How to Design More Efficiently and Innovate Ahead of the Competition with Full Plant Design Suite 2013 Free
Full Plant Design Suite 2013 Free: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
If you are involved in plant design or engineering projects, you know how important it is to have a reliable software solution that can help you create accurate drawings, models, documents, reports, and analyses. You also know how expensive some of these software solutions can be, especially if you need multiple applications for different aspects of your project. That's why you might be interested in full plant design suite 2013 free, a comprehensive software solution that covers all the aspects of plant design and engineering, from 2D drafting to 3D modeling, from P&ID design to structural detailing, from equipment and skid design to model aggregation and review. And the best part is, you can get it for free!
FULL Plant Design Suite 2013 Free Download
Full plant design suite 2013 free is a collection of software applications that are designed to work together seamlessly, providing you with a complete plant design workflow. It includes the following applications:
AutoCAD: The world's leading 2D and 3D CAD software for creating and editing drawings and models
Inventor: The professional-grade 3D mechanical design software for modeling plant equipment and skids
AutoCAD Plant 3D: The specialized software for designing, modeling, and documenting process plants
AutoCAD P&ID: The specialized software for creating, modifying, and managing piping and instrumentation diagrams
Revit Structure: The advanced software for designing and modeling 3D structural components
AutoCAD Structure Detailing: The specialized software for creating structural details and fabrication drawings
Navisworks Manage: The powerful software for aggregating models from multiple design packages, visualizing and sharing combined models, and identifying clashes and interference
With full plant design suite 2013 free, you can take advantage of the latest features and tools of each application, as well as the plant-specific content and standards that are built into them. You can also benefit from the integration and interoperability of the applications, which allow you to exchange data and information across disciplines and phases of your project. You can also access cloud-based services that enhance your collaboration and productivity.
In this article, we will guide you through the main features and benefits of each application in the suite, and show you how you can use them to create high-quality plant designs. We will also show you how you can get full plant design suite 2013 free, and what are the advantages of doing so. So let's get started!
General Design and Drafting with AutoCAD
The foundation of the full plant design suite 2013 free is AutoCAD, the world's leading 2D and 3D CAD software. AutoCAD is used by millions of professionals around the world for creating and editing drawings and models of any kind. AutoCAD is also the common platform for all the other applications in the suite, which means that you can easily access them from within AutoCAD.
AutoCAD offers a rich set of features and tools that can help you with your plant design projects. Some of these features and tools are:
The ribbon interface: A user-friendly interface that organizes commands into tabs and panels, making them easy to find and use.
The command line: A text-based interface that allows you to enter commands directly or use keyboard shortcuts.
The drawing area: The main workspace where you can create and modify drawings and models.
The status bar: A toolbar that displays various settings and modes that affect your drawing or model.
The navigation bar: A toolbar that provides tools for zooming, panning, orbiting, and switching between views.
The properties palette: A window that displays the properties of the selected object or layer.
The layer manager: A window that allows you to create, modify, and manage layers in your drawing or model.
The design center: A window that allows you to access blocks, styles, hatch patterns, dimensions, layouts, and other content from your current drawing or other drawings.
The tool palettes: A set of customizable palettes that provide quick access to frequently used commands, blocks, hatches, dimensions, tables, etc.
The dynamic input: A feature that displays relevant information at your cursor as you draw or edit objects.
The grips: Small handles that appear on selected objects that allow you to manipulate them directly.
The object snaps: A feature that allows you to snap to precise points on objects such as endpoints, midpoints, centers, etc.
The tracking modes: A feature that allows you to align objects with other objects or points along horizontal, vertical, or polar directions.
The geometric constraints: A feature that allows you to apply rules to objects such as parallelism, perpendicularity, tangency, etc.
The parametric dimensions: A feature that allows you to create dimensions that are linked to the geometry of objects.
The associative arrays: A feature that allows you to create multiple copies of objects in rectangular, polar, or path patterns.
The dynamic blocks: A feature that allows you to create blocks that can change their shape, size, or configuration depending on the parameters you set.
The 3D modeling workspace: A workspace that provides tools for creating and editing 3D models using solid, surface, or mesh objects.
The visualization tools: A set of tools that allow you to apply materials, lights, cameras, and render settings to your 3D models.
The annotation tools: A set of tools that allow you to add text, dimensions, leaders, tables, etc. to your drawings or models.
The layout tools: A set of tools that allow you to create and manage layouts, which are paper space views of your drawings or models.
The plot and publish tools: A set of tools that allow you to print, plot, or publish your drawings or models to various formats.
As you can see, AutoCAD offers a lot of features and tools that can help you with your general design and drafting needs. But AutoCAD also has some features and tools that are specifically designed for plant design. Let's take a look at them.
