parties which is protected by copy right law, trade secret law, and international treaty, and may not be provided or otherwise made available without proper authorization.

Restricted Rights Legend

Rights reserved under the copyright laws of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Warranties and Liabilities

All warranties given by CAXperts about equipment or software are set forth in your purchase contract, and nothing stated in, or implied by, this document or its contents shall be considered or deemed a modification or amendment of such warranties. CAXperts believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information and the software discussed in this document are subject to change without notice and are subject to applicable technical product descriptions. CAXperts is not responsible for any error that may appear in this document. The software discussed in this document is furnished under a licence and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of this licence. THE USER OF THE SOFTWARE IS EXPECTED TO MAKE THE FINAL EVALUATION AS TO THE USEFULNESS OF THE SOFTWARE IN HIS OWN ENVIRONMENT.

Trademarks
CAXperts is a registered trademark of CAXperts GmbH. Intergraph, the Intergraph logo, SmartSketch, FrameWorks, SmartPlant, INtools, MARIAN, PDS, IGDS, RIS and IntelliShip are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation. IGDS file formats 1987-1994 Intergraph Corporation. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Bentley, the Bentley logo B, and MicroStation are registered trademarks of Bentley Systems, Inc. ISOGEN is a registered trademark of Alias Limited. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Introduction

Contents
1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 5 1.1 General conventions ....................................................................................... 5
Typefaces ................................................................................................................... 5 Symbols ..................................................................................................................... 6

Installation ................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 2.2 Setup ............................................................................................................... 7

Uninstall .................................................................................................................... 7 Setup command line (for administrators) .................................................................. 7

Licence ........................................................................................................... 8

3D SymbolDesigner .................................................................................................. 9 3.1 3.2 Basic tutorial: tank with nozzles .................................................................... 9 Second tutorial: a simple custom instrument (piping) ................................. 19
Create a new project ................................................................................................ 20 Add parameters........................................................................................................ 20 Add PipingPorts ...................................................................................................... 21 Add nozzles ............................................................................................................. 22 Add graphical primitives ......................................................................................... 23 Parameterise the primitives ..................................................................................... 24 Export to SmartPlant 3D ......................................................................................... 27

3.3 4

Third tutorial: a piping spec part .................................................................. 29

Appendix (Graphical User Interface) .................................................................. 31 4.1 File................................................................................................................ 31

New ......................................................................................................................... 31 Open ........................................................................................................................ 31 Save ......................................................................................................................... 31 Save as ..................................................................................................................... 31 Export to SmartPlant 3D ......................................................................................... 32 Export of a 3D PDF datasheet ................................................................................. 33 Recent documents.................................................................................................... 38 About CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner .................................................................... 38 Exit .......................................................................................................................... 38

4.2

Project........................................................................................................... 39
Variants .................................................................................................................... 39 Insert variant ............................................................................................................ 39 Delete variant .......................................................................................................... 39 Parameters & custom interfaces .............................................................................. 39 Bodies ...................................................................................................................... 40 Vessel end ................................................................................................................ 50 Ports & connectors .................................................................................................. 51 Points & lines .......................................................................................................... 53 Control flow statements........................................................................................... 53 CSG operations........................................................................................................ 54 Parts ......................................................................................................................... 54

4.3

Edit ............................................................................................................... 54 3

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Object ...................................................................................................................... 54 Clipboard ................................................................................................................. 54 Cut ........................................................................................................................... 54 Copy ........................................................................................................................ 54 Paste ........................................................................................................................ 54 Properties ................................................................................................................. 54 Show properties ....................................................................................................... 54

4.4

Tree context menu ........................................................................................ 55

Save node to file ...................................................................................................... 55 Load node to file...................................................................................................... 55 Copy formula ........................................................................................................... 55 Paste formula ........................................................................................................... 55

4.5

View ............................................................................................................. 55
Camera..................................................................................................................... 55 Zoom in ................................................................................................................... 55 Zoom out ................................................................................................................. 55 Translate view ......................................................................................................... 55 Rotate view .............................................................................................................. 56 Fit ............................................................................................................................ 56 Y-axis up ................................................................................................................. 56 Z-axis up .................................................................................................................. 56 Program ................................................................................................................... 56 Renderer .................................................................................................................. 56 Solid ........................................................................................................................ 56 Wireframe ................................................................................................................ 56 Transparency ........................................................................................................... 56 Raster ....................................................................................................................... 56 Level of detail .......................................................................................................... 56 Window ................................................................................................................... 57 Cascade.................................................................................................................... 57 Tile Horizontal......................................................................................................... 57 Tile Vertical ............................................................................................................. 57

4.6

Options ......................................................................................................... 57
Configuration file .................................................................................................... 57 Level ........................................................................................................................ 57 Log file folder .......................................................................................................... 57 Database .................................................................................................................. 58

4.7 4.8 5

Licence ......................................................................................................... 58 Help .............................................................................................................. 58

Appendix ................................................................................................................. 59 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Angles........................................................................................................... 59 Intrinsic math functions ................................................................................ 59 Derived math functions ................................................................................ 61 Naming rules ................................................................................................ 62 How to use the GeometryExtractor utility ................................................... 63

Technical support ................................................................................................... 64

Introduction

Introduction
3D SymbolDesigner enables customers to graphically author their symbols for plant design software like Intergraph SmartPlant 3D without programming knowledge. 3D SymbolDesigner is designed to meet customer needs in symbol development activities including an interactive graphical design environment, import functionality from sources like Microstation DGN files and export to a variety of data formats (e.g. Visual Basic projects and Excel bulk load sheets for Intergraph SmartPlant 3D). 3D SymbolDesigner is based on an open, scalable architecture. Symbol data and symbol variants are stored in Excel files and can be edited with Microsoft Office or external automation software.

1.1

General conventions
This document contains many visual cues to help you understand the meaning of certain words or phrases. The use of different fonts for different types of information allows you to scan the document for key concepts or commands. Symbols help abbreviate and identify commonly used words, phrases, or groups of related information

Typefaces
Italic Indicates a system response, which is an explanation of what the software is doing. For example, The text is placed in the viewing plane. Bold Indicates a command name, parameter name, or dialog box title. Command paths are shown using an arrow between command names. For example, Choose File Open to load a new file. Sans serif Indicates a system prompt or message, which requires an action be taken by the user. For example, Select first segment of alignment
Normal typewriter

Indicates an actual file or directory name. For example, The ASCII report is stored in the layout.rpt file.

Bold typewriter

Indicates what you literally type in. For example, Key in original.dat to load the ASCII file.

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Symbols
This document uses the following symbols to identify special information: Note important supplemental information. Map or path shows you how to get to a specific command or form. More information indicates there is additional or related information.

