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Mechanical Tutorial
April 2008
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v
Exercise 5: Tagging Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
vi | Contents
Starting An HVAC
Drawing 1
In this tutorial, you learn how to create part of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
(HVAC) system for a research laboratory. In the process, you learn the primary concepts of
how to use AutoCAD® MEP 2009 to draw HVAC systems and produce construction documents.
In this lesson, you learn how to use project tools to start a drawing. You also learn how to
use AutoCAD MEP features to evaluate a floor plan for heating and cooling loads.
You must extract the project files in order to complete any part of this tutorial.
If you edit any of the project files, you can extract the files again to reset the
1
project to its original state. You can search My
Documents\Autodesk\MyProjects to see if the Research Laboratory dataset
has already been extracted.
NOTE This tutorial references Windows XP file paths. If you are running Windows
Vista, they may be different.
This tutorial requires that the Global content pack be installed as part of the
AutoCAD MEP installation for your workstation. The Global content pack is
made up of metric content, metric templates, and an AutoCAD MEP (Global)
user profile.
While you may be accustomed to using imperial units in your day-to-day
work, the lessons in this tutorial cover all of the same tasks necessary for you
to complete designs and create construction documents using either metric
or imperial units.
In order to complete the tutorial, you must have your current profile set to
AutoCAD MEP (Global). To check the profile setting, in AutoCAD MEP click
If AutoCAD MEP (Global) is not the current profile, select it from the list and
click Set Current. If AutoCAD MEP (Global) is not listed as a choice in the
Options dialog, this means that the Global content pack was not installed
when AutoCAD MEP was installed on your workstation.
To add the Global content pack to your AutoCAD MEP installation at any
time, rerun the installer, and select the Add or Remove Features option. To
rerun the installer, open the Add or Remove Programs dialog in the Control
Panel, and click Change/Remove. For more information, refer to the online
AutoCAD MEP installation guides.
If you installed a shortcut for the Global profile, double-click the shortcut to
launch AutoCAD MEP with the Global profile set as current.
.
4 In the Add Project dialog:
■ For Project Number, enter 1.
5 Click OK.
In the Project Browser, the new project is highlighted to indicate
that it is the current project. The right pane contains an HTML
6 Click Close.
The Project Browser is closed, but the project is still active until
you change to another project. When you start AutoCAD MEP,
the current project is the last one specified before the software
was closed.
In the Project Navigator, the Project tab displays general information about
the project.
You assign construct drawings to floors, and then use those floor
assignments when creating view drawings.
10 Click OK.
In this exercise, you learned how to create a project and use Project Navigator
to specify floor levels. You also created a new construct category.
5 Click Cancel.
Create a new construct drawing
12 Click OK.
The new construct drawing is added to the HVAC category under
Constructs. When you create a new construct drawing, it is not
automatically opened in the software. You can open a new
drawing from Project Navigator by double-clicking the drawing
name.
In this exercise, you learned how to use a template to create a new construct
drawing.
7 Click Cancel.
Next, you view system definitions. These settings control the
appearance and function of parts in a system.
14 Click Cancel.
Next, you view settings duct preferences.
20 Click Cancel.
In this exercise, you viewed important configuration settings for ducts. You
viewed system definitions, which control how the ducts display and function,
and you viewed duct preferences, which control how ducts behave as you
draw them.
When you add an xref drawing, you can attach it or overlay it.
For construct drawings, overlays are recommended. If you attach
a drawing as an xref, you add all of the reference drawing data to
the current drawing. An overlay does not add its drawing data to
the current drawing, which can help minimize file sizes. For view
drawings, however, it is recommended that you attach xrefs if
you want the reference drawing geometry to display on the sheet.
It is recommended that you use 0,0,0 for the XYZ insertion
coordinates. As you develop construct drawings based on this
floor plan, you can xref them into views and other constructs by
In later lessons, you add duct systems to the west side of the building. Next,
you clip the reference drawing to display only the west side in the drawing,
making it easier to work on this specific portion of the building.
