One of our goals for Design Master Plumbing was to make the 2D drafting as fast and efficient as possible. A skilled AutoCAD-user can lay out a plumbing system very quickly using standard commands. We wanted our software to match that speed. One area of drafting where our software excels is setting the linetype for pipes correctly so that they are consistent and readable.

Different types of pipes are specified on drawings by using different linetypes. Typically there is one dash for cold water, two dashes for hot water, and three dashes for hot water recirculation.

Drafting these dashes cleanly can be a challenge. If the dashes are placed too frequently, the drawing looks cluttered, especially on long pipe runs. If the dashes are placed too far apart, then short pipes will not have any dashes at all.

The solution is to adjust the linetype spacing depending upon the length of the pipe line. Long pipes get a linetype with the dashes spaced far apart. Short pipes get a linetype with the dashes close together. Setting the linetypes can be done manually when inserting pipes, but it is a tedious process.

Using Design Master Plumbing, the pipe linetype selection process is automated for you. The software makes sure there is a set of dashes on every pipe, but as few of them as possible. When the plumbing design is changed and pipes are modified, the linetypes are updated automatically. The end result is the same as doing it by hand, but with much less input required from the designer.