Installation

2
2.1

Installation
Setup
Requirements: Supported operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Microsoft Windows Vista Microsoft Windows 7

Microsoft Office XP, 2003, 2007 or 2010 Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5

Optional: Intergraph SmartPlant 3D

Administrator rights are required on each computer to install CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner. Run as is not supported.

Uninstall
To uninstall the software, select Control panel from the start menu. Then on Windows 7: in large or small icon view, click Programs and features. If you're using category view, under Programs, click Uninstall a program. Windows Vista: in classic view, double-click Programs and features. In control panel home view, under Programs, click Uninstall a program. Windows XP/2000: (Double) click the Add or remove programs icon.

Select the program you want to remove, and click Uninstall/Remove. Alternatively, right-click the program and select Uninstall.

Setup command line (for administrators)

The following command line options are supported by the installer:

/S
Allow an install/uninstall to be run in silent mode. As a result, no screens or dialogs will be shown. 7

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide For example: "C:\output\setup.exe" "/S"

/U:<<XML config file>>

This command line option must be used when calling the uninstall program from the command line. This command also has an optional XML file that can be passed containing session variable values. For example:
"C:\Program Files\MyProduct\uninstall.exe" "/U:C:\Program Files\MyProduct\iru nin.xml"

2.2

Licence
Once the setup has been completed and the program is started, a licence key will be requested as shown below.

CAXperts will need your Current domain name to issue a licence file (.lic). Please place this licence file into the folder where Path to licence files points to, then press Reload. You can also set the Path to licence files to a different folder (e.g. a shared folder on a file server) using Select path. Note: Without a valid licence file the software will run in demo mode.

3D SymbolDesigner

3D SymbolDesigner
3D SymbolDesigner is a high-level symbol definition modeller. Graphical primitives may be parameterised; dimensions, position and rotation in space can be defined by formulas. 3D SymbolDesigner is case-sensitive, so be careful when typing names and formulas. All symbol data are stored in XML-structures which may also be exported. Users may also define several variants of a symbol which can be stored in an Excel file together with the symbol geometry. We recommend the user to read the tank-with-nozzles tutorial first even if he or she intends to build symbols for other disciplines. Note attributes and their interfaces are stored in Config.xls in the data subdirectory of your 3D SymbolDesigner installation. Add parameters that are not already included at the end of the Attributes tab of Config.xls. 3D SymbolDesigner will check the parameter mapping (last line in the table of variants) against these attributes and will mark all spelling errors and missing attributes with red background. Sample 3D SymbolDesigner projects can be found in the Samples sub-folder of your 3D SymbolDesigner program folder. These projects are included:
Project Angle Compensator CustomInstrument Discipline Piping (spec) Piping (spec) Level Remarks *** **** Includes manually created bulkload sheet examples No bulkload sheets available Sample bulkload sheets will be created by 3D SymbolDesigner (custom instrument tutorial) Contains two projects, sample bulkload sheets included Sample bulkload sheets will be created by 3D SymbolDesigner (basic tutorial) Includes manually created bulkload sheet examples and a SymbolIcon

Piping (custom instru- ** ments) *** *

GateValveHandWheel Piping (spec) Tank Equipment

Tee

Piping (spec)

***

3.1

Basic tutorial: tank with nozzles

This tutorial explains how to build and bulkload a storage tank symbol for SmartPlant 3D. 1. Find out which parameter names you need to parameterise the symbol in SmartPlant 3D. Standard names may be found on the CustomInterfaces tab of
C:\Program Files\SmartPlant\3D\CatalogData\BulkLoad\Datafiles\Equipment.xls. You

will

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide find these names also on the Attributes tab of 3D SymbolDesigners Config.xls.

VesselDiameter

VesselLength SupportThickness

SupportHeight SupportLength

2. Open 3D SymbolDesigner 3. Open a new symbol project ( in the File menu) 4. We need five parameters: parVesselLength, parVesselDiameter, parSupportLength, parSupportHeight, parSupportThickness. First of all you must select the Parameters item in the menu tree. Then press the Parameter button ( ) five times. This adds five new parameter items to the project tree:

5. Rename the parameters: click on Parameter1 in the menu tree (press F2 if necessary), and enter parVesselLength. Repeat this for Parameter2 to Parameter5 with parVesselDiameter etc.:

6. The table of variants should now look like:

10

3D SymbolDesigner

Now enter the default values for the parameters into the table:

7. Rename the Default variant and rename the SmartPlant 3D parameter mappings: select the Parameter1 cell and click the right mouse button. In the context menu select the Set SmartPlant 3D attribute. Choose the right attribute in the list box, check the Occurrence attribute and press the Apply button (add OA: in front of the parameter name, if the parameter is an occurrence attribute, i.e. an attribute which may be modified at runtime in SmartPlant 3D). Repeat this for Parameter2 to Parameter5. 3D SymbolDesigner checks the spelling.

8. The parameters now are valid and the background colour turned to green:

9. Select the Project.Symbol.Parameters node and click twice on the Add piping port (bolted preset) toolbar icon ( ) to add two pipe ports and twice on the Add piping connector button ( ) to add two nozzles. 10.Click twice on the Spherical Segment button ( ), once on the Cylinder button ( ) and twice on the Box button ( ) to add the primitives for the tank geometry. The

11

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide symbol tree should now look like:

11.Uncheck (i.e. hide) all primitives except Cylinder1 and expand the Cylinder1 node in the menu tree:

12.Enter parVesselLength into the formula for the cylinders length (L1) 13.Enter parVesselDiameter into D1.

12

3D SymbolDesigner 14.Zoom out/in ( / ) until you see the full cylinder in the view:

15.Check SphericalSegment1 and enter 180 deg or 180 into the formula of Rotation.Z: The semisphere is now visible on the left side of the cylinder:

13

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide 16.Enter parVesselDiameter into Geometry.D1 and parVesselDiameter / 4 into Geometry.R1:

17.Switch to wireframe mode ( ) and tick the SphericalSegment2 node, enter parVesselDiameter into Geometry.D1, parVesselDiameter / 4 into Geometry.R1 and parVesselLength into Translation.X of SphericalSegment2:

18.Tick the Box1 and Box2 nodes and enter parSupportThickness into Geometry.L1 and parSupportLength into Geometry.L3 of both boxes. The supports should reach into the tank, so the formula for Geometry.L2 of both boxes is parVesselDiameter / 4 + parSupportHeight. 14

3D SymbolDesigner 19.The formula for Translation.Z of both boxes is - 3 * parVesselDiameter / 8 parSupportHeight / 2

20.Enter parVesselLength into Translation.X of Box2 to translate the box 21.Rotate Box2 by entering 180 deg into its Rotation.Z 22.Tick PipingConnector1 and PipingConnector2. Rotate PipingConnector1 by entering 180 deg into its Rotation.Z 23.Enter - parVesselDiameter / 2 into Translation.X of PipingConnector1 24.Enter parVesselLength + parVesselDiameter / 2 into Translation.X of PipingConnector2 25.Set Geometry.L1 of PipingConnector1 and PipingConnector2 to parVesselDiameter
/ 2

26.The modelling of the tank symbol is now finished:

27.Press the toolbar button (

) to export the symbol to SmartPlant 3D.

