Offset Irrigation Pipe

[ericjhberg]

 

When pipes are created, they cannot be offset by conventional methods. I understand that this request is more complex considering the network character of irrigation pipes, but for graphic clarity on irrigation plans, this is often a must! Sometimes there is a need to convey that several pipes are running along side each other. The cleanest way of doing this is by an offset.

 

To get around this, we have started by creating our pipes using polylines, and offsetting as necessary before Create Objects from Shapes... into pipes (see this post for my separate issue with this command). This works fine until we have to add another pipe or change something and the original functionality is lost.

[ericjhberg]

It seems getting irrigation questions answered or viewed on the forum is a difficult endeavor?

[Kevin McAllister]

@JimWis there an industry specialist for Landscape Design on these forums? I've seen them for various other disciplines but I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone from that particular industry category. It is one of the three industry packages offered by VW and I've seen a lot of forum discussion about it recently.....

 

Kevin

 

[Pat Stanford]

@Eric Gilbey, RLA ASLA Is a Landscape Industry Specialist at VW. I don't think he is the only one.

[PVA - Admin]

Eric is the primary one at the moment, @BNicholsonjoined more recently as we started expanding.

[BNicholson]

8 hours ago, JimW said:

Eric is the primary one at the moment, @BNicholsonjoined more recently as we started expanding.

Yes I recently joined Vectorworks as a landscape industry specialist.  While I don't have a lot of experience designing irrigation systems, I know that irrigation pipes are often laid in the same trench and often need to be represented graphically by tighter parallel lines, @Bryan G. provided input into the development of the irrigation tools and uses the tools in his workflow and might be able to comment further.

[ericjhberg]

21 minutes ago, BNicholson said:

I know that irrigation pipes are often laid in the same trench and often need to be represented graphically by tighter parallel lines

 

Exactly, thanks @BNicholson. Additionally, simple offsets of lines helps create graphic clarity. 

 

When using the irrigation pipe tool, our workflow has been

1. draft all pipes as polylines first. this allows you to offset where needed.

2. convert to pipes

 

Where this breaks down is if I need to add a pipe after #2. I cannot use a previous pipe and offset a new one.

Edited July 13, 2017 by ericjhberg

[Bryan G.]

Eric,

 

Sorry dude I just noticed this question. This can be somewhat loaded as a question, but here is how I have handled it. When there are multiple pipes in same trench I modify the line type by color or most recently with a pipe quantity number on the pipe in that section to show the stacked number of pipes. I will use the (select/option key/ Drag) method. The pipe numbering is applied to only one pipe run to show the stacking. This is done to clean the graphics and describe the runs for a crowded plan.

 

Hope this helps, again sorry for the delay.

[Eric Gilbey, PLA]

@ericjhbergI apologize that the notification for Landmark conversations was broken, and I did not realize this until I noticed my notifications alert had your mention in this. After reading through the chain, here, I'd also say your original statement didn't seem so much a question as much as a statement of how you manager the multiple pipe layout in runs. Because each pipe now carries the size/flow data, it would need to be a bit more finessed, since the length of pipe (especially with a 1-2' offset here and there) could throw off the flow numbers. I'm going to share your issue with our development team and see what we can do to account for multiple pipes in a run, while graphically not losing the integrity of the irrigation layout. Eric...or anyone else, if you have specific recommendations for how this should look and act, please share them with me, directly in this discussion, to keep the topic going.