Creating Block-Based Multiview Parts with Mass

Elements in AutoCAD MEP

Eric Bogenschutz BSA LifeStructures
Joe Eichenseer- Assistant
Gregg Stanley- Assistant

ME314-1L
With AutoCAD MEP, you can now make block-based multiview (MV) parts with mass elements instead of 3D
solids. Well look at how to take advantage of mass elements to create your model for your MV parts, how to
create a new block-based MV part step by step, and how to transform a part made with 3D solids into a mass
element part for easy manipulation of a specific view. Youll also learn how to add it to your catalog.
Key Topics Covered:
- Use mass elements to create block-based MV parts
- Create a new MV part in a catalog
- Edit an existing MV part in a catalog
- Add connection points to our part
- Make the process of adding additional content into Autodesk Building Systems much more manageable

About the Speaker:

Eric has been a CAD manager at BSA LifeStructures, a large architectural engineering firm in Indianapolis,
Indiana, for the last 5 years. He is an AutoCAD Architecture Certified Expert, and earned his Bachelor of
Science degree in Environmental Design from Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana.
ebogenschutz@bsalifestructures.com

Creating Block-Based Multiview Parts with Mass Elements in AutoCAD MEP

Definitions:
Content Builder- Content Builder is a utility tool that enables you to create custom parts, such as fittings
and equipment, that can be used in your building systems layouts.
Catalog Editor- A tool used to modify the content of the catalogs in some way.
MVBlock- For multi-view block. A type of block that can contain multiple AutoCAD blocks set to display
differently in different views.
MVPart- For multi-view part. An MvPart is a multi-view block with smart connectors. They include parts
such as access doors, coils, fans, filters, and pumps.
Making a New Part:
Before we begin to make our part we need to verify some settings and paths along with adding in a
few pulldown menus that we will need. First of all open your AutoCAD MEP 2008 shortcut. If you are
asked to choose a workspace you can choose HVAC, then OK.
First, go to the window menu, then Pulldowns, and choose CAD Manager.

The path that we need to set is the path to the MV Part Catalog. See the image below for the path
location in the options menu.

This path would normally point to your catalog that would be located on a server so all of the users
could share 1 catalog. If edits or additions were made to the catalog the updates would appear for all
users.

Once the menus and paths are setup, we are ready to start looking at the catalog and adding new
parts to it. To do this see the image below to open the catalog editor.

The catalog editor dialog will open, choose File: Open and go to the datasets location to open the AU
2007 Catalog.

The catalog we will be using has already been created for the class.

How to create our Water Heater MV Part:

We need to go into the content builder to begin to complete the setup of our catalog and then to start to
make our part.

The image to the right is the Content Builder Dialog. We

need to add some chapters to our catalog to place our
new part into. We will create the chapter in the next few
steps.

Before we start to edit the catalog we need to draw our part. For this class we are going to use both 3D
Solids and Mass Elements. You can use either of these types of parts to create your Model View of
your part.
First we are going to draw the following objects with just 2D Linework. Here are the items that you will
need to draw (Draw these items at 0,0,0):
-

2-0 Diameter Circle

(2) 1 Diameter circles that are offset 3 from the center point of the circle

Depending on the amount of detail wanted for your part you can add a control box (5x3)

To convert the linework into Mass Elements pick the line, right click and choose convert to: Mass
Element

Enter the height that would want to make the Water Heater. For the class we will use 60 for the
height.
Repeat this process for each of the other circles and the control box. Make the height for each of the 2
small circles use 1, for the control box choose 3. Your part is now modeled with Mass Elements. We
now need to move the Cold Water: IN and Hot Water: Out Mass Elements to be 60 high in elevation.
The control box should be placed 12 high in elevation.
If you want to create the part with 3D Solids you would use a similar process. The only difference is
that instead of a right click and convert to: you type in EXTRUDE. Use all of the same heights as given
earlier.
Then go to a 3D View on the Views Toolbar. See that it resembles a Water Heater.
We now need to make a block to continue on to the next part of the exercise. Name your block:
24_AU_Water_Heater_Model (the _Model is important).

