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Ductwork in 3D

This tutorial teaches you how to use some of the 3D functions for ductwork.

Open drawing M-1.0.

View Ductwork in 3D​

  1. Run the Draw 3D Ductwork (Branch) command.
    Ribbon: DM HVAC→3D-BIM→ Draw 3D Ductwork (Branch) icon Draw 3D Ductwork (Branch)
    Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC→3D-BIM→Draw 3D Ductwork (Branch)

  2. Select a duct on the drawing. The 3D ductwork will be drawn.

  3. Run the AutoCAD 2 Viewport command.
    Ribbon: View→Model Viewports→Two: Vertical / Two: Horizontal
    Pulldown Menu: View→Viewports→2 ViewPorts

  4. Run the AutoCAD SW Isometric command.
    Ribbon: View→Named Views→SW Isometric
    Pulldown Menu: View→3D Views→SW Isometric

  5. (Optional) Run the Turn Duct Centerlines Off command to temporarily hide the duct centerlines.
    Ribbon: DM HVAC→Layers→ Turn Duct Centerlines Off icon Turn Duct Centerlines Off
    Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC→Layer Management→Turn Duct Centerlines Off

  6. (Optional) Run the Turn 3D Layers On (and Double Line Layers Off) command to temporarily hide double lines.
    Ribbon: DM HVAC→Layers→ Turn 3D Layers On (and Double Line Layers Off) icon Turn 3D Layers On (and Double Line Layers Off)
    Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC→Layer Management→Turn 3D Layers On (and Double Line Layers Off)

View 3d ductwork

Export Ductwork for Collision Detection​

  1. Run the Export Drawing to DWG File command. The Select filename to export 3D blocks to dialog box will open.
    Ribbon: DM HVAC→3D-BIM→ Export HVAC Drawing to DWG File icon Export HVAC Drawing to DWG File
    Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC→3D-BIM→Export Drawing to DWG File

  2. Press the button.

The ductwork will be exported to a DWG file that can be opened in AutoCAD or used in Navisworks for 3D collision detection.

Export 3d ductwork

note

You can also use the Export Drawing to IFC File command to export the ductwork to an IFC file usable in Revit.

Offset the Origin for 3D Export​

The alignment point acts as the origin when you export 3D ductwork, which can cause problems for some projects.

You can use the Offset Alignment Point for 3D Export command to specify a more suitable origin for the export.
Ribbon: DM HVAC→Alignment Points→ Offset Alignment Point for 3D Export icon Offset Alignment Point for 3D Export
Pulldown Menu: DM HVAC→Alignment Points→Offset Alignment Point for 3D Export