Plant-Specific Content and Standards in AutoCAD
One of the advantages of using AutoCAD for plant design is that it comes with plant-specific content and standards that you can use in your projects. These include:
The plant project manager: A window that allows you to create and manage plant projects, which are collections of drawings and models that share common settings and data.
The plant content libraries: A set of libraries that contain predefined blocks, symbols, components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. that you can use in your plant drawings and models.
The plant standards manager: A window that allows you to create and manage plant standards, which are sets of rules and specifications that define how your plant drawings and models should look and behave.
The plant data manager: A window that allows you to view and edit the data associated with your plant objects, such as tags, properties, attributes, etc.
The plant reports manager: A window that allows you to create and generate reports based on the data in your plant projects.
By using these features and tools, you can access plant-specific content and standards in AutoCAD, which can save you time and ensure consistency and accuracy in your projects.
Equipment and Skid Design with Inventor
Another application in the full plant design suite 2013 free is Inventor, the professional-grade 3D mechanical design software. Inventor is used by engineers and designers for modeling complex mechanical systems, such as plant equipment and skids. Inventor is also integrated with AutoCAD Plant 3D, which means that you can import Inventor models to the 3D process plant model.
Inventor offers a rich set of features and tools that can help you with your equipment and skid design projects. Some of these features and tools are:
The ribbon interface: A user-friendly interface that organizes commands into tabs and panels, making them easy to find and use.
The browser: A window that displays the structure and history of your model, allowing you to navigate and modify it easily.
The model workspace: The main workspace where you can create and edit 3D models using sketches, features, assemblies, constraints, etc.
The sketch environment: An environment where you can create and edit 2D sketches that define the shape of your model features.
The feature environment: An environment where you can create and edit 3D features that add or remove material from your model.
The assembly environment: An environment where you can create and edit assemblies that consist of multiple parts or subassemblies connected by constraints.
The drawing environment: An environment where you can create and edit 2D drawings that document your model using views, dimensions, annotations, etc.
The presentation environment: An environment where you can create and edit presentations that show how your model works using exploded views, animations, etc.
The iLogic environment: An environment where you can create and edit rules that control the behavior of your model using logic statements.
The iParts environment: An environment where you can create and edit iParts, which are families of parts that share a common geometry but vary in size or configuration.
The iAssemblies environment: An environment where you can create and edit iAssemblies , which are families of assemblies that share a common structure but vary in components or arrangements.
The iMates environment: An environment where you can create and edit iMates, which are intelligent mates that simplify the assembly process by automatically applying constraints.
The frame generator environment: An environment where you can create and edit frames, which are structures made of standard or custom members that are cut and mitered to fit together.
The tube and pipe environment: An environment where you can create and edit tube and pipe runs, which are assemblies of pipes, tubes, fittings, valves, etc. that convey fluids or gases.
The cable and harness environment: An environment where you can create and edit cable and harness assemblies, which are assemblies of wires, cables, connectors, etc. that transmit electrical signals or power.
The sheet metal environment: An environment where you can create and edit sheet metal parts, which are parts that can be folded or unfolded from a flat sheet of metal.
The weldment environment: An environment where you can create and edit weldments, which are assemblies of parts that are joined by welds.
The stress analysis environment: An environment where you can perform static stress analysis on your model using finite element methods.
The dynamic simulation environment: An environment where you can perform dynamic simulation on your model using rigid body dynamics.
The visualization tools: A set of tools that allow you to apply materials, colors, textures, lights, cameras, and render settings to your model.
As you can see, Inventor offers a lot of features and tools that can help you with your equipment and skid design projects. But Inventor also has some features and tools that are specifically designed for plant design. Let's take a look at them.
Plant-Specific Content and Standards in Inventor
One of the advantages of using Inventor for plant design is that it comes with plant-specific content and standards that you can use in your projects. These include:
The plant content center: A library that contains predefined components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. that you can use in your plant models.
The plant standards manager: A window that allows you to create and manage plant standards, which are sets of rules and specifications that define how your plant models should look and behave.
The plant data manager: A window that allows you to view and edit the data associated with your plant objects, such as tags, properties, attributes, etc.
The plant reports manager: A window that allows you to create and generate reports based on the data in your plant models.
By using these features and tools, you can access plant-specific content and standards in Inventor, which can save you time and ensure consistency and accuracy in your projects.
3D Modeling and Documentation with AutoCAD Plant 3D
Another application in the full plant design suite 2013 free is AutoCAD Plant 3D, the specialized software for designing, modeling, and documenting process plants. AutoCAD Plant 3D is built on AutoCAD software, which means that you can use all the features and tools of AutoCAD for creating and editing 2D drawings and 3D models. But AutoCAD Plant 3D also has some features and tools that are specifically designed for plant design. Let's take a look at them.
