New Cadmatic Capabilities for Spools and Isometric Drawings

How they can transform your work

As an experienced user of Cadmatic for 3D modeling and detailed design, the C-Job team is always on the lookout for new functionality and software updates. Essential for us was introducing new features for working with Piping Isometric and Pipe Spools in Cadmatic version 2023T2.

Our engineers have recognized these updates as a significant improvement that greatly facilitates the design process.

We have thoroughly investigated the benefits and possible limitations of the new capabilities, assessing their advantages and potential areas for further development within the context of our work. Special attention was given to how these features affect the efficiency and accuracy of design and the improvement of the process of preparing working documentation.

We are ready to share our experience and talk about the new possibilities these improvements bring to the design process.

Cadmatic Benefits and Areas for Development

Suggested Areas for  Functionality Development:

Key Benefits of the Updated Functionality

The main innovation is the ability to work with isometric drawings and spools directly from the Plant Modeller interface without the need to create a separate workspace for the Piping Isometric & Spools tool. To facilitate this, the developers have added two dedicated tabs – Piping Isometric and Pipe Spools – to the menu bar. 

When working with isometric groups or spools, there is no longer any need to close the Piping Isometric & Spools interface to modify the model or correct errors. Changes can be made directly in one window, with immediate results.

This process automation significantly reduces the time required for modifications and sped up the production of working documentation, which is extremely important for meeting tight project deadlines.

The simplified and more intuitive interface, combined with new customization options, makes the tools easier to use. Our engineers have found that these updates improve navigation through the model and document tree.

The new features offer higher drawing accuracy, particularly in creating and automatically splitting spools. This advancement minimizes the likelihood of defects and inaccuracies, nearly eliminating the need for manual intervention in the Define Spools procedure.

Spool booklets can now be issued directly without relying on third-party software. This enhancement simplifies the creation of working documentation, reduces licensing costs, and improves integration with other systems, offering a more seamless workflow.

While the new functionality offers many advantages, it also presents some challenges. Users have reported difficulties in transitioning to the new version, as it requires time for training and adaptation, especially for those whose current workflows are based on older versions.

Suggested Areas for Further Functionality Development

One area for improvement is the limited automation in creating isometric groups based on logistics areas. The current lack of a fully automated solution means that designers must rely on manual adjustments, which slows down the design process and increases time requirements. Further development in this area could enhance efficiency and streamline workflow by reducing the need for manual intervention.

Using two separate tools for isometric documents and spools slows down the process and can cause confusion. Splitting functionality between these tools complicates project management and increases the risk of errors.

Currently, creating a spool booklet from an existing isometric group is only possible if the group was created in an older version of the tool. Otherwise, this option is not available.

This limitation in version compatibility poses challenges when updating projects or integrating new data, complicating the migration to the latest Cadmatic version.

It requires additional effort to transfer existing projects and adapt them to the next version.

The inability to manually remove items from a spool takes additional time to recreate spools, which in turn affects the speed and accuracy of the design process.