PiCri is available now. The plugin adds the piping design tools to AutoCAD Plant 3D that are missing wherever a drawn line has to become a sound design. It starts exactly where the standard feature set ends and where day-to-day work would otherwise call for manual effort or workarounds.
The functions grew out of daily work, not out of a feature list. They cover four areas: building and modifying lines, checking what is actually in the model, numbering and documenting, and managing licences. This article gives an overview of those areas and of how you can get started with PiCri.
Building and modifying lines
Routes can be routed automatically instead of being placed segment by segment. That speeds up the build noticeably, especially for longer or branched lines. If the route changes later, connections can be rebuilt instead of being reworked laboriously by hand, and the clip box cuts out the area you are currently working on so that you keep your bearings in a complex model. External references can be controlled selectively, so that only what matters for the task at hand is visible.
In addition, PiCri brings tools for cable tray design, so that this area can be handled in the same environment. Your work stays in one place instead of switching between different tools.
Checking what is in the model
Drawing a model is one thing, recognising what is in it is another. PiCri detects the high and low points of a line and finds pipe pockets, that is, places where medium collects. Points like these matter for the design but are not visible in the model at first glance. Colours can be assigned by criteria so that what otherwise only sits in the properties becomes visible in the model, and geometries can be aligned with one another. The model is therefore not only drawn, it also becomes verifiable.
Numbering and documenting
Line numbers are assigned and kept in an overview, so that it is always traceable which number belongs to what. Weights can be adjusted, and data can be loaded through a mapping import so that existing lists do not have to be typed in again. The import in particular saves time and avoids transfer errors, because existing data is taken over directly instead of being entered by hand.
Managing licences
PiCri comes with its own licence manager, for single licences as well as for customer licences covering several workstations. Administration therefore sits with you and not with us. That is especially practical for companies looking after several workstations who want to keep allocation in their own hands without having to ask us about every change.
How to get started
The PiCri knowledge base is ready and describes every command with an example, so that the tools can be picked up step by step. A trial licence is available on request, so that you can try PiCri out at your own pace before committing.
If you would like to know whether PiCri fits your projects, we will show it to you on your own data rather than on a prepared example. That way you see straight away how the tools behave in your specific model and can judge the benefit for your work realistically.
