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Create and edit a tube style using the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box.

Tube and Pipe styles depend upon the Content Center. This tutorial uses components from the ANSI library. If this library is not available to you, substitute components from a different library or read along without performing the steps. If you use a library other than ANSI, it is not critical that components are the correct sizes, only that they work to demonstrate the workflow.

This tutorial is created for a single-user environment with libraries stored in a Desktop Content location. If you are a member of a workgroup that shares libraries, you must be a library administrator and have editor permissions to perform library editing tasks. Also the method for creating user libraries on the server is different than presented in this tutorial.

Objectives

• Create a style from scratch.
• Apply that style to an existing run.
• Edit a style.
• Create styles based on existing styles.
• Export and import styles.
• Add a style to the global template.

Prerequisites

• Connect to Content Center.
• Know how to set the active project and navigate the model space with the various view tools.
• See the Help topic “Getting Started” for further information.

Navigation Tips

• Use Next or Previous at the bottom-left to advance to the next page or return to the previous one.

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Tube and Pipe styles use components from Content Center. To begin, set your active project to tutorial_files, and then verify that Content Center is installed and configured.

1. Click ManageProjects.
2. On the Projects dialog box, double-click the tutorial_files project in the projects list to set it as the active project.
3. In the lower-right corner of the Projects dialog box, click Configure Content Center Libraries.
4. On the Configure Libraries dialog box, verify that the Inventor ANSI library is available, and that the In Use box is selected.
   NoteTo perform the tutorial steps, at least one standard Content Center library must be available for use. A standard library is available if it is identified as In Use and has a status of Read Only in the Access column.
   Tip If no libraries are available, set up Content Center libraries first. See the Help for more details or contact your CAD Administrator.
5. Click OK to close the Configure Libraries dialog box.
6. Click Save in the Projects dialog box if it is available, and then click Done.

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Open an assembly from the tutorials files, and save a copy to work on.

1. Open Accumulator.iam, located in \Tutorial Files\Tube & Pipe\Accumulator.
   
2. Select Save As, and use Accumulator_TPStyles.iam for the file name.

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You use the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box to create and modify styles. When the dialog box displays, the active style is listed in the Active Style field, and is also highlighted in bold in the style browser. The components used in this style, along with various settings and parameters, display on the General and Rules tabs.

1. Double-click the Tube & Pipe Runs node in the browser to enter the Tube and Pipe environment.
2. On the ribbon, click Tube and Pipe tab Run panel Tube and Pipe Styles to display the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box.

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Next, you create a tube style. The name, pipe component, and rules are required. You also set the component appearance to differentiate this style from the style used in the existing run.

1. Click New.
2. Enter Medium Copper Tubing in the Name field of the General tab. This field is the name of the style and is a required entry.
3. Enter My Styles in the Category field. Populating the Category field creates a folder nested under the active folder. This new category folder contains the Medium Copper Tubing style.
   NoteCreating a category folder is optional. In this example, if you did not create a category folder, the Medium Copper Tubing style would be nested under the currently active folder.

   The Category field is also a drop-down menu. Had there been other user-created categories, they would also be available for selection from the menu.

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Specify the component from Content Center that is used for pipe when this style is active. The icons next to each component type indicate the status of the component within this new style definition.

Indicates that the component is required for the style and must be selected from a Content Center library to define the style successfully.

Indicates that the component can be selected from a Content Center library but is optional.

Indicates that the component selection is satisfied.

Indicates that the component is required for the style but is not available in your Content Center libraries.

1. Right-click the Pipe row, and then select Browse to display the Library Browser dialog box.
2. In the Filters area of the dialog box, check the Standard box, and then select ASTM B 88 from the drop-down list.
3. Click to apply the filter to the browser.
4. Select ASTM B 88 Tube from the browser.
5. Click OK. When this operation is finished, notice that the icon appears next to the Pipe component, indicating that this selection is satisfied.

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Specify the component that is used for couplings when this style is active.

1. Right-click the Coupling row, and then select Browse.
2. In the Filters area of the dialog box, check the Standard box then select ASME B16.18 from the drop-down list.
3. Click to apply the filter to the browser.
4. Select ASME B16.18 Coupling C x C from the browser.
5. Click OK.

