Help in choosing a software for piping in 3D

Hello

after year of struggling with autocad as a 3D software and the slow performance issue i came to a conclusion that its impossible to create normal work flow when working in 3D (and im talking about a box or a pyramid) . i have the best i thought it will change the speed bu the real thing is that it doesn't matter , autocad is not a 3D software and will never be..

 

So now im looking for another software capable of dealing with 3D geometry for piping and accessories , in high speed. any recommendations?

 

Thanks

Are you sure your problems aren't hardware related?

 

Piping and accessories. Pretty vague. What type of piping are we talking about? Are you designed sanitary sewer systems? Water distribution systems? Plumbing for a house? Industrial piping such as one might encounter in a petro-chem plant? Cooling water systems for large office buildings? See what I mean? Be as specific as you can. The more detail you provide the better.

Water treatment facilities for agriculture and drinking .

And what type of "accessories" are we talking?

 

What are your current system specifications? No use making a recommendation if your hardware setup is lacking. Be thorough.

I quick and dirty breakdown

 

AutoCAD Plant 3D - if we're talking big stuff.

 

AutoCAD Civil 3D - if you're mostly underground

 

AutoCAD MEP - if you are mostly indoor

 

Inventor and Revit could also do it, depends.

 

Bascially, anything is better than plain ol' AutoCAD

I quick and dirty breakdown

 

AutoCAD Plant 3D - if we're talking big stuff.

 

AutoCAD Civil 3D - if you're mostly underground

 

AutoCAD MEP - if you are mostly indoor

 

Inventor and Revit could also do it, depends.

 

Bascially, anything is better than plain ol' AutoCAD

 

tried MEP and Plant , same engine of autocad , impossible to finish projects in a normal time , including the creation of drawing that takes forever .

If drawing creation takes forever, using Plant 3D or MEP, as you say then it is either a hardware problem or your CAD techs weren't trained very well.

 

Maybe what you need is a suite of products and not just one program. For example Civil 3D, Navisworks Manage and AutoCAD MEP. Or Revit, Navisworks Manage and Civil 3D. Have you talked to an AutoDesk dealer and asked him/her to access your company's situation or do an analysis?

 

Have you considered perhaps using Bentley's AutoCAD add-on called AutoPLANT?

Edited February 18, 2014 by ReMark

I agree that some of the issues with 3D that plagues AutoCAD are the same in MEP and Plant - but not to the point where projects are impossible to do. I work in Civil 3D which is also based on AutoCAD, but it is greatly improved - if you know what you are doing.

 

I am more on ReMarks line here, hardware issue or more training and or structure in the projects.

 

Revit and Inventor are not based on AutoCAD, and for that matter SolidWorks or ProE or CATIA (perhaps I should add a disclaimer that I am now in fact in the reselling business of Autodesk products) are not either - find a reseller and ask for a demo.

does Navisworks capable of creating the drawings?

danielk: For the last time, what are your hardware specs? You don't buy software without knowing whether or not your computer meets the minimum system requirements for running it. And on big projects most of the time the "minimum" specs aren't going to cut it.

does Navisworks capable of creating the drawings?

 

I don't think so, but there is a free trial on Autodesks site so you can check it out.

Navisworks is touted as being project review software. You can view a 5 minute demo video here...http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-navisworks-family/overview

does Navisworks capable of creating the drawings?

Nope, Navisworks does not "author" 3D modeling, it only "handles" models for project coordination and review.

 

It sounds like you're "done" with AutoCAD. I don't blame you. Try Revit MEP instead, or maybe even a Bentley product? One tip about using Revit in a trial mode: once your 30 days is up, only Saving and Printing are disabled. You still have full use of the program, minus any outputs or saving, so you can definitely get a feel for it for a lot longer.

 

I'm not sure about Bentley's trial procedures. But they have some pretty slick specific 3D modeling applications too.

danielk: For the last time, what are your hardware specs? You don't buy software without knowing whether or not your computer meets the minimum system requirements for running it. And on big projects most of the time the "minimum" specs aren't going to cut it.

 

after upgrading to even a stronger PC then i had . now i own a machine with QUADRO K4000 ,16gb RAM , i7 3770 , anyhthing on this machine work like a charm except autocad in 3D

I Thought people here will recommend me on a product from their experience and i only see reactions justifying autocad speed, although in reality is real(only in 3D) slow with ton of clashes

Does Bentley have a stand alone version of plant v8? or its working as an add on?

 

Thanks

 

Thanks

AutoPlant is based on AutoCAD. AutoPIPE is a stand-alone product. The only experience I have with AutoPIPE is a coworker a few years back that loved it. But I was never really involved in what he did.

 

My experience is with AutoCAD Civil 3D and I don't have the ton of clashes that you experience. What do you want me to say more than that?

 

TzFrampton uses Revit MEP and seems to like it based on previous posts.

 

The only way you will know if a program fits with you and with what you do is to download a trial and test it yourself. All of Autodesks products have 30-day trials. I don't use Bentleys so can't give you anything there. I assume there are Bentley-forums out there that will tell you more about their products.

I apologize if asking for further details is causing you any inconvenience but I like to get ALL the facts beforehand.

 

BTW...my system specs are far less than yours yet I can work with complex 3D drawings (pumps, piping, structural elements, etc.) in the 12-32MB range using plain AutoCAD with no problems. So, in my estimation, if your system can't do the same then there is something else at play here. Do you want to solve the problem or not? I'd like to feel as though I'm not wasting my time here trying to help.

 

Other software options....

 

AVICAD...http://www.avicad.com/

 

Bentley...http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/Plant+Design+and+Engineering/

 

Cadmatic...http://www.cadmatic.com/en/products/cadmatic_plant_design.html

 

CADWORX...http://www.coade.com/products/cadworx-plant

 

MPDS4 Plant Design...http://www.cad-schroer.com/products/mpds4/plant-design.html

after upgrading to even a stronger PC then i had . now i own a machine with QUADRO K4000 ,16gb RAM , i7 3770 , anyhthing on this machine work like a charm except autocad in 3D....

What's the hard drive? High-end SSD is probably the most significant performance upgrade you can do to a computer nowadays. Just throwing it out there as an additional comment is all.

i need recommendations on other software for piping from people who work daily on task of large assemblies .

other advices i don't need

 

Thanks Again

"...other advices i don't need"

 

Well I guess you just put us in our place. You're entirely welcomed. I hope you find what you are looking for.

i need recommendations on other software for piping from people who work daily on task of large assemblies .

other advices i don't need

 

Thanks Again

I can certainly vouch for Revit, but it's geared more for the AEC industry. My line of work is facilities engineering, and we do a lot of piping. WWTP (Waste water treatment plants) and things to that nature I've done plenty of. The only thing Revit lacks is a lot of "out of the box" content. The platform itself is so efficient... creating a project and getting sheets set up is absolutely ridiculous easy once you grasp it. Modeling is a breeze as well, since Revit is very intuitive. It's so easy it's scary sometimes.... you think "Wow that was too easy" a lot.

 

But, the biggest gripe, is content. You have to build it up yourself, from scratch.