28.Select the parent node of the new symbol in the catalogue tree view on the first tab (if you see only a node named Catalogue, double click it to open the tree). Press the Add button:

15

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide 29.Select the new node and enter the name in the Catalogue node column and description of the new symbol class in the Key column (e.g. HorizontalTank):

16

3D SymbolDesigner 30.Keep this item selected and click on the Build tab:

31.Select Faces on the Export details frame. 32.Click Browse to select a target folder for the Visual Basic Project and the bulkload sheet. 33.Uncheck all items on the Compiler settings frame. 34.When Visual Basic 6 is installed on your machine: Tick Compile project. 35. Click on the Start button. Before the export starts, 3D SymbolDesigner checks if the parameters and the used variant names are valid (see 5.4 Naming rules). This will avoid afterwards errors during the bulkload process. The occurred errors are shown in the Error list tab. By pressing an item of the list the cursor will move to the corresponding cell in the table. 36. Optionally: Export of a 3D PDF datasheet (see: Export of a 3D PDF datasheet) 37.Press OK to close the SmartPlant 3D Wizard window. Now you may close the CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner program.

17

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide 38.If Visual Basic was not available: Please compile the resulting Visual Basic project on a machine where Visual Basic is installed and register the DLL on the target system. 39.Save and bulkload the Excel file using the append mode of the Bulkload tool provided with SmartPlant 3D:

18

3D SymbolDesigner 40.After the bulkload the new symbol is available in the catalogue of SmartPlant 3D:

41.After placement, the symbol looks like:

3.2

Second tutorial: a simple custom instrument (piping)

Please read the tank tutorial first to learn and understand the basic functions of 3D SymbolDesigner, especially how to add, rename and edit nodes. In this tutorial we will build a custom instrument part with two nozzles, a handwheel and insulation for the body part and the nozzles. Note - piping symbols are using a right-handed coordinate system with y-axis up in SmartPlant 3D.

19

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Create a new project

1. Click to create a new symbol project. ). 2. Change the coordinate system orientation by pressing the Y-Axis up button (

Add parameters
3. Select the Parameters item in the menu tree. Then click five times on the parameter button ( ).

4. Rename the parameters: click on Parameter1 (press F2 if needed) and enter parFacetoFace. Repeat this for Parameter2 to Parameter5 with parActuatorHeight, parActuatorDiameter, parStemWidth and parInsulationThickness.

20

3D SymbolDesigner

5. The table of variants should now look like:

6. Enter now the default values for the parameters into the table:

7. Rename the variant Default to MyCustomInstrument:

8. Rename the SmartPlant 3D parameter mappings: select the Parameter1 cell and click right mouse button. In the context menu select the Set SmartPlant 3D attribute. Choose the right attribute in the list box, check the Occurrence attribute and press the Apply button (add OA: in front of the parameter name, if the parameter is an occurrence attribute, i.e. an attribute which may be modified at runtime in SmartPlant 3D). Repeat this for Parameter2 to Parameter5. 3D SymbolDesigner checks the spelling. The parameters are now valid and the background colour turned to green:

Add PipingPorts
9. Expand the PipingPort parameter collection toolbar icon ( ) and click the piping port (bolted preset). One PipingPort will be added to the treeview and the list of variants. Repeat the step once again to add a second one.

21

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Add nozzles
10.Click twice on the button for piping connectors ( ). Press F2 to rename the first nozzle node to VNoz1 and the second one to VNoz2. 11.Rotate VNoz1 by 180 deg about the z axis.

12.Move VNoz1 to the one end of the instrument by typing the following into its Translation.X subnode:
- parFacetoFace / 2 - PipingPort1.FlangeProjectionOrSocketOffset + PipingPort1.FlangeProjection + PipingPort1.SeatingOrGrooveOrSocketDepth

13.Move VNoz2 to the other end of the instrument by typing the following into its Translation.X subnode:
parFacetoFace / 2 + PipingPort2.FlangeProjectionOrSocketOffset PipingPort2.FlangeProjection - PipingPort2.SeatingOrGrooveOrSocketDepth

22

3D SymbolDesigner

Add graphical primitives

14.Click twice on the cone button ( times on cylinder ( ). ), once on sphere ( ), once on torus ( ) and four

15.Rename Cone1 to Body1, Cone2 to Body2, Sphere1 to Body3, Torus1 to HandWheel, Cylinder1 to Stem, Cylinder2 to InsBody, Cylinder3 to InsCylinderVNoz1 and Cylinder4 to InsCylinderVNoz2.

16.Right click on the InsBody node, select properties from the context menu and change the aspect from SimplePhysical to Insulation. Repeat this for InsCylinderVNoz1 and InsCylinderVNoz2.

23

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

17.Unselect all created primitives, except Body1 and Body2, using the checkbox in front of them. 18.Change to S/E isometric view as shown on the picture below.

Parameterise the primitives

19.Expand the Body1 node and the Geometry subnode and type in the following formula as value for the cones length (L1) property:
parFacetoFace / 2 - PipingPort1.FlangeOrHubThickness PipingPort1.FlangeProjection

20.Change the value of the cones first diameter (D1) of the same node to 0.001. The value of a distance must not be zero, because SmartPlant 3D is not able to handle zero-distance values.

21.Type in the following as value for the D2 property:

PipingPort1.PipingOutsideDiameter

22.Expand the Body2 and underlying Geometry node and set the value of L1 to:
parFacetoFace / 2 - PipingPort2.FlangeOrHubThickness PipingPort2.FlangeProjection

23.Change the value of D1 to 0.001. 24.Set the value of the cones second diameter (D2) to PipingPort2.PipingOutsideDiameter. 25.Rotate Body2 by typing 180 deg into its Rotation.Z property.

24

3D SymbolDesigner

26.Use the zoom-in tool (

) until the two cones fit to the view. Now it looks like this:

27.Expand the Body3 and the appropriate Geometry subnode to change the diameter value (D1) to the average outside diameter of the pipe by typing:
(PipingPort1.PipingOutsideDiameter + PipingPort2.PipingOutsideDiameter ) / 2

28.Change the L1 value of the Stem primitive to parActuatorHeight. 29.Set the Stems diameter (D1) to parStemWidth. 30.Rotate the Stem by assigning 90 deg to its Rotation.Z property. 31.Change the Value of the Handwheels D1 property to parStemWidth. 32.Type in the formula (parActuatorDiameter - parStemWidth) / 2 for the Handwheels radius (R1). 33.Set its angle (A1) property to 360 deg. 34.Expand the Handwheels Rotation subnode and set X to 90 deg. 35.Open the Translation branch and type in parActuatorHeight - parStemWidth / 2 for the Y value. 36.Set Z to -Geometry.HandWheel.Geometry.R1. 37.Switch on the checkboxes of Body3, Handwheel and Stem and zoom out until the instrument fits to the viewport.