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Next, you change the diameter to meet design criteria and the appearance to differentiate this style from the existing styles.

1. Ensure that Nominal is selected in the Diameter area, and then select 1 1/2 in from the Diameter drop-down list.
2. Select Aluminum (Machined) from the Component Appearance drop-down menu.

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The final step for creating a style is specifying the rules for segments created with auto-routing. These rules include the minimum and maximum length, increment, and default bend radius.

1. Select the Rules tab.
2. In the Minimum field, enter 1 in.
3. In the Maximum field, enter 200 in.
4. In the Increment field, enter 0.5 in.
5. In the Default Radius field, enter 2 in.
6. Click Save. The Medium Copper Tubing style is added to the styles browser, nested in the new category. The new category is nested under the originally active existing category Tubing with Bends.
7. Select the General tab. The background color of the Components table changes, and the various options are not available to indicate that the style is no longer in edit mode.
8. Click Close to close the dialog box.
   NoteThe new style is not saved in the assembly (the local template) until you save the assembly.
9. Click Save to save the assembly.

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Next, you assign this style to an existing run. To make this assignment, edit a route and change the active style for that route. The segments update to the new style properties.

1. In the model browser, expand the Pipe Run 1 node. Double-click the Pipe Route node to edit it.
   
2. The active style is listed in the Manage panel of the Route tab. Select Medium Copper Tubing from the drop-down list.
3. Click Tube and Pipe tab Exit panel Finish Route to return to the Tube & Pipe Runs level. The specified style is applied to the run.
   

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Now, you edit the style and modify the rules for the Medium Copper Tubing style.

1. On the ribbon, click Tube and Pipe tabRun panel Tube and Pipe Styles.
2. Double-click Medium Copper Tubing to edit the style.
3. Click the Rules tab.
4. Enter 10 in in the Maximum field of the Segment Length area.
5. Click Save and Close to close the dialog box. The run using the Medium Copper Tubing style is updated. The main segment exceeds 10 in, so a coupling is added.
   

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Let's return to the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box to examine a few more options.

1. On the ribbon, click Tube and Pipe tabRun panel Tube and Pipe Styles.
2. In the styles browser, select a style other than the active style (Medium Copper Tubing). Right-click and take note of the various menu options. The commands at the top of the dialog box are also available on the context menu. Notice that you can select Active to make that style the active style.
3. Select Medium Copper Tubing and click to create a copy of the style. (You could then select this copied style, click Edit, and edit the style as needed.)
4. Select the copy you just created (Medium Copper Tubing_Copy(1)) and click to export the style.
5. In the Export Tube & Pipe Style Data File dialog box, enter Style_Copy in the File Name field, and then click Save. Take note of where you save the style. You need it to complete this tutorial.
6. An alert dialog box displays stating that the style exported successfully. Click OK.

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Use the Delete command to delete a style. The style is deleted from the local template only, not the global template. Select Medium Copper Tubing_Copy(1), and then click Delete (as with Copy and Export, you can select multiple styles).

1. Select Medium Copper Tubing_Copy(1), and then click to delete the style (as with Copy and Export, you can select multiple styles).
2. Click Yes in the alert dialog box to confirm deleting the file.
3. Click to import the style you deleted.
4. Select Style_Copy.xml, and click Open. The Import Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box activates and previews how the imported style appears in the styles browser structure.
   NoteIf any issues are noted, an Alert icon appears next to the affected style. You can right-click the style to access more options to resolve the issue.
5. Click OK to import the style.
6. An alert dialog box displays containing information about the import. Click OK.
7. Click Close to close the Tube & Pipe Styles dialog box.

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To this point, all edits have taken place in the local template only. You can create and import styles into the global template. Editing the global template would affect any new Tube and Pipe Runs you create. The global template is called piping runs.iam and is located in \(your installation of Autodesk Inventor)\Design Data\Tube & Pipe.

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In this tutorial, you learned how to:

• Create a style from scratch.
• Apply that style to an existing run.
• Edit a style.
• Create styles based on existing styles.
• Export and import styles.
• Add a style to the global template.

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