Clip the reference drawing
6 To select the floor plan, place the cursor over any linework, and
click.
The floor plan is selected.
9 On the application status bar, click MEP Design, and select MEP
Basic 2-Line.
TIP MEP Basic 2-Line is a good display configuration to use for fast
layout. Hidden lines are not used, so drawing performance is
enhanced. For views and sheets, however, you may want to use other
display configurations that use hidden lines or display only certain
systems as non-screened.
15 In the Edit Property Set Data dialog, click Add Property Sets
.
16 In the Add Property Sets dialog, verify that SpaceEngineeringStyles
is selected, and click OK.
18 Click OK.
Specify a classification based on a mechanical standard
22 Click OK.
Create another style for laboratory support rooms
7 Using the same method, add spaces to the following rooms; use
the Laboratory Support style for all spaces.
■ Lab Support 221, 222
8 Press Enter.
Add names to the spaces
22 Press Esc.
23 Using the same method, review the settings for the lab support
space.
24 Click File menu ➤ Close, and click No when prompted to save
the drawing.
In this exercise, you learned how to generate spaces. You also viewed the
engineering data for the spaces, which was calculated using the room area,
space classification, and loads defined in the space style. Next, you add zones,
and attach spaces to zones.
19 Using the same method, attach the remaining spaces to the Lab
Support Zone.
NOTE You can also open the Space/Zone Manager from the Design
tab on the Properties palette.
23 Click OK.
24 Click File menu ➤ Close, and click No when prompted to save
the drawing.
In this exercise, you learned how to add zone markers and attach spaces to
zones. Next, you export the zone and space data using gbXML.
■ For ZIP Code, enter 5-digit postal ZIP code. Some analysis
packages use a ZIP code for specifying psychrometric data.
3 Click Start.
4 When the export is complete, click Close.
NOTE The export file and the import file with the calculation results
must have the same filename, since the filename is referenced in the
gbxml file.
NOTE Note that the calculated zone data is not optimal. For training
purposes, you only analyzed only a portion of the building.
You can use tags to show calculated airflow values on spaces. You
can also use schedules to show calculation results in a table. For
more information, see “Using Space and Zone Calculated Data”
in the AutoCAD MEP online help.
For reference, a completed drawing named Completed_Spaces is
included in the project datasets in the Constructs\HVAC\Lesson
2 directory.
35
In the drawing, the floor plan is referenced, and portions of 2
main supply ducts are also referenced. The oval duct is part of a
medium pressure system that supplies a mixture of outside air
and return air. The round duct is part of a medium pressure system
that supplies 100% outside air to the laboratories.
2 Pan and zoom so that Lab Support 221 is centered in the drawing
area.
TIP An efficient way to navigate the drawing area is to use the scroll
wheel on the mouse. Turn the wheel to zoom in or out, hold down
the wheel and drag to pan, or double-click the wheel to zoom extents.
You can use these features even if a command is active. For more
information, see “Pointing Device Buttons” in the online AutoCAD
help.
TIP To minimize the dialog while the command is active, click the
NOTE If you are running Windows Vista, the pushpin is not available.
15 With the Add MvPart command still active, specify the insertion
point for the second diffuser in the location shown.
Next, you modify the flow for the Common Space diffusers.
35 With the command still active, add another VAV box to Common
Space 224 in the approximate location shown.
4 Click OK.
8 Verify that Duct Curve and Duct Connector are selected, and click
OK.
13 In the drawing area, move the cursor over the 1-line takeoff on
the vertical supply duct as shown.
A duct end connector snap displays.
14 Click to start the duct run, and click to specify the next point in
the location shown below. You do not need to match the
16 Before specifying the next point, move the cursor over the VAV
box to display the duct end connector snap. Move the cursor
horizontally away from the VAV box, and note the tracking line.
17 Specify the last point on the duct end connector snap of the VAV
box as shown.
20 Click the snap, and draw a right-angle run to the other 1-line duct
as shown. Click the duct curve connector snap.
You hide the floor plan so that you can preview routing solutions in 3D.