25

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Now you should see something like that:

38.Expand InsBody and its subnode Geometry to set its length L1 to:
Geometry.Body1.Geometry.L1 + Geometry.Body2.Geometry.L1

39.Assign the formula Max(Geometry.Body1.Geometry.D1,

Geometry.Body2.Geometry.D1) + 2 * parInsulationThickness

to its D1 property.

40.Expand the Translation subnode and set X to -Geometry.Body1.Geometry.L1. 41.Change to the InsCylinderVNoz1 primitive and expand its subnode Geometry. Change the value of L1 to PipingPort1.FlangeOrHubThickness + parInsulationThickness. 42.Type the formula PipingPort1.FlangeOrHubOutsideDiameter + 2 * parInsulationThickness in D1. 43.Move this cylinder by changing its Translation.X property to -parFacetoFace / 2 + PipingPort1.FlangeProjection . 44.Expand the branch InsCylinderVNoz2 and the underlying Geometry node. Assign the formula PipingPort2.FlangeOrHubThickness + parInsulationThickness to the L1 value.

26

3D SymbolDesigner 45.Set PipingPort2.FlangeOrHubOutsideDiameter + 2 * parInsulationThickness for the D1 property. 46.Move the cylinder by setting Geometry.Body2.Geometry.L1 parInsulationThickness for X. 47.Tick all the remaining unchecked primitives. Now the viewport should look like this:

Export to SmartPlant 3D
48.The symbol is now ready to be exported to SmartPlant 3D. Save it first, and then click the toolbar button to export it. 49.Optionally: Press the Reload Button. The catalogue structure will be loaded from the SP3D database. This will only work if a valid SP3D database server is available and configured (see item 52). 50.Add a new node below the Catalogue-Piping-Custom Instruments node, select it, give it a decent key and description and select it again. 51.On the second tab (Build) choose your target directory. You also may tick the checkbox Compile project below the Compiler settings topic. This will only work if the necessary SP3D libraries (dll) are registered and VisualBasic 6 is installed on this machine. 52.Click on the Start button. Before the export starts, the 3D SymbolDesigner checks if the parameters and the used variant names are valid (see 5.4 Naming rules). This will avoid afterwards errors during the bulkload process. The occurred errors are shown in the Error list tab. By pressing an item of the list the cursor will move to the corresponding cell in the table. 53.Optionally: Export of a 3D PDF datasheet (see: Export of a 3D PDF datasheet)

27

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide 54.Start the Bulkload tool and load the DLL. Usually the option Append to existing catalog must be selected for this purpose.

55.Check the log file for critical errors Note: The warning Failed to set the SymbolIcon property is only an informative message it does not affect the usability of the symbol. 56.Now you are able to use the symbol in SmartPlant 3D. The example bulkload sheet defines the NPD at 4 in, so you will be able to place this symbol as a custom instrument in a 4 in pipe in SmartPlant 3D.

28

3D SymbolDesigner

3.3

Third tutorial: a piping spec part

Start with the symbol project built up in the second tutorial. 1. Change all parameter mappings from occurrence (OA) to standard. Simply remove the OA: prefix of all parameter mappings (except for InsulationThickness). 2. Click on the SP3D Export button ( ) on the toolbar.

3. Select the Piping branch. This will produce a piping DLL. 4. Choose your target directory on the second (Build) and adjust the database settings on the third (Bulkload) tab. 5. Press start. The project files will be written to the target directory.

6. The bulkload sheets (spec) have to be written manually for these parts. Samples for such bulkload sheets may be found in the 3D SymbolDesigner Sample folder. Operator symbols may be built up in the same way: (0, 0, 0) is the construction base for these symbols, do not include any nozzles or ports. The export target is also Piping. To place operators in spec parts, add the operator placeholder to the base parts. Additionally, add OA:IJSecOperOrient::Rotation to the attributes of this symbol. (see the GateValveHandwheel projects in the Sample folder).

29

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

7. Bulkload the part as described in chapter 3.2, item 54 and the following.

30

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

4.1
New

File
New ( ) creates a new 3D SymbolDesigner symbol project.

Open
Open ( ) shows a file open dialogue. 3D SymbolDesigner supports 3D SymbolDesigner project files (.xlsx and .xls, Microsoft Excel files with symbol geometry data and variants; .xml 3D SymbolDesigner XML symbol geometry data) and raw geometry files (.raw, e.g. from CAXperts GeometryExtractor, which extracts geometries from MicroStation .dgn files and is included with 3D SymbolDesigner).

Save
Save ( ) stores the content of the active form. If the file name is unknown, a Save As dialogue is shown.

Save as
Save as opens a Save As dialogue where the filename to save the content of the active form to can be chosen. 31

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Export to SmartPlant 3D
Export to SmartPlant 3D ( ) shows a configuration dialogue (SmartPlant 3D Wizard) for the export to Intergraph SmartPlant 3D. The dialogue shows two tabs for configuring the export to SmartPlant 3D. Under ideal conditions, the Wizard will produce a Visual Basic project containing the symbol geometry, compile it, register the DLL, produce an Excel file for the catalogue bulk load and start the bulk load to the catalogue. The Symbol tab provides a catalogue tree to select the target position in the SmartPlant 3D catalogue.
Discipline Equipment Bulkload sheet Add/select a folder below Equipment Add/select a node below this folder

Equipment component

Add/select a folder below Equipment Components Add/select a node below this folder

Piping spec symbol Piping custom instrument

Select Piping

Add/select a node below Piping-Custom Instruments Add/select a node below Piping-Custom Specialties Select Supports -

Piping custom specialty

Hangers and supports

When the Piping or Supports node is selected, 3D SymbolDesigner will produce a Visual Basic project/DLL for a piping symbol (but no Excel bulk load file). Note A file called ComponentTree.xml is parsed in for this dialogue, which is generated by the Reload button and may be modified manually to represent the catalogue tree of the target system. The third column shows the PartClassType of the symbol. If none is selected, 3D SymbolDesigner will assume that the type is PipeComponentClass. The checkbox Write full hierarchy allows the user in the case of a re-export to export the full R-Hierarchy in the bulkload file. Otherwise a re-export produces an empty RHierarchy sheet. The Build tab shows the project settings from the project tree view and allows the configuration of the Visual Basic code output and compilation.