After the block is created we can go back to the catalog to begin placing this Water Heater in the
Catalog.
As before use the CAD Manager Pulldown and go to>Content Editing>Content Builder.
Make a new chapter, called Water Heaters as a subfolder to Mechanical.
The image below shows the Block Based Part Button, click on this button to bring you to the New Part
Dialog Box. To the lower right is the New Part Dialog. Enter the information shown in the image and
then click OK.

After clicking ok, your computer will start creating the new part drawing file.
You will then be presented with the following dialog box. The type should read Water Heater, choose
the correct layer key by clicking the button and then selecting the layer key that is for Plumbing
Water Heaters. Then click Next.

Since we named our block _Model it populates some of the fields for you. The next item is to click on
the Generate Blocks button to generate all of the other views. This is why we made the part 3D to
begin with so it will generate the other views automatically.

The views (image to the right) dialog will pop up, you can click OK.

Click Next. The next box is the Generate Image/Icon. Then click Next.

The next dialog box is to add in Connectors. You will right click on the category/chapter and choose
add Pipe Connector. We need to make 2 connectors. 1 for Hot water (OUT), 1 for Cold Water
(IN).

Repeat this process to also ADD a

COLD connector.

The next image displays how your dialog should look after adding the 2 connectors. When you right click
on either connector you will get an Edit Placement box to select.

When editing the placement it will bring you into a drawing environment to choose where to place the
connectors (Position) and to assign which direction they point (Normal).

Choose OK. This will take you back to the

Connectors dialog, you can now choose Next.
Then you can click Finish. This is the final step
in making your MV Part.
It will save your part and create all of the
necessary files for the catalog. I.E. XML files
etc.

The final step is to go to the CAD Manager Pulldown and choose Content Editing> Regenerate
Catalog, then choose the MV Part Catalog. Then Repeat the pulldown and choose Test catalog, again
choose to test the MV Part Catalog.
The part is now ready to be brought into a new file. Go to the Tool Palettes>HVAC.

Browse to the correct location in the

add part dialog and choose the AU
Water Heater that we created. Notice
that it will come in on the correct layer
based on the layer key that we chose
when making the part.
If you select the part you can now draw
pipe from the 2 connectors that we
placed, both of the connectors flow was
set to out to allow pipe to be drawn out.
If for another part you wanted to draw a
pipe in space and then connect pipe to
it you could have chosen IN as the
flow direction.
Congratulations on creating a Block
Based MV Part!
If time permits we can go in and
change the view of another part in the
catalog to match the display of your
company standards or to take a part
downloaded from a manufacturer to
insert it into your catalog.

To add a downloaded manufacturer part

Many of the previous steps will be repeated in the process.
1. Download a 3D Part from a selected Manufacturer
2. If available download it in DWG format as a 3D Part.
For time purposes in class I have already included a Manufactured Part in our Dataset. Open
the file named Manufacturer_Pump.dwg
1. We need to repeat the steps of making a block. Name your block,
AU_Manufacturer_Pump_Model
2. Then go to a 3D View.
3. Click on the CAD Manager Pull Down:Content Editing:Content Editor
4. Add a new Chapter called Pumps- Manufacturer
5. Click on the add new block-based part
6. Name your part, AU Manufacturer Pump
7. Choose your Part Type: Pump
8. Choose your Layer Key: M-MV-Pump_BASEMTD, Click NEXT
9. Click the Generate Blocks Button: Then click OK, then NEXT
10. Generate an image, and click Generate, then NEXT
11. Add Connectors (2)
12. Edit the placement of the connectors Position and Normal.
13. Click OK, out of the edit placement mode
14. Click Next
15. Then FINISH
16. Regenerate and Test your Catalog. Your new part will appear.
17. Place your part into a new file.