How are your sprinkler contractors interacting ?

[Sprinklermania]

Howdy y'all.
Came accross your forum here while trying to get some information on this AutoPlant program. A sprinkler contractor that I am trying to sub the design from has a project that is being co-ordinated in Autoplant. I currently design my systems with AutosprinkVR (3D based cutomized for sprinkler design), which is not an AutoCAD based program but can produce dwg export files. I was wondering, on your projets with Autoplant, what your sprinkler contractor works with? (file type etc,) and how the interaction of files takes place.
Thank you very much for any input.
P.S. I have no experience with Autoplant so please keep it simple for me

[Bingo]

I think it is ok if AutosprinkVR can exports 3D model to AutoCAD.Becase it can detect collision in NavisWork(AutoPLNT explorer),and can reference in AutoCAD.

[Sprinklermania]

Thanks for the reply Bingo. So are you typically able to co-ordinate projects with your fire protection contractor by providing them with dwg files and then importing their 3D dwg file into your drawing. Also is producing a dwg file from AutoPlant basically as simple as doing a 'Save as'?
Thank you again this really helps.

[Bingo]

Are you said produce 2D drawings after import 3D dwg files from AutoPLANT?
If the import 3D dwg files are 3d solide model, it is very easy to produce 2D DWG with all files.

[Sprinklermania]

I was asking if it was a simple procedure from the Autoplant user's side to 'Save as' a dwg file to be given to a contractor. I would imagine this would be a 3D autocad drawing at that point. Please confirm
So is what your saying, it would be very normal for the sprinkler contractor/other trades to work with the swap ACAD dwg files when a project is being developed with AutoPlant?
Thanks agin for the help.

[Bundsbaek]

Hi,
AutoPLANT is based on AutoCAD and therefore the model is a "dwg". The AutoPLANT feature is just linking objects to a database with information. So if you supply a dwg made in AutosprinkVR (Never heard about it) they would easily be able to adapt the 3D model. The information linked to the model is however another problem.
Hope it helps.

[Sprinklermania]

Thank you Bundsbaek. It definitly helps to know the dwgs are easily interchanable. However when you say 'the information linked to the model is another problem'. There seems to be a few of these 'Plant design programs' out there. eg. AutoPlant, smartPlant was another name I came accross here and there seems to be more. It would seem impractable for a sprinkler contractor to have all these programs and have their designers trained on them all. Maybe not? Do you happen to know what you're sprinkler contractors have done in the past? Is it posible to import my dwg into your AutoPlant drawing and set the links to objects from there?

Thank you again. Very happy to see you have a good forum and community here!

[Bundsbaek]

1) There seems to be a few of these 'Plant design programs' out there. eg. AutoPlant, smartPlant... .... It would seem impractable for a sprinkler contractor to have all these programs and have their designers trained on them all. Maybe not?

2) Is it posible to import my dwg into your AutoPlant drawing and set the links to objects from there?

1) That could be quite expensive. First you pay for licence then afterwards the training of the designer. I think it's better to choose one program and then be very good at it and just learn how to interchange with other programs if needed.

2) Don't know if it's possible, but I do know that it would be much easier if you start over in eg. AutoPLANT and then just use the centrelines of the previous design. Right now I'm doing that for a customer that have drawn all the pipes and components in ProE and found out that he couldn't make iso's. He has already all needed information so it's just putting the information in a Spec and drawing the pips using his design.

[Sprinklermania]

Thank you Bundsbaek.