TM-1801 AVEVA Everything3DGäó (2.1) Foundations Rev 3.0

Training TM-1801
AVEVA Everything3D™ (2.1)

Guide Foundations
Foundations TM-1801
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Foundations TM-1801
Revision Log
Date Revision Description Author Reviewed Approved
01/03/2013 0.1 Issued for Review AVEVA E3D™(1.1) NG

01/03/2013 0.2 Reviewed NG KB
05/03/2013 1.0 Issued for Training AVEVA E3D™(1.1) NG KB PJH
20/01/2014 1.1 Issued for Review AVEVA E3D™(1.1) CT
21/01/2014 1.2 Reviewed CT KB
21/01/2014 2.0 Issued for Training AVEVA E3D™(1.1) CT KB KB
29/09/2015 2.1 Issued for Review AVEVA E3D™ (2.1) JD
29/10/2015 2.2 Reviewed JD MB
19/11/2015 3.0 Issued for Training AVEVA E3D™ (2.1) JD MB KB
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Foundations TM-1801
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CONTENTS
1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................9
1.1 Aim ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.2 Objectives.......................................................................................................................................... 9
1.3 Prerequisites ..................................................................................................................................... 9
1.4 Course Structure............................................................................................................................... 9
1.5 Using this guide .............................................................................................................................. 10
2 Getting Started .....................................................................................................................11
2.1 Enter/Login to AVEVA E3D ............................................................................................................ 11
2.1.1 Entering AVEVA E3D – A Worked Example ............................................................................. 11
2.2 The Model Environment ................................................................................................................. 15
2.3 AVEVA E3D Disciplines ................................................................................................................. 17
2.3.1 Selecting a Modelling Discipline – A Worked Example ............................................................. 17
2.4 AVEVA E3D Forms.......................................................................................................................... 18
2.4.1 Docking the Forms..................................................................................................................... 18
2.4.2 Hiding the Forms ....................................................................................................................... 18
2.4.3 Docking and Hiding Forms – A Worked Example ..................................................................... 19
2.4.4 Splitting the Sliding Forms Set .................................................................................................. 20
2.4.5 Arranging Forms in Sliding Forms Sets..................................................................................... 20
2.4.6 Using Sliding Form Sets – A Worked Example ......................................................................... 20
2.4.7 Undocking the Sliding Forms Sets ............................................................................................ 21
2.5 PowerWheel™ overview ................................................................................................................ 21
2.6 PowerCompass™ Overview .......................................................................................................... 22
2.7 In 3D view Commands Overview................................................................................................... 23
2.8 Contextual Editor Overview ........................................................................................................... 23
2.9 Accessing Help Pages.................................................................................................................... 24
2.10 Closing AVEVA E3D.................................................................................................................... 25
2.11 Set up the Training Course ........................................................................................................ 25
Exercise 1 Using Sliding Forms ........................................................................................................ 26
3 Exploring the Database .......................................................................................................27
3.1 The Model Explorer......................................................................................................................... 27
3.2 The Current Element....................................................................................................................... 28
3.3 Element identification..................................................................................................................... 28
3.3.1 Element Types........................................................................................................................... 28
3.3.2 Element Names ......................................................................................................................... 28
3.4 Design Common elements............................................................................................................. 29
3.5 Using the Model Explorer – A Worked Example.......................................................................... 29
Exercise 2 Navigating the Hierarchy ................................................................................................. 30
4 Viewing the 3D Model ..........................................................................................................31
4.1 Selecting the elements to display in the 3D View ....................................................................... 31
4.1.1 Adding Elements to the 3D View – A Worked Example ............................................................ 31
4.1.2 Adding other elements to the 3D View – A Worked Example ................................................... 32
4.1.3 The Drawlist Form ..................................................................................................................... 33
4.1.4 Colours of the Model Elements ................................................................................................. 33
4.1.5 Removing Elements from the 3D View – A Worked Example................................................... 34
Exercise 3 Displaying Model Elements............................................................................................. 35
4.2 Controlling the 3D View.................................................................................................................. 36
4.2.1 View Limits – A Worked Example.............................................................................................. 36
4.2.2 Zooming..................................................................................................................................... 36
4.2.3 Rotating the 3D View – A Worked Example.............................................................................. 37
4.2.4 View Direction – A Worked Example......................................................................................... 37
4.2.5 Panning...................................................................................................................................... 39
4.2.6 Centre View ............................................................................................................................... 39
4.2.7 Stepping back to previous views ............................................................................................... 39
Exercise 4 Controlling the 3D View ................................................................................................... 40
4.3 Clipping the View ............................................................................................................................ 41

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4.3.1 Creating a clipping box – A Worked Example ........................................................................... 41

