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MP114-1 Discover how to fully utilize the power of AutoCAD MEP 2010 Software. This class will take you from a
blank drawing file to a finished contract drawing with clear understandable step-by-step procedures. This class will
also give you a sound understanding of the basic rules and concepts that drive MEP software, a must for beginning
users of MEP and a plus for the more advanced users as well.
Today’s Class
• Where’s My Short Cuts?
The 3d Holy Grail
• What are we searching for exactly?
What is AutoCAD MEP all about?
• Multi Discipline Software
• Kiss
MEP Beginner Basics
• Kiss
• Connected Systems
• The Beginners Guidelines for Plumbing and Piping
• Routing Preferences and System Definitions
• Properties Dialog Box
• Routing Pipe in any direction using the Compass
• Mechanical Joint Piping 2010
• MEP 2010 and Civil 3d 2010 are Talking to each other
Today’s class will concentrate specifically on addressing the challenges that beginners face
when they first start to learn MEP software.
Once the beginner has acquired some of the basic concepts of MEP software, like “Where does
this 3d catalog content stuff really come from?”, or “What do pipe system definitions do
exactly?”, then that person is not a beginner anymore and is ready to learn some tips and tricks
on how to pick up productivity.
But until these basic fundamentals of the program are fully understood, learning tips and tricks
might not help the beginner out and actually might hinder their progression in further
understanding the software.
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
The below is an attempt to convey the concept of 100% centralization of data. Whereby all information,
data, drawings, materials, etc, etc… That is required for any engineering project can be traced back to one
centralized location.
4d = Time
Schedules
Sequencing
Lead Times
Staging Areas
Shipping 5d = Cost
BIM
Quantity
Centralization of Data Take-Offs
Cost
Estimates
Clash
Detection
The 3d Model
Mechanical
Civil
Structural
• Communication Between all Disciplines Architectural
o Contract Drawings HVAC
Electrical
o Presentation Images Instrumentation
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
-KISS: It’s easy to make a difficult task into the gorilla that ate your lunch. It’s harder to make something that’s challenging
into something that’s simple and easy to understand. MEP is difficult to learn because right from the start you are activating
and drawing data from several different sources at the same time. In order for plumbing or piping to work the definitions must
be functioning, the routing or line styles must also be fully operational and correctly reading from the catalog content, the
display manager as well as the cut planes and display configurations need to be correct as well. To help me out in getting you
off the ground with MEP I’ve labeled the primary aspects of MEP that you will encounter as soon as you start to work with
plumbing or piping. Reviewing these guidelines brings into play every item that you will need to operate MEP.
Create Connected Systems from
the Start:
By following the guidelines for
beginners below you will have the
ability to create a connected system.
Q: What does this offer you? The
short answer…. Almost
everything
.
Advanced Editing Capabilities: if you
need to adjust the position of a pipe,
the entire system adjusts accordingly,
if you change the size, connection
style or system that change is made
throughout all of the connected items.
Having a connected system will also
let you apply the many other features
of MEP like; plumbing sizing tables,
pipe and fitting schedules, etc, etc...
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
1) Always start from the correct template file, never from an old drawing file
In order for MEP objects to act like they should, they need the supporting data that is found in the Style
Manager and Display Manager. You can open up a 2d or an older AutoCAD drawing file using MEP, but if you
do… understand that it will have none of the support data found in the Style Manager and Display Manager.
Look for the MEP Object 2) Always start piping and plumbing from placed equipment
When you are beginning to use MEP it is very easy to miss one of
the many dialog box items that you need to operate for plumbing
and piping. However since MEP is an object oriented software if you
always start piping or plumbing from placed objects “equipment” to
placed equipment, you will maintain a connected system and that’s
where the time saving attributes of MEP are.
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
From purely a beginners technical perspective when it comes to trouble shooting, having the compass enabled will
automatically eliminate one of the first mistakes that people make. This is to unwhitingly attempt to force pipe fittings
based on angles that are not supported by the catalog content.
For example, instead of having 150 Ductile Iron Elbows being properly inserted into your pipe line, you might get a
bunch of generic elbows populating your ductile iron piping layout all over the place.
What happened? The short answer is that one or more of the values that control those specific fittings could not be
applied to the routing that you attempted to do. If you did not have the compass enabled you night have mistakenly
attempted to put a 42 degree elbow in a piping layout instead of a 45 degree elbow, because Ductile Iron Elbows do not
contain 42 degree elbows MEP will give you the option to instead insert a generic elbow instead.
From a personal learning view, always having the compass constantly enabled helps the beginner to develop a
better understanding of where MEP is drawing the information from. A solid understanding of the functions of MEP will
be required to perform the higher tasks in MEP, like producing parametric parts or developing template files and
template projects.
Acquiring a substantial knowledge base as soon as possible improves your ability to perform more technically
advanced tasks but also helps out in the day to day tasks of tweaking MEP to suite specific design requirements and
assists in basic trouble shooting.
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
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AutoCAD MEP 2010 - All About the Basics Piping and Plumbing
Step 3
Why does this work? And what exactly did I just do?
When you open up a Civil 3d 2010 drawing file with MEP 2010 you are able to see and customize the
Display Configuration – “Standard”. But… the only way you can see and customize this Display
Configuration- “Standard” that Civil 3d 2010 recognizes is with MEP 2010
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