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From MEP to 2D CAD


hoss

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Hi,

 

I have nearly finished my first big MEP project, thanks to this forum and members who helped.

Now I have to give the fabrication companies some simple 2D, to get some prices from them.

I was wondering what is the best way to go on about it.

Tried exporing to AutoCAD and picked AutoCAD 2010, but ended up with a file about 80MB, not realy suitable for emailing around.

 

Thanks

Hoss

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Hi,

 

I have nearly finished my first big MEP project, thanks to this forum and members who helped.

Now I have to give the fabrication companies some simple 2D, to get some prices from them.

I was wondering what is the best way to go on about it.

Tried exporing to AutoCAD and picked AutoCAD 2010, but ended up with a file about 80MB, not realy suitable for emailing around.

 

Thanks

Hoss

Did you PURGE? If you Export then it explodes all AEC Entities but sometimes you still have to PURGE the drawings. And 80MB is insane... how big WAS this file? lol

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You did this MEP project using straight AutoCAD 2008 and to top it off you did it all in 3D?

 

:) Just updated my profile, the building, Boilers, Feed Tanks and Blowdown Vessel was drawn in CAD 2012 and imported into MEP 2011 as Xrefs

All the pipes and ducts and cable trays were drawn in MEP 2011. I had to download some of the parts (i.e Valves.....) and convert to mvparts, which increased the file size alot

The MEP file is about 40MB and when I export to CAD it comes to about 80MB :(

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You'll need to practice some good PURGE procedures. And a huge downfall of using downloadable CAD files is usually a severe increase in filesize so until you correct that wrong, you'll probably have to live with it.

 

Make a copy of the file for testing purposes, explode all XREF's that were bound and PURGE. Then use the command live -PURGE to get rid of regen apps. See what that lands you.

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And a huge downfall of using downloadable CAD files is usually a severe increase in filesize so until you correct that wrong, you'll probably have to live with it.

I don't get it, what is the difference between a part that I download from a manufacturer’s website, to one that I have to spend hours, redrawing?

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Hours?!? What kind of equipment is this?? It's never taken me "hours" to draw some equipment up.

 

The difference can be lots of things. The only way to trust that it's done right is to build it yourself. Sometimes manufacturers have their items made in specialty programs that are exported to DWG, etc, and can bring a lot of junk with it. Sometimes they're cleaner and better than anything I would have made. It just all depends.

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Sometimes manufacturers have their items made in specialty programs that are exported to DWG, etc, and can bring a lot of junk with it.

I get your point, this explaine why some of them are big files

Thanks for your help

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