Isometric Plumbing Plan

[Anonymous]

I want to know how you guys do it. I'm using the MEP add-on, but I don't know how to create a single line isometric plan with it. Any ideas?

Also, can you change the opacity of 3D objects? I want to show my plumbing fixtures, but they hide the pipes; if I use wire frame it looks ugly. I intend to use a transparent surface for my fixtures, but before I do I want to check if there's an easier way.

[Anonymous]

Concerning your second query in 2D you can use the display order to control the visual stacking order of your 2d objects (this works in section and elevation too). Go to the Window menu, open the tool bar menu, then select arrange elements. A tool bar should show up with some arrow heads on it. Two up, two down, and one icon of two facing each other. Use those to move objects up or down in the display order. If you need more info about it just hit F1 in AC and it will launch the help file.

One thing is when using the display order sink the stuff you don't want to see first and later in the project toward the end if you need to raise stuff, then use the raise command. Else what happens is it's easy to walk yourself up to the top of the display order limit. Sinking stuff first avoids this and I never hit the display order limit.

[Anonymous]

Um... thanks for replying but you didn't quite answer my questions. I did not question about 2D, and I am aware of display orders. I was talking about 3D display of objects, I would like to make them temporarily transparent as to display pipes behind them. It would be nice if I can accomplish this without having to change the surface of the objects.

When I mean isometric plan I mean something like this:

[Ernest Atanasiu]

You should use layer combinations do hide everything but the pipes, and save it to a 3D View.

[Erich]

Assuming your plumbing fixtures are all on a plumbing layer, you could try setting up a layer combination that turns that layer to wire frame. The fixtures would then be displayed as their 3D edges only allowing you to see through them.