MEP modeling

Commands

BIMAPPLYPROFILE, BIMLINEARSOLID, BIMFLOWCONNECT, DRAG, BIMSTRETCH

About BIMFLOWCONNECT

It's also possible to connect different segments using the BIMFLOWCONNECT command.


For more information about this command, visit the Command Reference article BIMFLOWCONNECT.

Connecting different segments to each other

Select the segments you want to connect and launch the BIMFLOWCONNECT command.

When the Hot Key Assistant is switched on (HKA on the status bar), the following widget appears on the screen press the CTRL-key to cycle through the different options.




End the command by pressing Enter, the segments are now connected.

Procedure: altering the position of segments

Before starting with the procedures: enable the selection of sides and ends:


Click the icon on the Selection Modes toolbar or set the DISPLAYSIDESANDENDS system variable ON.

DRAG

The DRAG command makes it possible to alter a segment of a drawn profile without losing its connection to the other segments.


For more information about this command, visit the Command Reference article DRAG.
  1. Hover over a segment, select a face perpendicular to the section of the profile.


  2. Launch the DRAG command.
  3. Choose a new position for the segment or use the dynamic dimension field to enter a value for the displacement.
    Note: The software automatically regenerates the connection between the segments.


Manipulator
  1. Hover over a segment, select a face perpendicular to the section of the profile.
  2. Select Manipulate.


  3. Choose a new position for the segment or use the dynamic dimension field to enter a value for the rotation.


  4. Click on the new position or enter the rotation angle and hit enter.


Procedure: using the MEP modeling tools to draw and connect profiles

  1. Open the drawing that contains the MEP model. You can download this MEP.zip-file containing the drawings at the end of this article.


  2. Open the BIM Profiles panel on the right-hand side of your screen (see Dockable Panels).
    Filter on HVAC and select the Rectangular 12"x 8" profile, drag it to the model space.


  3. Define the starting point of the profile.
    Snap to the geometric center of the yellow rectangle.


  4. Turn Ortho on and define the next points of the profiles by using the dynamic dimension field.

    Quarter turns the profile by entering Q in the Command line.

    Go up 3.5, go 3.5 to the left and go 21 horizontally.


    Note: If you had chosen to draw with a non-HVAC profile, you will not get the automatic classification as Flow Segment. You can manually classify the profiles through the BIMCLASSIFY command as Building Service Elements - Flow Segments.
  5. Connect the other rectangular ducts on the side to the one we have just created.
    Select the ducts together with the main duct and launch the BIMFLOWCONNECT command. Your connection should look like the image below.


  6. Create a duct from the flow terminal.

    Launch the BIMLINEARSOLID command and select the flow connection point.

    This connection point contains profile information, so the software automatically creates the predefined circular duct. Give the duct a length of 1.


  7. Connect the ducts from the flow terminal to the rectangular main duct.
    Select the main duct and the duct from the flow terminal and launch the BIMFLOWCONNECT command.


  8. Connect all the other flow terminals to the rectangular duct at once.
    Select the other flow terminals and the rectangular duct and launch the BIMFLOWCONNECT command.


  9. BricsCAD uses the information from the flow connection point to determine the type of duct used to connect with the main duct.
    Note: The flow terminal on the back is connected to the back of the rectangular duct.


Procedure: Using the MEP Modeling tools to alter profiles

  1. Type XRef in the Command line and check the load box next to the structural model to load the structural drawing.


  2. Use SLICE command and Multislice option to divide the rectangular duct.

    Enter 3 in the dynamic dimensions field and press Enter to end the command.

  3. Alter the positioning of the rectangular duct, so it doesn't interfere with the structural model.
    Select the upper face of the duct and launch the DRAG command.
    Note: BricsCAD preserves the connections with the circular ducts. You can change this by pressing the CTRL-key if you want to disconnect the ducts.


    Move the duct down by 0.23.

  4. The structural model no longer interferes with the MEP Model, while the connections between the ducts of the flow terminals and the main rectangular duct were preserved.


Procedure: using Bimstretch to modify flow segments

  1. Open a New drawing.
  2. Open the BIM Profiles panel by clicking on it on the right-hand side of your screen.
    Note: If the BIM Profile panel icon isn’t visible yet, right-click on the ribbon and check Profiles in the context menu under.
  3. Filter on the HVAC standard. These profiles will be automatically classified as flow segments once they are dragged into the model space.
  4. Search for the profile HVAC Rectangular Duct 10''x10'' in the Profiles panel and drag the profile in the model space.
  5. Select a starting point and draw a profile. Press Enter to stop drawing with this profile. Your model should look like this:


  6. Search for the profile HVAC Round Duct 8'' in the Profiles Panel and drag the profile in the model space.
  7. Click on the end of the Rectangular profile, after hovering on its profile face.
    Note: To easily snap on the end of the rectangular profile, turn on the Display Axes setting or set the DISPLAYAXES system variable to 1.
  8. Make sure to draw the circular profile along the same axis as the rectangular one. After accepting the last point of the circular profile, it will be connected to the rectangular profile through an automatically generated reducer.


    Note: If you had chosen to draw with a non-HVAC profile, you will not get the automatic classification as Flow Segment and the connection will not be made immediately. You can still manually classify the profiles through the BIMCLASSIFY command and then use BIMFLOWCONNECT to connect the two through a reducer.
    Note: Make sure the Display Sides and Ends and Display Axes is enabled.
  9. Select the connecting ends of both segments.


  10. Launch the BimStretch tool.
  11. Hover your cursor to one of the sides and click on the desired location. BricsCAD automatically stretches the 2 Flow Segments in their new position and adds an extra curved Flow Fitting in the middle.


MEP example file.zip