Plant-Specific Features and Tools in AutoCAD Plant 3D
Some of the features and tools that AutoCAD Plant 3D offers for plant design are:
The project manager: A window that allows you to create and manage plant projects, which are collections of drawings and models that share common settings and data.
The spec editor: A window that allows you to create and edit specs, which are sets of rules and specifications that define the components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. that you can use in your plant models.
The P&ID line list: A window that displays the list of lines in your P&ID drawings, along with their properties and status.
The ortho cube: A tool that allows you to switch between orthographic views of your 3D model quickly.
The quick properties palette: A window that displays the properties of the selected object or component in your 3D model.
The tool palettes: A set of customizable palettes that provide quick access to frequently used commands, components , equipment, valves, fittings, etc.
The routing tools: A set of tools that allow you to create and edit pipe, duct, cable tray, and conduit runs in your 3D model.
The component tools: A set of tools that allow you to insert and modify components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. in your 3D model.
The support tools: A set of tools that allow you to insert and modify supports for your pipe, duct, cable tray, and conduit runs in your 3D model.
The sloped piping tools: A set of tools that allow you to create and edit sloped pipes in your 3D model.
The isometric drawing tools: A set of tools that allow you to create and generate isometric drawings from your 3D model.
The orthographic drawing tools: A set of tools that allow you to create and generate orthographic drawings from your 3D model.
The annotation tools: A set of tools that allow you to add text, dimensions, leaders, tables, etc. to your drawings or models.
The data manager: A window that allows you to view and edit the data associated with your plant objects, such as tags, properties, attributes, etc.
The report creator: A window that allows you to create and generate reports based on the data in your plant projects.
By using these features and tools, you can create and edit 3D models and documents for your process plants with ease and efficiency.
P&ID Design and Drafting with AutoCAD P&ID
Another application in the full plant design suite 2013 free is AutoCAD P&ID, the specialized software for creating, modifying, and managing piping and instrumentation diagrams. AutoCAD P&ID is built on AutoCAD software, which means that you can use all the features and tools of AutoCAD for creating and editing 2D drawings. But AutoCAD P&ID also has some features and tools that are specifically designed for P&ID design. Let's take a look at them.
P&ID-Specific Features and Tools in AutoCAD P&ID
Some of the features and tools that AutoCAD P&ID offers for P&ID design are:
The project manager: A window that allows you to create and manage P&ID projects, which are collections of drawings that share common settings and data.
The P&ID content libraries: A set of libraries that contain predefined symbols, components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. that you can use in your P&ID drawings.
The P&ID standards manager: A window that allows you to create and manage P&ID standards, which are sets of rules and specifications that define how your P&ID drawings should look and behave.
The P&ID line list: A window that displays the list of lines in your P&ID drawings, along with their properties and status.
The quick properties palette: A window that displays the properties of the selected object or component in your P&ID drawing.
The tool palettes: A set of customizable palettes that provide quick access to frequently used commands , symbols, components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc.
The P&ID tools: A set of tools that allow you to insert and modify P&ID objects, such as lines, symbols, components, equipment, valves, fittings, etc. in your P&ID drawing.
The data manager: A window that allows you to view and edit the data associated with your P&ID objects, such as tags, properties, attributes, etc.
The report creator: A window that allows you to create and generate reports based on the data in your P&ID projects.
The data validation tool: A tool that allows you to check and correct the data errors and inconsistencies in your P&ID projects.
The data exchange tool: A tool that allows you to exchange data between your P&ID drawings and your 3D models in AutoCAD Plant 3D.
By using these features and tools, you can create and edit P&ID drawings for your process plants with ease and efficiency.
Structural Design and Detailing with Revit Structure and AutoCAD Structure Detailing
Another application in the full plant design suite 2013 free is Revit Structure, the advanced software for designing and modeling 3D structural components. Revit Structure is a parametric, building information modeling (BIM) software that allows you to create intelligent 3D models that contain information about the geometry, materials, loads, etc. of your structural components. Revit Structure is also integrated with AutoCAD Structure Detailing, which means that you can export Revit Structure models to AutoCAD Structure Detailing for creating structural details and fabrication drawings.
Revit Structure offers a rich set of features and tools that can help you with your structural design projects. Some of these features and tools are:
The ribbon interface: A user-friendly interface that organizes commands into tabs and panels, making them easy to find and use.
The project browser: A window that displays the structure and history of your model, allowing you to navigate and modify it easily.
The properties palette: A window that displays the properties of the selected object or element in your model.
The drawing area: The main workspace where you can create and edit 3D models using views, elements, families, parameters, etc.
The view controls: A set of tools that allow you to control the visibi