32

Appendix (Graphical User Interface) Export details: this setting is useful for the measuring operations in SmartPlant 3D afterwards. With additional edges & points the measuring operations in the older versions of SmartPlant 3D are much easier. The standard value is Faces. Error logging: the log file goes here. Project target folder: the Visual Basic code goes here Output format: VB6 code or VB.NET (ALPHA, non-production use only) Make DLL binary compatible: Recommended to be switched on, when the Visual Basic code is not manually modified by the user. Include advanced debugging code: Recommended to be switched off, produces debugging code in the Visual Basic project that may slow down your system. Compile project: works only when Visual Basic 6.0 is installed and all Intergraph DLLs that are usually needed for SmartPlant 3D symbol development are available on the system. Starts Visual Basic and compiles the Visual Basic project.

Note: To compile the Visual Basic 6 code the SmartPlant 3D Programming Resources have to be installed. Delete Visual Basic files after compiler run: cleans up the target directory The Start button executes the workflow defined on the Symbol and Build tabs. Before the export starts, the 3D SymbolDesigner checks if the parameters and the used variant names are valid (see 5.4 Naming rules). This will avoid errors during the bulkload process afterwards. Any errors will be shown on the Error list tab. Click on an item of the list to move the cursor to the corresponding cell of the table.

Export of a 3D PDF datasheet

For the 3D PDF datasheet export a PlantDocumentDesigner template file is necessary (Template.pdprj). A sample file is provided in the Samples\3D PDF\Template subdirectory of the 3D SymbolDesigner installation folder. You can either edit the template file with an xml editor or much more comfortably (WYSIWYG) with the CAXperts PlantDocumentDesigner. To activate the 3D PDF export the path to the Template.pdprj file has to be specified on the Options tab of 3DSymbolDesigner:

If there is no path chosen or the path is incorrect no 3D PDF export will occur. Otherwise a 3D PDF datasheet will be created in the same process whenever the Export to SmartPlant 3D occurs. Therefore you have to press the Start button of the Export to SmartPlant 3D configuration dialogue (SmartPlant 3D Wizard) to start the export. To deactivate the 3D PDF export you can double click on the Plant document file text on the Options tab or you can delete the template file under the chosen path.

33

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Optionally: it is possible to add a company logo (.jpg) and a drawing (.jpg) to the 3D PDF datasheet and to fill the text items on the datasheet with values from an ini-file. 1. Company logo Define the path to your company logo (.jpg) in the Template.pdprj file by using an xml editor. Furthermore you can use the PlantDocumentDesigner to add your company logo to the Template.pdprj. 2. Drawing To add a drawing (.jpg) file to the 3D PDF datasheet you must save your drawing in the project target folder that you have defined on the Build tab of the Export to SmartPlant 3D configuration dialogue (SmartPlant 3D Wizard). If the drawing file has the same name as the class name defined on the Symbol tab in the tree under the key column then the drawing will be added to the 3D PDF file. Otherwise, if there is no file with the same name as the class, 3D SymbolDesigner will create a screenshot, save it in the target folder, and add it to the 3D PDF file.

34

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

3. Ini file To fill out optional fields and overwrite fields on the first page of the 3D PDF file you can define some input values in an ini file. An ini example file is provided in the Samples\3D PDF\Ini subdirectory of your 3D SymbolDesigner installation. You must save your ini file in the project target folder that you have defined on the Build tab of the Export to SmartPlant 3D configuration dialogue (SmartPlant 3D Wizard). If it has the same name as the class name defined on the Symbol tab in the tree under the key column then the input of the ini- file will be added to the 3D PDF file. To define values in the ini file use this syntax:
###FullDescription###=Full description of the symbol

35

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide In the 3D PDF will appear Full description of the symbol in the FullDescription item (defined by setting its text to ###FullDescription### in the xml file). If there is no assignment in the ini- file the item will be empty or filled with automatic values by 3D SymbolDesigner. On the second page of the 3D PDF file interface parameter names, input parameters, output parameters, aspects and ports get listed. The items with ??? could not be filled by 3D SymbolDesigner for some reason and can be edited (e.g. using Adobe Acrobat) manually.

Distributing symbols
You have two options to distribute your symbols to client computers. You can have the software automatically distribute new and modified symbols to client computers by using CAB files. If you choose not to use CAB files to distribute Visual Basic symbols, then you must distribute and register the symbols manually.

Distributing symbols automatically

Use the Package & Deployment Wizard that comes with Microsoft Visual Basic to create a CAB file for the symbol. Then, put the CAB file on the Symbols share on the server. When a user on a client computer goes to place the symbol, one of the following happens: 36

Appendix (Graphical User Interface) If the symbol is a new symbol, the software automatically pulls to the client computer the dll in the CAB file on the server, and then automatically registers the dll on the client computer. If the symbol dll already exists on the client computer, the software compares the version number of the dll on the client computer with the version number of the CAB file on the server. If the dll in the CAB file is newer, the software automatically pulls to the client computer the newer dll in the CAB file, and then automatically registers the dll on the client computer.

Note Because of Microsoft operating system requirements, the user on the client computer must have Power User or Administrator access to the computer. If you do not allow users to have Power User or Administrator access to the client computer, then you must distribute symbols manually. For more information, see Distributing Symbols Manually. 1. On the computer where you have created the symbols, start the Package & Deployment Wizard that comes with Microsoft Visual Basic. 2. Select the VB project for the symbol using Browse. 3. Click Package. 4. For the Package Type, select Internet Package, and then click Next >. 5. For the Package Folder, specify the folder that you have shared (C:\Symbols), and then click Next >. 6. On the Included Files page, clear all the checkboxes to the left of the file names to remove them from the package except for the dll of your symbol. That is, the only file name that should have a check next to it is the name of your symbol dll. Then click Next >. 7. On the File Source page, verify that your symbol dll file is the only file listed, and then click Next >. 8. On the Safety Settings page, keep the default settings, and then click Next >. 9. Click Finish. 10.Put the CAB file on the server symbols share. 11.Open the Excel workbook that contains the symbol part and go to the part sheet. 12.Create a new column on the sheet called Codebase. 13.In the Codebase column, type %CAB_SERVER%\name.CAB where name is the name of the symbol CAB file. 14.Type an M in the first cell of the row and re-bulkload the workbook.

Distributing symbols manually

If the symbol being distributed is an existing symbol that has been modified, the major version number in the Visual Basic project properties must be increased by 1. Increasing the major version number by 1 forces the recomputation of existing symbol occurrences when the Synchronize Model With Catalog command in Project Management is run. If an existing symbol is modified and distributed, all the new symbol occurrences will use 37

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide the new symbol (unless the new occurrence uses an existing entry of symbol's cache). If an existing symbol is modified and distributed, and an existing occurrence is recomputed, it will use the new symbol if the recomputation results in creation of a new entry in the symbol's cache. 1. Place the dll for the new or modified symbol on the server's symbols share. 2. On a client machine, copy the dll from the server to the local [Product Directory]\CatalogData\Symbols\bin folder. 3. Register the new .dll by clicking Start > Run and typing: regsvr32 "[Product Directory]\CatalogData\Symbols\bin\<name of dll>". Repeat steps 2 and 3 on each client machine.