4.3.2 Modifying a clipping box – A Worked Example ......................................................................... 42
4.3.3 Capping – A Worked Example .................................................................................................. 43
Exercise 5 Clipping the View ............................................................................................................. 44
4.4 Hiding elements – A Worked Example ......................................................................................... 45
4.5 Element Tooltips ............................................................................................................................. 46
4.6 Settings ............................................................................................................................................ 46
5 Working with the Database..................................................................................................47
5.1 Access Rights ................................................................................................................................. 47
5.2 Creating elements........................................................................................................................... 47
5.2.1 Selecting a Valid Owner – A Worked Example ......................................................................... 48
5.2.2 Naming the new element........................................................................................................... 48
5.3 Renaming Elements – A Worked Example................................................................................... 49
5.4 Copy & Paste an Element – A Worked Example.......................................................................... 50
5.5 Delete an Element – A Worked Example ...................................................................................... 51
5.6 Modifying the Hierarchy ................................................................................................................. 51
5.6.1 Changing the Owner of an element – A Worked Example........................................................ 52
5.6.2 Reordering the Hierarchy – A Worked Example ....................................................................... 53
5.7 Save Work........................................................................................................................................ 54
5.8 Get Work .......................................................................................................................................... 54
5.9 Undo/Redo....................................................................................................................................... 55
5.10 The Claim List.............................................................................................................................. 55
5.10.1 View the Claim List .................................................................................................................... 56
5.10.2 Claiming Elements..................................................................................................................... 56
5.10.3 Unclaiming Elements ................................................................................................................. 57
Exercise 6 Working with the Database ............................................................................................. 58
6 Modifying Model Elements ..................................................................................................59
6.1 Selecting Elements ......................................................................................................................... 59
6.1.1 Selecting Elements Individually – A Worked Example .............................................................. 59
6.1.2 Using a Selection Fence............................................................................................................ 60
6.2 Modifying Attributes ....................................................................................................................... 61
6.2.1 Using the Attributes form – A Worked Example ........................................................................ 61
6.2.2 Using the Properties form – A Worked Example....................................................................... 62
Exercise 7 Modifying Elements Attributes ....................................................................................... 64
6.3 Positioning Elements ..................................................................................................................... 66
6.3.1 Setting the Local Coordinate System – A Worked Example ..................................................... 66
6.3.2 Specifying a position.................................................................................................................. 69
6.3.3 Using the Editor ......................................................................................................................... 73
6.3.4 Using the Move command......................................................................................................... 77
6.3.5 Other Positioning aids ............................................................................................................... 78
Exercise 8 Positioning Elements....................................................................................................... 79
6.4 Rotating Elements .......................................................................................................................... 84
6.4.1 Using the Editor ......................................................................................................................... 84
6.4.2 Using the Rotate command ....................................................................................................... 84
Exercise 9 Rotating Elements............................................................................................................ 86
6.5 The Positioning Control ................................................................................................................. 87
6.5.1 Pick Type ................................................................................................................................... 87
6.5.2 Pick Method – A Worked Example ............................................................................................ 88
7 Creating Additional Views ...................................................................................................89
7.1 Creating an Empty View ................................................................................................................. 89
7.2 Copying a 3D View.......................................................................................................................... 89
7.3 Grid Plane View............................................................................................................................... 90
7.4 Displaying Multiple Views – A Worked Example ......................................................................... 90
Exercise 10 Creating Additional Views ............................................................................................... 92
8 General Utilities....................................................................................................................93
8.1 Search Utility ................................................................................................................................... 93
8.1.1 More Search Tools .................................................................................................................... 95
Exercise 11 Search Utility .................................................................................................................... 97
8.3 Collections....................................................................................................................................... 98

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8.3.1 System Collections .................................................................................................................... 99

