Applies To Product(s): AutoPIPE, Version(s): 2004, XM, & V8i Environment: N/A Area: import Subarea: Original Author: Bentley Technical Support Group Comments, Questions, and Answers with PCF translator into AutoPIPE: Note: Each AutoPIPE translator is installed with a complete manual about the application. See the following file for more details about the translator program: C:\Bentley\AutoPIPE Translators\PCF Translator \ SmartPlantToAutoPIPETranslator_UserReference.pdf Issue #1: PCF conversion worked, but when Import the converted NTL file into AutoPIPE the process aborted: what should I do? Answer: See the following link: http://communities.bentley.com/products/pipe_stress_analysis/w/pipe_stress_analysis__wiki/7642.aspx Issue #2: PCF Translator Freezes / Not Responding, now what should I do ? - AutoPIPE Issue #3 All the AutoPIPE models that we import from Autodesk Inventor PCF files show flanges and valves as weightless “Zero Weight” components. Is there anything that we can do different on our end to have inventor PCF files carry-out the flanges and the valves weights? Answer: Most common cause is your mapping (pcfin.map). Please see the following folder: C:\Bentley\AutoPIPE Translators\PCF Translator\ Suggest that you review the all files in this location for complete details on this feature. To answer your question directly, your PCF file is not mapping items correctly. Example of a model that imports a flange without error or warnings: ITEM-DESCRIPTION Flange, CL150, RFFE/SWE, ASTM A182-F304, ANSI-B16.5, S-40S Recommend adjusting PCF file with a valid description, or fix the map file to import your flanges to anything but the default settings. If there is no mapping between skey item and type, then default will be applied, default is NS (nonstandard). Issue #4 Q. Following is displayed when trying to open converted PCF , NTL file in AutoPIPE: "E880-1: Error in opening import batch file. File extension must be NTL". Answer: There is a known issue if the file name has a blank space before the file extension, the above message is displayed. Confirm that the file name does not have a blank space before the file extension, example: "Test .NTL", remove space "Test.NTL" Issue #5 Q. After importing a file into AutoPIPE the components were all found to be missing on a computer with dual monitors and interrogated graphics processor. Answer: See the following WIKI page. No graphical elements found for the components after importing file into AutoPIPE Issue #6 Q. Branch piping is not connected to the main header pipe on converted PCF file. As seen in the following screen shot, Group 5 (segments F-G) are not connected to the main header of Group 4 (segment D-E). Otherwise it would be a single group. How to fix this problem? Answer: This issue appears to be a modeling problem in the program that created the PCF file. After reviewing the node point coordinates in the original PCF file to be translated, it was determined that there are no points specified on the header pipe for a tee connection. Fix the problem by reviewing the original file in the application that created the PCF file to be sure that the piping is correctly connected. Issue #7 Q. When importing a PCF file, the single line view looks ok, but actually all the pipe sizes are very large, how to resolve? Answer: The application use to create the PCF file did not write the correct units. Example, open the PCF file in any text editor (i.e. Notepad, UltraEdit, ...). See the following component pipe size was found to be 25: The units are found at the beginning of the PCF file: In this example, the units were found to be INCH. This created a pipe size 25.4x larger than the pipe should have been. To fix this issue, change "UNITS-BORE INCH" to "UNITS-BORE MM". Issue #8 Q. When I open the .NTL file in AutoPIPE, it truncates my pressure values from 2735 to 735 (it omits the leading number). The values appear correct in the .NTL file if I open in a text editor. If I add a space in front of 2735 in the .NTL file, the number shows correctly when imported into AutoPIPE. Answer: This is a known issue and was fixed in a new release of the application, PCF translator v 01.00.00.36 (CAE-TR-11101) Issue #9 Isn't my piping code, material, and components supported in the translator? Answer: When importing any PCF file with the translator, the translator use the mapping from the designated MAP file, see screen shot below: Open this file in any text editor software ( i.e. Notepad, Ultra Edit, etc..) to understand more about the mapping settings (file location: C:\Bentley\AutoPIPE Translators\PCF Translator) or select a different MAP file when importing your model. Note, more information is available about import settings in the following file (SmartPlantToAutoPIPETranslator_UserReference.pdf); located in the same folder as the PCFin.MAP: Since the translator is a separate application, be sure the selected Piping Code, Material Library, and Component Library are available in your version of AutoPIPE. If not, the ntl file may not open correctly in AutoPIPE. Issue #10 Below are general questions and answers about the process of exporting an existing AutoPIPE model (DAT) to a PCF file, translate the newly created PCF file with the PCF translator back into an AutoPIPE model, and compare AutoPIPE results between before and after translation: Q1. The expansion joint are not support in the current PCF translator A1. Support for Flex/Expansion Joints were implemented in PCF translator 1.0.0.24. Can You please use the latest release of PCF Translator. You can get the newer version of translator from ftp://ftp.bentley.com/pub/tools/fixes/autopipe/PCF_Setup_1.0.0.25.exe (Dec 2012). Q2. The pipe is oriented 180 deg from original A2. Before export to PCF from AutoPIPE, In AutoPIPE Go to Tools Settings Isogen Settings Change North arrow to +X then the coordinates matched exactly Q3. Pressure and Temp are different from before to after, example: 10 deg & 100 psi converted to 0.0 deg & 0.0 psi A3. This is a limitation in AutoPIPE PCF Export, which does not write Pressure and Temperature and hence default values are used. Q4. Pipe properties changed; wall thickness changed sch 160 changed to STD and Pipe material, from A335-P91 changed to A106-A A4. There is a limitation in AutoPIPE PCF Export could not correctly map the material and by default A106-A with STD wall thickness has been used. Adjust the map file as required to correctly map the material and wall thickness. Q5. Extra support (V-stop) added to the converted file at origin point with anchor. A5. During first time Export to PCF. AutoPIPE write Anchors as a Support with SKEY 01AN and then on import this support component converted to an default support V-STOP. Manually delete V-Stop. Q6. Flanges converted for the expansion joint are in the wrong location. A6. This has been fixed in a newer version of the translator, upgrade to the latest version of PCF Translator, v1.0.0.32. Q7. Tee SIF values are different (because of wall thickness issue above, Q4) A7. Yes, proper schedule has not been exported by AutoPIPE in PCF. update PCF map file accordingly. Q8 Bend radius is different A8. Bend length is exactly same but after import from PCF the actual radius has been written instead of "LONG" Q9 I cannot get the PCF translator to exectue from the command line (Batch Processing) as mentioned in online help info, why? A9. This passage was not suppose to have been printed in the published documentation because this feature had neever been added to the program. This wae info was removed in the new version of the documentation. Issue #11 When importing a model created with brach connection O-let / olet (weldolet, elbolet, threadolet, etc..) component into AutoPIPE, the autopipe model is not created correctly or not at all. Answer: AutoPIPE does not support OLETs, there is only TEEs to represent OLETs. We are working on a version of PCF Translator that supports OLETs. First part of this update is complete and we are testing it with more models to see if we find any issue. One issue we found is the inconsistency among different systems writing PCF files. Some systems have OLET connecting at the centerline of the pipe - where as some systems have OLETs connecting at surface of the pipeline. We have dealt with the first case and looking at the second one now. Please file a Support request and attach your files so we have more example models to test with. See Also Bentley AutoPIPE External Links Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase Bentley LEARN Server Comments or Corrections? Bentley's Technical Support Group requests that you please submit any comments you have on this Wiki article to the "Comments" area below. THANK YOU!
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