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Tutorial 2 — Every Piping Component

Build one line that uses every component type. Start a New project (Files tab), set up a DN80 SCH 80 section + carbon steel material (Library tab), pressure 2.0 MPa, T_max 120 °C.

1. Pipe and a long-radius elbow​

  1. Manual Node: anchor at 0,0,0 (node 10).
  2. Sequential Route from 10: dX 6 → node 20; then dZ 3 → node 30.
  3. Edit node 20 (✎ or click in 3D): Elbow / Bend, reference section DN80, Bend Radius 0.114 (LR = 1.5 × DN80 nominal). Auto-SIF on.
Why the radius matters

The engine consumes the tangent length T = R·tan(θ/2) from each leg — for a 90° LR DN80 bend that's 114 mm. Legs must be longer than T, and the SIF/flexibility factors come from R, wall and OD per B31.3 Appendix D.

2. A welding tee with a branch​

  1. From node 30 route dZ 2 → node 40.
  2. From 40 route dZ 2 → node 50 — 40 will be the tee centre.
  3. From 40 (select it in Continue From) route the branch: dY 1.5 → node 60.
  4. Edit node 40: Tee / Intersection, Tee Type Welding tee (B16.9), Run Length 0.16 (DN80 tee ≈ 85.7 mm each side), Fitting Height 35 mm. Auto-SIF on — the B31.3 branch and run SIFs apply at the intersection only.

3. A flanged valve in one click​

  1. From node 60 route with Component Flanged Valve (Flange–Valve–Flange): offsets set only the direction (dY 1), Valve Length 0.356, Flange Length 0.083 each, Flange Mass 12 kg each, Body Mass 70 kg. → Route Component. Three rigid elements (F- V- F-) and their nodes appear, correctly butted in series.

4. A standalone flange pair and a generic rigid​

  1. From the new end node route Flange Element (type Flange Pair), offset dY 0.083 — the offset is the face-to-face length for a routed pair. Mass 12 kg.
  2. Route a Rigid Element (generic): dY 0.5, Total Weight 40 kg — an in-line instrument modelled by weight alone. Note it renders as a grey thickened cylinder.

5. Cap the end with a blind flange​

  1. Route one last pipe dY 1 to a final node.
  2. With that node current, choose Flange Element → Blind Flange, mass 15 kg → + Route Component. No new node is created — the end node is capped (the viewer draws the blind plate). Offsets are ignored.

6. Make an existing element rigid​

  1. Assign tab → any pipe element card → tick Rigid Element (1000× stiffness, specified weight) and give it a weight. (Also available as a column in the Grid Editor.) Untick to revert.

7. Verify the lot​

  1. ☑ Check Model — everything should pass. Deliberately break it: edit the bend radius to 2 m and re-check — read the error about the tangent not fitting, then undo (Ctrl+Z).
  2. ⛓ Preview Analysis Mesh — see the bend arc, tee weld nodes (40_A/_B/_C), and rigid stubs exactly as the solver will use them.
  3. Anchor the far end (edit the last capped node? No — a blind cap is an end; anchor the tee branch's last open end or add a support scheme), then Run All Cases.

You now know every component. The Building Models manual page is the full reference for each field.