Recent documents
The most recently used files are listed here.

About CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner

About shows a dialogue with information about the software product and version, the System Info button starts Microsoft System Information which provides useful additional information about the hardware and software configuration of the computer system.

Exit
Exit ends CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner.

38

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

4.2

Project
A variant is a named group of parameter values which can be used for testing the parameterisation of a symbol. Variants are exported to SmartPlant 3D bulk load sheets.

Variants Insert variant

Insert variant ( ) inserts a variant in the symbol project.

Delete variant
Delete variant ( ) deletes the selected variant from the symbol project.

Parameters & custom interfaces

Add parameter
A parameter ( ) is an element of the symbol tree which consists of a name and a value. The name is unique in the whole symbol project and can be referenced by any formula. A parameter is mapped to a SmartPlant 3D parameter name by the SmartPlant 3D mapping row in the variants grid of the symbol project. If a lookup in Config.xls in the data subdirectory of 3D SymbolDesigner shows that this parameter name is there, the parameter mapping will get a green background; else it will stay red which means that this parameter will not be exported to SmartPlant 3D. The user can also change the mapping using the context menu (right click).

Add text parameter

A text parameter ( ) is an element of the symbol tree which consists of a name and a text value. The name is unique in the whole symbol project and can be referenced by any formula. A text parameter is mapped to a SmartPlant 3D parameter name by the SmartPlant 3D mapping row in the variants grid of the symbol project. Text parameters may contain non-numeric values.

Add codelist parameter

A codelist parameter ( )

Define new attribute

Brings up a form to add single additional parameters to the config.xls.

Combine custom interfaces

Brings up a form where the user can select a folder with bulkload sheets and a target Excel file. The function will evaluate all CustomInterfaces tabs and recombine them, the output goes to the selected Excel file. 39

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Bodies
3D SymbolDesigner contains the full set of shapes known from Intergraph PDS. These are the rules as to how geometric transformations to a shape are applied: 1. The shape is placed at the origin of the world coordinate system (i.e. the locale coordinate system of the shape matches the world coordinate system (marked redgreen-blue). 2. The shapes geometry is scaled according to the values set in its .Geometry sub-tree. 3. The shape is rotated about the global X axis by the angle specified in its .Rotation.X item 4. The shape is rotated about the global Y axis by the angle specified in its .Rotation.Y item 5. The shape is rotated about the global Z axis by the angle specified in its .Rotation.Z item 6. The shape is translated by the distances specified in its .Translation subtree Shapes already included with 3D SymbolDesigner are described below (the anchor of the shape is marked magenta-yellow-cyan)

Cylinder

D1 L1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Cylinder. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.D1 Right Circular Cylinder (1) X Y EL A B

Comment

40

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Cone
D2 L1

D1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Cone. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.D1 .Geometry.D2 Right Circular Cone (2) X Y EL A B C

Comment

Eccentric circular cone

D2

D1

L1

3D SymbolDesigner

PDS

Comment

EccentricCircularCone. Eccentric Circular Cone (3) .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.A1 X Y EL Angle of the left face

41

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

.Geometry.A2 .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.D1 .Geometry.D2 A B C

Angle of the right face

Truncated rectangular prism

L3

L5 L2

L4

L1

3D SymbolDesigner

PDS

Comment

TruncatedRectangularPrism. Truncated Rectangular Prism (12) .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.L4 .Geometry.L5 X Y EL A B C D E

42

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Eccentric rectangular prism

L3 L2 L4

L1

L5

3D SymbolDesigner

PDS

Comment

EccentricRectangularPrism. Eccentric Rectangular Prism (13) .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.A1 .Geometry.A2 .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.L4 .Geometry.L5 A B C D E X Y EL Angle of the left face Angle of the right face

Octagonal solid
L1

L4

43

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

3D SymbolDesigner PDS OctagonalSolid. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.L4 Octagonal Solid (8) X Y EL A B C D

Comment

Ignored

Hexagonal solid
L1

L4

3D SymbolDesigner PDS HexagonalSolid. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.L4 Hexagonal Solid (7) X Y EL A B C D

Comment

Ignored

44

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Box
L1

L2

L3

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Box. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 Rectangular Solid (6) X Y EL A B C

Comment

Triangular solid

L2 L3 L1
3D SymbolDesigner PDS Comment

45

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

TriangularSolid. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.A1

Triangular Solid (5) X Y EL A B C D Ignored

Extruded solid
p3(0, 1) p1(-1, 0)

L1 p2(1, 0)

Additional UV points can be added by Insert Vertices UV point

3D SymbolDesigner ExtrudedSolid. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.Vertices.UVVector1.U .Geometry.Vertices.UVVector1.V PDS User Projected Shape (9) X Y EL Projection 1X 1Y Comment

.Geometry.Vertices.UVVector20.U 20 X .Geometry.Vertices.UVVector20.V 20 Y

46

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Sphere

D1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Sphere. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.D1 Sphere (17) X Y EL A

Comment

Semisphere

R1 D1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Semisphere. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.D1 .Geometry.R1 Semi-Elliptical Head (4) X Y EL A B

Comment

Rotational solid
See extruded solid. There is no similar object in PDS. 47

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Transition element

D1 L2 L3

L1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS TransitionElement. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.D1 Transition Element (15) X Y EL A B C D

Comment

Eccentric transition element

D1 L2 L3

L1

3D SymbolDesigner

PDS

Comment

EccentricTransitionElement. Eccentric Transition Element (16)

48

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

.Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.A1 .Geometry.A2 .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.L3 .Geometry.D1

X Y EL Angle of the left face Angle of the right face A B C D

Torus
D1

A1

R1

3D SymbolDesigner PDS Torus. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.D1 .Geometry.R1 .Geometry.A1 Circular Torus (10) X Y EL A B C

Comment

49

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Rectangular torus

A1

R1

L2 L1
3D SymbolDesigner PDS RectangularTorus. .Translation.X .Translation.Y .Translation.Z .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.L2 .Geometry.R1 .Geometry.A1 Rectangular Torus (11) X Y EL A B C D Comment

Vessel end
3D SymbolDesigner PDS Comment .Geometry.D1 .Geometry.L1 .Geometry.EndType .Geometry.A1 E.g. DIN28013 or DIN28011

