This tutorial explains how to build and bulkload a storage tank
symbol for SmartPlant 3D. Find out which parameter names you need to parameterise the
symbol in SmartPlant 3D. Standard names may be found on
the CustomInterfaces tab of C:\Program
Files\SmartPlant\3D\CatalogData\BulkLoad\Datafiles\Equipment.xls. You
will find these names also on the Attributes tab of 3D
SymbolDesigner’s Config.xls. Open 3D SymbolDesigner. Open a new symbol project
( We need five parameters: parVesselLength, parVesselDiameter,
parSupportLength, parSupportHeight, parSupportThickness. First of
all you must select the Parameters item in the menu tree. Then press the
Parameter button
( Rename the parameters: click on Parameter1 in the menu tree
(press F2 if necessary), and enter parVesselLength.
Repeat this for Parameter2 to Parameter5 with
parVesselDiameter etc.: The table of variants should now look like: Now enter the default values for the parameters into the table: Rename the “Default” variant and rename the SmartPlant 3D
parameter mappings: select the Parameter1 cell and click the right mouse
button. In the context menu select the Set SmartPlant 3D
attribute. Choose the right attribute in the list box, check
the Occurrence attribute and press the
Apply button (add OA: in front of the parameter name,
if the parameter is an occurrence attribute, i.e. an attribute which may
be modified at runtime in SmartPlant 3D). Repeat this for Parameter2 to
Parameter5. 3D SymbolDesigner checks the spelling.
The parameters now are valid and the background colour turned to
green: Select the Project.Symbol.Parameters node and click twice on the
Add piping port (bolted preset) toolbar icon
( Click twice on the Spherical Segment button
( Uncheck (i.e. hide) all primitives except Cylinder1 and expand
the Cylinder1 node in the menu tree: Enter parVesselLength into the formula for the
cylinder’s length (L1). Enter parVesselDiameter into D1. Zoom out/in
( Check SphericalSegment1 and enter 180 deg or
180° into the formula of Rotation.Z: Enter parVesselDiameter into Geometry.D1 and
parVesselDiameter / 4 into Geometry.R1: Switch to wireframe mode
( Tick the Box1 and Box2 nodes and enter
parSupportThickness into Geometry.L1 and
parSupportLength into Geometry.L3 of both boxes. The
supports should reach into the tank, so the formula for Geometry.L2 of
both boxes is parVesselDiameter / 4 +
parSupportHeight. The formula for Translation.Z of both boxes is - 3 *
parVesselDiameter / 8 - parSupportHeight / 2. Enter parVesselLength into Translation.X of Box2
to translate the box. Rotate Box2 by entering 180 deg into its
Rotation Z. Tick PipingConnector1 and PipingConnector2. Rotate
PipingConnector1 by entering 180 deg into its Rotation
Z. Enter - parVesselDiameter / 2 into Translation.X
of PipingConnector1. Enter parVesselLength + parVesselDiameter / 2
into Translation.X of PipingConnector2. Set Geometry.L1 of PipingConnector1 and PipingConnector2 to
parVesselDiameter / 2. The modelling of the tank symbol is now
finished: Press the toolbar button
( Select the parent node of the new symbol in the catalogue tree
view on the first tab (if you see only a node named “Catalogue”, double
click it to open the tree). Press the Add button: Select the new node and enter the name in the Catalogue
node column and description of the new symbol class in the
Key column (e.g. HorizontalTank): Keep this item selected and click on the Build
tab: Click Browse… to select a target folder for the
Visual Basic Project and the bulkload sheet. Uncheck all items on the Compiler settings
frame. When Visual Basic 6 is installed on your machine: Tick
Compile project. Click on the Start button. Before the export
starts, 3D SymbolDesigner checks if the parameters and
the used variant names are valid (see 0 Naming rules).
This will avoid afterwards errors during the bulkload process. The
occurred errors are shown in the Error list tab. By
pressing an item of the list the cursor will move to the corresponding
cell in the table. Optionally: Export of a 3D PDF datasheet (see: Export of a 3D
PDF datasheet) Press OK to close the SmartPlant 3D
Wizard window. Now you may close the CAXperts 3D
SymbolDesigner program. Save and bulkload the Excel file using the append mode of the
Bulkload tool provided with SmartPlant 3D: After the bulkload the new symbol is available in the catalogue
of SmartPlant 3D: After placement, the symbol looks like:
Tutorial 1 - Tank with
nozzles
in the
File menu).
) five times.
This adds five new parameter items to the project tree:
) to add two pipe
ports and twice on the Add piping connector button
(
) to add two
nozzles.
), once on the
Cylinder button
(
) and twice on
the Box button
(
) to add the
primitives for the tank geometry. The symbol tree should now look
like:
/
) until you see
the full cylinder in the view:
The semisphere is now visible on the left side of the
cylinder: 
) and tick the
SphericalSegment2 node, enter parVesselDiameter into
Geometry.D1, parVesselDiameter / 4 into Geometry.R1 and
parVesselLength into Translation.X of
SphericalSegment2:
) to export the
symbol to SmartPlant 3D.
If
Visual Basic or Visual Basic .NET is not available: Please compile the
resulting Visual Basic project on a machine where Visual Basic is
installed and “register” the DLL on the target system.
