While I’m waiting for the AutoCAD MEP 2009 upgrade from Autodesk, I check the world wide web to know what will be the new promises of the software that will replace Autocad MEP 2008.

Here are the new features other than what mentioned in the product brochure. Thanks Toby (autodesk) for sharing this info to us.

Interference Detection
This is a new tool to check for collisions between objects in AutoCAD MEP. The tool allows you to find hard and soft collisions (such as clearances), zoom into the problem area, resolve the issue and navigate to the next one. Check boxes allow you to select which MEP objects to check as well as different building elements to check against.

Part Numbering
This is a new annotation tool used to number Duct and Pipe parts for scheduling. This replaces the Pipe and Duct Fabrication tag tools formerly found only in the UK profile. You can number individual objects or a system of connected objects. As items are added or deleted, you can update the numbering or re-number the entire run. There is also an option to use the same part number for identical parts.

Electrical Enhancements
There have been major improvements in this area. Load Categories have been added for all devices with Power & Lighting connectors. These Load Categories determine which Demand Factor value to use in the panel load calculations. Demand Factors have been revised to allow for changes based on quantity of objects or ranges of loads. Also, the largest motor is automatically determined and a different Demand Factor can be set for it. Demand Factors are now applied to each panel calculated load instead of individual circuit loads.

Circuit Manager is now a modeless palette, similar to the Properties Palette or the Tool Palettes. Circuit Manager can be docked on the side of the screen (or a second monitor) and will roll-up out of the way when not needed. New header and footer sections have been added to display panel properties as well as overall panel load totals, spare capacity and phase balance.

The Electrical Project Database is now a separate file with .EPD extension. Any drawing linked to an EPD file will be able to utilize any panel and circuit linked to the same EPD file. Multiple files can be linked to the same EPD file to share loads across your drawing files.
Panels can now be linked to other panels so loads can be accurately transferred across an entire electrical distribution system. Panels in the current drawing can be connected to any panel in the same drawing or to any panel in the linked EPD file. Panel-to-panel connections are shown in an offset manner in Circuit Manager (similar to Windows folder structure).

Panel Schedules are now based on AutoCAD tables instead of Visual Basic code. Table style “templates” can be created to match company-standard panel schedules. A few schedules have been created as examples and these are found in a Panel Schedule Table Styles drawing in the Styles directory.

Multiple Catalog Selection
Multiple part catalogs can now be used for each discipline. It is now much easier to keep custom content separate from the default content that ships with AutoCAD MEP. When adding parts, the different catalogs are identified to allow you to select the proper part from the desired catalog.

User Interface and Tools
Pipe and Pipe Fitting Add and Modify are now based in the Properties Palette. All of the options for changing properties while adding or editing pipe objects can now be found in one location. The Nominal Size field only displays sizes available from the selected Routing Preference. The Elevation control has been updated to allow selection of predefined elevations (from Options setting) as well as accepting typed values directly. Routing Preferences are also now stored on Pipe and Fittings.

External drawings can be utilized for Routing Preferences and System styles so these no longer need to be stored in the templates. Styles will only be brought in when an object is added. The ModifyRun command replaces PipeModify. Also, graphical one-line rise drop styles have been improved.

Plumbing Line and Plumbing Fitting Add and Modify are also now based in the Properties Palette. All of the options for changing properties while adding or modifying plumbing objects can be found in one location.

The selection dialog for devices, panels, schematic symbols and plumbing fittings has been enhanced. In the past, the tiny “worksheet” button had to be selected. Now, the Properties Palette displays an image of the part. Just click on the picture to bring up the dialog box to select a different part.

When you select a pipe, duct, conduit or cable tray object, you now have a quick way to select all of the objects in the same system, system group, domain (i.e. all piping objects or all duct objects) or connected branches. This can be found on the Edit menu or on the right-click context menu for each object.

Schematic Lines and Fittings
Drawing and editing schematic layouts is much easier with new grips to add, lengthen, move, flip and rotate objects. Associate moving (also called “sticky move”) is utilized to connected schematic lines and fittings know how to move in relation to each other.

Solution Tips
The former defect marker has been replaced by solution tips. A yellow triangle with an exclamation point will display a tool tip indicating the problem as well as possible solutions. The solution tips can be turned on and off as needed – this is now a user setting, not a drawing setting as before.

Export to AutoCAD
In the past, using Export to AutoCAD in Model view would result in some items being exported as 3D solids while others were exported as 3D faces. Everything is now converted to 3D solids.

Hmm.. looks like there are quite a few enhancements and fixes on the new release. Among the features mentioned, I’m more then excited to see electrical panel schedule enhancement in MEP 2009. In MEP 2008 and previous release the electrical panel schedule is not easy to modify. For company based in Middle-East, the panel schedule feature of out of the box MEP 2008 and older version don’t give that much benefit!.

I hope that customization of Electrical Panel Schedule Format is easy as promised on this year’s Autocad MEP release.

NCS!! – where is our software upgrade? can’t wait to have it..