Industrial Planning Technology (United States)

The routing of pipe, ducts, and other services in 3D through congested areas is difficult, even with the best available 3D CAD systems. This paper describes a new approach in which a real-time automatic 2D router is combined with a simple user interface to create a 3D sketching environment in which a designer can rapidly create optimal 3D routes for piping, ductwork, and cableways.