50

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Ports & connectors

A parameter collection ( , , , , , , )contains parameters which are usually provided by SmartPlant 3D for the placement and dimensioning of nozzles. The user can set values in this collection for testing purposes. The values are not exported, they will be provided at runtime by SmartPlant 3D. Each connector needs a parameter collection of its own. Parameter collections get mappings with grey background colour. Cable connector A Cable connector ( ) symbolises the start position and direction of cables leading away from the symbol. Cable tray connector A Cable tray connector ( ) symbolises the start position, direction and orientation of cable trays leading away from the symbol. Conduit connector A Conduit connector ( ) symbolises the start position and direction of conduits leading away from the symbol. Piping connector A Piping connector ( , formerly Variable nozzle) symbolises the start position and direction of pipes leading away from the symbol. Smart piping connector for datum point based nozzles on equipment Smart piping connectors ( ) use N1, N2, N3, N5 and OR1 to specify their position in relation to a datum point. Therefore they can only be used within the Geometry subnode of a DatumPoint object and will work on equipment symbols only. The following PlacementType values are allowed: Radial Tangential Axial Skew OffsetSkew

51

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

52

Appendix (Graphical User Interface) Elbow piping connector An Elbow piping connector ( leading away from the symbol. Foundation connector A Foundation connector ( ) symbolises the start position and direction of foundation connections. HVAC connector A HVAC connector ( ) symbolises the start position and direction of HVAC pipes leading away from the symbol. Hanger connector A Hanger connector ( connections. Datum Point A plain project has already one datum point ( ). To add additional ones, please use this button. Nozzles get always logically attached to DatumPoint1 as long as they dont belong to the Geometry subnode of another datum point. Operator An Operator ( ) symbolises the position and direction of an external operator symbol. Note: To import easily the parameters of a port use the Load node from file function (see: Load node from file). ) symbolises the start position and direction of support/hanger ) symbolises the start position and direction of pipes

Points & lines

UV vectors can be added to Extruded solids (select the .Geometry.Vertices subnode). An UV vector is a coordinate double representing a corner of the extruded twodimensional shape. A ControlPoint can be added to equipment symbols.

Control flow statements

Add FOR loop
For loops are useful when the user wants to builds symbols like ladders or stairs. Its Parameters subnode specifies from, to and step of the loop. All primitives in its Geometry

53

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide subnode will be put into a For Next loop in the Visual Basic code and should therefore be renamed to a SmartPlant 3D variable output name, i.e. _-ending.

CSG operations
Add union
A union can contain other nodes in its Geometry subnode. This might be helpful for complex symbols with many primitives. It is possible to place a union in a union, for this purpose use the drag & drop function after creating the union. Also to put geometry bodies in the union use the drag & drop function on the Union.Geometry node.

Parts
Configuration index calculator ( ) opens a clone of the Intergraph Configuration Index Calculator.

4.3
Object

Edit
The Object menu item is used to rotate and translate an object that means to turn it around the axes X, Y or Z or to move it without rotating in X, Y or Z direction.

Clipboard Cut
Cut ( ) cuts the selected item to the clipboard.

Copy
Copy ( ) copies the selected item to the clipboard.

Paste
Paste ( ) pastes the clipboard content to the selected item

Properties Show properties

Show properties shows the properties dialogue.

54

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

4.4

Tree context menu

Save node to file ( ) allows the user to save the geometry data of a tree node (e.g.: cylinder, sphere, union, etc.) to an xml file.

Save node to file Load node to file

Load node to file ( ) allows the user to load the geometry data from an xml file to the tree.

Copy formula
Copy formula ( ) allows the user to copy the selected parameter formula to the clipboard. Used on a rotation or translation node instead of a parameter, the x-, y-, and zvalue will be copied.

Paste formula
Paste formula ( ) allows the user to paste the clipboard content to the selected parameter formula. When used on a rotation or translation node the x-, y-, and z- value will be pasted.

4.5

View
The View menu is for configuring the visual appearance of the 3D SymbolDesigner Graphical User Interface (GUI) and of the open symbol project.

Camera Zoom in
If Zoom in ( ) is clicked, the distance between the camera and the object becomes shrunk (usually by factor 0.5).

Zoom out
If Zoom out ( ) is clicked, the distance between the camera and the object becomes stretched (usually by factor 0.5)

Translate view
You use the Translate view ( ) tool to translate the canvas non-destructively; it does not transform the image. Select the Translate view tool and click-drag in the image to translate. 55

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Rotate view
You use the Rotate view ( ) tool to rotate the canvas non-destructively; it does not transform the image. Rotating the canvas can be useful for any number of reasons, including facilitating easier painting or drawing. Select the Rotate view tool and clickdrag in the image to rotate.

Fit
If Fit ( ) is clicked, the coordinate system gets placed in the middle. The distance/magnification between the camera and the object remains unchanged.

Y-axis up
( ) sets the Y axis = up axis (not recommended for non-piping symbols)

Z-axis up
( ) sets the Z axis = up axis (recommended for all symbols)

Program
Status bar toggles the display of the status bar. Grid toggles the display.

Renderer
The Renderer changes an image by means of computer programs.

Solid
( ) represents an image as a solid object

Wireframe
( ) shows wire frame view

Transparency
( ) sharp transmission of light through solid objects

Raster
( )

Level of detail
Numeric value from 1 to 42

56

Appendix (Graphical User Interface)

Window
The items in the Window menu are for arranging the open 3D SymbolDesigner sub forms.

Cascade
Cascade ( ) cascades all open 3D SymbolDesigner sub windows.

Tile Horizontal
Tile Horizontal ( ) rearranges all open 3D SymbolDesigner sub windows in rows.

Tile Vertical
Tile Vertical ( ) rearranges all open 3D SymbolDesigner sub windows in columns.

4.6

Options
Open ( ) the selected configuration file. Reload ( ) the selected configuration file (e.g. after changes in the configuration file) Note: Dont forget to save the configuration file before Reload.

Configuration file

Level
A debugging level is the importance of a process step that has to be reached to generate a log file entry. These debugging levels are available:

0: Logs only critical errors 1: Logs all errors 2: Logs all errors and warnings 3: Logs all errors, warnings and major file operations 4: Logs all errors, warnings and minor file operations 5: Logs all errors, warnings and output operations 6: Logs almost everything (not recommended as it can slow down your system)

Log file folder

The log file folder is the folder where the 3D SymbolDesigner.log goes to. Use Browse to select a folder.

57

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Database
The Database tab shows a dialogue for configuring the database connection.

4.7 4.8

Licence
See 2.1 Setup.

Help
shows the 3D SymbolDesigner online help.

58

Appendix

5
5.1

Appendix
Angles
Angles are interpreted in radians if they are not followed by a degree sign (). You can type PI or 180 for an angle of 180. Note if you cant find the degree sign on your keyboard, key in dgn instead, this will be automatically replaced by .

