LuaCAD Help

Quick start: your first pipe

This page shows the shortest way to a finished pipe in plan view and the three most common changes afterwards. Every step has a picture; the details are in the linked tasks.

1. Open the palette and choose values

Ribbon › LuaCAD tab › Piping 2D. The palette opens at the edge of the drawing, the first time on the Pipe page.

The Pipe page: system (1), system elevation (2), size (3), angle increment (4), Insert pipe (5)
The Pipe page: system (1), system elevation (2), size (3), angle increment (4), Insert pipe (5)
  1. Choose the system, for example cold water – it sets the color and layer of the pipe.
  2. Choose the system elevation, for example "1st elevation (15 cm from BOS)" – distance and reference level of the system elevation are in parentheses. If there are no system elevations yet, the list only shows "(no system elevation)" – create them in the gear menu › System elevations. Your first pipe works without one, too.
  3. Leave the size empty or enter one, for example 20 (mm) – it is used by the bill of materials and the annotation.
  4. Leave the angle increment at 45° – the pipe then runs in 45° steps.
  5. Click Insert pipe. Before the first point the insertion help explains the procedure with a picture.

2. Draw the pipe

Plan view, bathroom of the sample plan: a cold water pipe just drawn with its start at the lavatory (1), two corners (2, 3) and its end at the riser in the shaft (4)
Plan view, bathroom of the sample plan: a cold water pipe just drawn with its start at the lavatory (1), two corners (2, 3) and its end at the riser in the shaft (4)
  1. Click the start into the drawing (1).
  2. Click the corners (2, 3). The Space key switches between "snap to angle" and "free". A number you type is the length of the next segment in the direction of the cursor.
  3. Click the end (4) and finish with Enter. With Esc the placed segments stay as well; only the segment at the cursor is dropped.

3. Cross a second system elevation

Plan view, corridor of the sample plan: pipes on system elevation "2. Lage" cross heating supply and return on the higher system elevation "1. Lage" (1); the lower pipes are broken at the crossing (2)
Plan view, corridor of the sample plan: pipes on system elevation "2. Lage" cross heating supply and return on the higher system elevation "1. Lage" (1); the lower pipes are broken at the crossing (2)
  1. In the palette choose another system elevation – for example "below the ceiling" – and another system, for example hot water.
  2. Click Insert pipe and draw a pipe across the first one.
  3. The pipe on the lower system elevation gets a gap at the crossing (2), the upper one runs through. This happens by itself – later as well, when you move, copy or delete. Which system elevation lies on top is set by the order of the system elevations (see Crossings).

4. Change it with a grip

Picture coming soonPlan view: a pipe selected – grips at the start (1), in the middle (2) and at the end (3)
  1. Click the pipe – the GstarCAD grips appear at the start, in the middle and at the end.
  2. Click an end grip, drag it and click at the new location. The pipe becomes longer or shorter; if other pipes end there, their ends move along.
  3. Crossings, elevation changes and symbols follow by themselves when the command ends.

5. Move

Plan view, corridor of the sample plan, left before, right after: the vertical pipe (1) moved 250 mm sideways to the right, up to the bathroom wall; the connected pipes (2) have become longer or shorter
Plan view, corridor of the sample plan, left before, right after: the vertical pipe (1) moved 250 mm sideways to the right, up to the bathroom wall; the connected pipes (2) have become longer or shorter
  1. In the tools at the bottom click Move and click the pipe; Enter.
  2. Click the new location – or press A and type a distance, for example 250.
  3. The neighbors are shortened, extended or joined again (2).

More under Move. The GstarCAD commands (MOVE, grips, STRETCH …) work the same way.

6. Change the system elevation

The Change system elevation dialog box: how many pipes are selected (1), their current system elevation (2), the new system elevation with Pick button (3), OK (4)
The Change system elevation dialog box: how many pipes are selected (1), their current system elevation (2), the new system elevation with Pick button (3), OK (4)
  1. In the tools at the bottom click Change system elevation and select the pipe; Enter.
  2. In the dialog box choose the new system elevation – the one from the palette is proposed – and click OK.
  3. The pipe gets the linetype of the new system elevation; gaps at crossings and elevation change circles follow by themselves.

More under Changing the system elevation.

What next?

Video coming soon: Your first pipe