24 Select any part of the floor plan, right-click, and click Isolate
Objects ➤ Hide Objects.
25 On the Duct tool palette, click the 1-Line tool.
26 In the Add Ducts dialog:
■ For System, select Supply - Low Pressure.
27 Select the end snap on the VAV box outlet, and use tracking to
align the end of the duct with the diffuser as shown.
29 Click to specify the last point on the end snap of the diffuser.
Flexible duct is inserted from the point before the diffuser to the
end snap of the diffuser.
32 On the Duct tool palette, click the 1-Line tool. Verify that System
is Supply - Low Pressure, and elevation is 3150 mm.
33 Move the cursor over the approximate location on the duct as
shown, and click the curve snap.
Check connectivity
1 Select the duct connected to the main supply duct.
Prior to calculating duct sizes, check connectivity to ensure all
ducts and equipment are connected. If parts are not connected,
they are not considered when calculating sizes.
3 Press Enter.
4 Select the same duct again, right-click, and click Calculate Duct
System Sizes.
10 Select the transition just before the elbow in the location shown
below, click its top location grip, and move it straight up to just
below the takeoff as shown.
13 Select the VAV box in Common Space 223, and move it straight
up as shown.
15 Pan and zoom to Common Space 224, and select the duct shown.
20 Using the same method, resize all runouts to match diffuser neck
diameter. All diffuser necks are 250 mm except for the diffuser in
Lab Support 222, which is 200 mm.
7 Select the VAV box, and click the Add Duct grip on the outlet.
14 In the drawing area, pan and zoom to the end of the duct.
15 Click the duct end connector snap to place the endcap, and press
Enter twice.
16 Pan so that you can see the VAV box and the main supply duct.
17 Select the VAV box, and click the Add Duct grip on the inlet end.
18 In the Add Duct dialog, verify that System is Supply - Medium
Pressure, and Diameter is 300 mm.
20 After you specify a point inside Lab Support 227 as shown, move
the cursor to the supply duct, and click the end snap.
Add a grille
1 Open the Equipment tool palette, and click the Air Terminal -
Grille tool.
2 In the Add Multi-view Parts dialog, select Sidewall Grilles.
3 For Part Size Name, select 300 x 100 mm Sidewall Grille.
4 For elevation, enter 3150 mm.
6 In the drawing area, click to place the grille just below the duct
as shown.
9 Click the curve snap to connect the grille to the duct branch. Press
Enter to end the command.
12 Select the takeoff, the grille, and the duct between them.
13 Right-click, and click Basic Modify Tools ➤ Array.
14 In the Array dialog, specify the settings as shown, and click
Preview.
16 To check connectivity between the new grilles and the duct, select
the duct, right-click, and click Connected Objects ➤ Show
Connected Run.
The arrayed grilles are connected.
17 Press Enter.
18 Click File menu ➤ Close, and click No when prompted to save
the drawing.
In this exercise, you added grilles to the duct. You used the array command
to add multiple instances of the same grille. Next, you add transitions to the
branch duct.
10 Using the same method, add another break just beyond the eighth
grille, and resize the duct using the instant duct size calculator.
11 Pan and zoom to the duct between the main supply duct and the
VAV box.
6 Press Enter.
8 With the command still active, pan and zoom to the Lab zone.
9 Add labels to the ducts as shown, and then press Enter to end the
command.
■ Click OK.
14 In the drawing area, pan and zoom to the first grille on the right.
17 Use the array command to add arrows to the rest of the grilles.
Use the same settings you used in Exercise 2 for the grilles.
Next, change the tag tool properties to a tag style that only displays a tag ID
and airflow value.
6 Open the Tag and Schedule tool palette.
7 Right-click the Tutorial Air Terminal tool, and click Properties.
8 In the Tool Properties dialog, under Tag, for Tag name, select
Aecb_Mechanical_Air_Terminal_Device_III_Tag.
9 Click OK.
22 Click OK.
23 On the Tag and Schedule tool palette, right-click the Tutorial Air
Terminal tool and click Delete.
Prepare construct for view drawings
enabled .