5.2

Intrinsic math functions

SymbolDesigner includes a sophisticated parser for mathematical functions. These functions may be used in any parameter cell in the project tree view (parameter cells are marked with the symbol). Example for a formula keyed-in by the user:
Sin ( 60 ) * ( 10 * Geometry.Cover.Geometry.L1 / 4 - 0.025 * OperatorDiameter )

The formula shows the referencing style to other nodes: Geometry.Cover.Geometry.L1 references to the value of the Geometry.L1 sub-node of a graphical primitive named Cover (e.g. a box). The colour/font style mark-up is automatically done by the parser:
Formula part Font style: Operators Numbers Units Functions Variables Upright, blue Upright, black Upright, bold, black Upright, purple Italics, black

The parser also interprets several constants:

Constant Pi None Point Line Fill Hidden Value 3.1415 0 1 2 3 0

59

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

SimplePhysical DetailPhysical Insulation Operation Maintenance

1 16 32 64 128

ReferenceGeometry 256

Note the constants are not necessarily constants in a mathematical sense. You should use them as placeholders for the appropriate values which will be automatically filled in by 3D SymbolDesigner: If in software A None means 0 but in software B None means -1, 3D SymbolDesigner will properly replace None according to the export target. These are the pre-defined operators:
Operator Operation + * / ^ ( ) Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division Power Left bracket Right bracket

These functions are supported by the parser:

Function Abs(x) Cos(x) Function name Absolute value Cosine trigonometric function Exponential function Returns the integer portion of the operand. If tive integer greater than or equal to x x is negative, Int returns the first negax is negative, Fix returns the first negaDescription Returns the absolute value of x

Exp(x) Fix(x)

Int(x)

Returns the integer portion of the operand. If tive integer less than or equal to x

Ln(x)

Natural logarithm

60

Appendix
Compares and and returns the greater operand x y Compares and and returns the smaller operand x y Returns the date (in Visual Basic) Returns x x=0 <0 The The same a number most every random time, using x generated as the number. seed. number.

Max(x,y) Min(x,y) Now(x) Rnd(x)

recently

x>0 The next random number in the sequence. Returns the sign of

Sgn(x) Sin(x) Sqrt(x) Tan(x)

Sign function Sine trigonometric function Square root

Returns the sine of (in radians) x Returns the square root of x

Tangent trigonometric func- Returns the tangent of x tion Returns the seconds since Returns the time (in Visual Basic) Inverse sine trigonometric ArcSin(x) = ArcTan(x / Sqrt (-x * x + 1)) function Inverse cosine trigonometric ArcCos(x) = ArcTan(-x / Sqrt (-x * x + 1)) + 2 * ArcTan(1) function Inverse tangent trigonometric function midnight (in 3D SymbolDesigner)

Time

ArcSin(x)

ArcCos(x)

ArcTan(x)

Units are defined in the Config.xls in the data subdirectory of 3D SymbolDesigner.

5.3

Derived math functions

The following non-intrinsic math functions can be derived from the intrinsic math functions. These functions are not yet included in 3D SymbolDesigner but will be included in a future version of the software, so please regard the names of these functions as reserved:
Function Sec(x) CoSec(x) CoTan(x) ArcSec(x) Function name Secant Cosecant Cotangent Inverse Secant Derived equivalents Sec( ) = 1 / Cos( ) x x CoSec( ) = 1 / Sin( ) x x CoTan( ) = 1 / Tan( ) x x ArcSec( ) = ArcTan( / Sqrt( * - 1)) + Sgn(( ) -1) * (2 * ArcTan(1)) x x x x x

61

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

ArcCoSec( ) = ArcTan( / Sqrt( * - 1)) + (Sgn( ) - 1) * (2 * ArcTan(1)) x x x x x ArcCoTan( ) = ArcTan( ) + 2 * ArcTan(1) x x HSin( ) = (Exp( ) - E p(- )) / 2 x x x x HCos( ) = (E p( ) + E p(- )) / 2 x x x x x HTan( ) = (E p( ) - E p(- )) / (E p( ) + E p(- )) x x x x x x x x x HSec( ) = 2 / (E p( ) + E p(- )) x x x x x HCoSec( ) = 2 / (E p( ) - E p(- )) x x x x x HCoTan( ) = (E p( ) + E p(- )) / (E p( ) - E p(- )) x x x x x x x x x HArcSin( ) = Log( + Sqrt( * + 1)) x x x x HArcCos( ) = Log( + Sqrt( * - 1)) x x x x HArcTan( ) = Log((1 + ) / (1 - )) / 2 x x x HArcSec( ) = Log((Sqrt(- * + 1) + 1) / ) x x x x HArcCoSec( ) = Log((Sgn( ) * Sqrt( * + 1) +1) / ) x x x x x

ArcCoSec(x) ArcCoTan(x) HSin(x) HCos(x) HTan(x) HSec(x) HCoSec(x) HCoTan(x) HArcSin(x) HArcCos(x) HArcTan(x) HArcSec(x)

Inverse Cosecant Inverse Cotangent Hyperbolic Sine Hyperbolic Cosine Hyperbolic Tangent Hyperbolic Secant Hyperbolic Cosecant Hyperbolic Cotangent Inverse Hyperbolic Sine Inverse Hyperbolic Cosine Inverse Hyperbolic Tangent Inverse Hyperbolic Secant

HArcCoSec(x) Inverse Hyperbolic Cosecant

HArcCoTan(x) Inverse Hyperbolic Cotangent HArcCoTan(x) = Log((x + 1) / (x - 1)) / 2 Logarithm to base N LogN( ) = Log( ) / Log(N) x x

5.4

Naming rules
There are some basic rules for how parameters and objects may be named: 1. Inside the tree view, any combination of Latin characters and numbers is allowed for naming parameters and objects. The parameter name must not be a number, physical unit or reserved word and cannot contain: -, (, ), *, /, ^, &, +. The reserved words are listed in the Config.xls in the worksheet ReservedWords. 2. Parameter mapping names must obey the limitations of Visual Basic (no reserved words, no names starting with numbers) and of the database used by SmartPlant 3D (name length). The used parameter mapping names must be unique. 3. Parameter mapping names must be carefully chosen; they are loaded into the catalogue and will remain there. Please ask the SmartPlant 3D catalogue administrator in your company which parameter names you should use. 4. Variant names must be shorter than 19 characters, no reserved words and no Default or value. The variant names must be unique and cannot be identical to the class name.

62

Appendix

5.5

How to use the GeometryExtractor utility

The GeometryExtractor extracts equipment geometries from MicroStation dgn files and stores them in plain ASCII files which can be read by 3D SymbolDesigner.

1. Select an output file for the RAW geometry data 2. Select the MicroStation file you want to import from 3. Select the graphical primitives you want to export using MicroStations Select tool 4. Click Extract 5. Open the raw file in SymbolDesigner Note GeometryExtractor is still experimental, it will only export EQP primitives done with Intergraph PDS. Geometry, translation and rotation values may differ from the sources value.

63

CAXperts 3D SymbolDesigner Reference Guide

Technical support
Need more help? Contact CAXperts support by email, online, or phone: mailto:[email protected] http://www.caxperts.com/component/option,com_contact

64