8.3.2 Create a Shared Collection ....................................................................................................... 99
8.3.3 My Collections ......................................................................................................................... 101
Exercise 12 Using Collections ........................................................................................................... 102
8.4 Working with Grids ....................................................................................................................... 103
8.4.1 Modifying Values ..................................................................................................................... 103
8.4.2 Sorting a Column ..................................................................................................................... 104
8.4.3 Freezing a Column .................................................................................................................. 104
8.4.4 Filtering a column .................................................................................................................... 105
8.4.5 Adding columns ....................................................................................................................... 105
8.4.6 Arranging Columns .................................................................................................................. 106
8.4.7 Column Units ........................................................................................................................... 106
8.4.8 Grouping .................................................................................................................................. 107
8.4.9 Column Summaries ................................................................................................................. 107
8.4.10 Quick Report............................................................................................................................ 108
8.4.11 Exporting to Excel.................................................................................................................... 109
Exercise 13 Working with Grids ........................................................................................................ 110
8.5 Measuring tools ............................................................................................................................ 111
8.5.1 Measure Distance.................................................................................................................... 111
8.5.2 Measure Angle......................................................................................................................... 112
8.6 Walk Mode & Fly Mode ................................................................................................................. 113
8.6.1 Walk Mode Controls ................................................................................................................ 114
8.6.2 Fly Mode Controls.................................................................................................................... 115
Exercise 14 ............................................................................................................................................... 117
8.7 Save & Restore Views .................................................................................................................. 118
8.7.1 Saving Views ........................................................................................................................... 118
8.7.2 Restoring Saved Views ........................................................................................................... 119
8.7.3 Deleting Saved Views.............................................................................................................. 119
8.8 Copy Image.................................................................................................................................... 119
9 Settings...............................................................................................................................121
9.1 Explorer Settings .......................................................................................................................... 121
9.2 View Settings................................................................................................................................. 121
9.3 Drawlist Settings........................................................................................................................... 124
9.3.1 Tabs......................................................................................................................................... 124
9.3.2 Display Settings ....................................................................................................................... 125
9.3.3 Options .................................................................................................................................... 126
9.4 Graphics Settings ......................................................................................................................... 127
9.4.1 Colour Tab ............................................................................................................................... 127
9.4.2 Representation Tab ................................................................................................................. 128
9.4.3 Steelwork Tab.......................................................................................................................... 131
9.4.4 Cabling Tab ............................................................................................................................. 132
9.4.5 Plines and Ppoints Tab............................................................................................................ 132
9.5 Attributes Form Settings.............................................................................................................. 133
9.6 Project Options ............................................................................................................................. 134
9.6.1 Configuration ........................................................................................................................... 134
9.6.2 View options ............................................................................................................................ 136
9.6.3 Discipline Options .................................................................................................................... 136
AVEVA E3D Modules ......................................................................................137
Model......................................................................................................................................................... 137
Draw .......................................................................................................................................................... 138
Isodraft...................................................................................................................................................... 139
Spool ......................................................................................................................................................... 139
AVEVA E3D Database Elements ....................................................................141
World (WORL) .......................................................................................................................................... 141
Site (SITE) ................................................................................................................................................. 141
Zone (ZONE) ............................................................................................................................................. 141
Equipment (EQUI) .................................................................................................................................... 141
Sub-Equipment (SUBE)........................................................................................................................... 141
Primitives.................................................................................................................................................. 141
Volume Model (VOLM)............................................................................................................................. 141

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Sub-Volume Model (SVOLM) .................................................................................................................. 142

Structure (STRU)...................................................................................................................................... 142
Framework (FRMW) ................................................................................................................................. 142
Sub-Framework (SBFR) .......................................................................................................................... 142
Structural Components........................................................................................................................... 142
Pipe (PIPE)................................................................................................................................................ 142
Branch (BRAN)......................................................................................................................................... 142
Piping Components................................................................................................................................. 142
Hot Keys and 3D View Commands ................................................................143

CHAPTER 1
1 Introduction
AVEVA Everything3D™, enables the user to design a 3D computer model of a project. AVEVA E3D™ allows
the user to see a full colour-shaded representation of the model as the design progresses, adding an extremely
impressive level of realism to traditional drawing office techniques.
In the model the user can store huge amounts of data referring to position, size, part numbers and geometric
relationships for the various parts of the project. The model becomes a single source of engineering data for
all of the sections and disciplines involved in a design project.
All this information is stored in databases. There are many different output channels from the databases
through which information can be passed on. These range from reports on data stored in the databases, fully
annotated and dimensioned engineering drawings, to full colour-shaded 3D walk-through capabilities which
allow the user to visualise the complete design model.
1.1 Aim
The aim of this training module is to provide the basic knowledge of the common features that provide the
‘foundations’ for the AVEVA Everything3D Model module.
1.2 Objectives
 Familiarise trainees with the basics of the User Interface.
 Explore the data structure of AVEVA E3D.
 Explain how to display and manipulate the 3D model.
 Explain basic techniques for creating and modifying 3D models.
 Familiarise the user with general functionalities.
1.3 Prerequisites
 Familiarity with Microsoft Windows.
 Knowledge of engineering design.
1.4 Course Structure
Training will consist of oral and visual presentations, demonstrations and set exercises. Each workstation will
have a training project, populated with model objects. This will be used by the trainees to practice their
methods, and complete the set exercises.

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1.5 Using this guide
Certain text styles are used to indicate special situations throughout this document, here is a summary;
Menu pull downs and button press actions are indicated by bold dark turquoise text.
Information the user has to key-in will be in bold red text.
Where additional information is presented, or reference is made to other documentation the following
annotation will be used:
 Additional information
 Refer to other documentation
System prompts will be bold, italicised, and presented in inverted commas i.e. 'Choose function'.
Example files or inputs will be in the courier new font.

CHAPTER 2
2 Getting Started
This chapter will show how to enter an AVEVA E3D session and run through some of the user interface basics
to familiarise the user with the Model environment.
2.1 Enter/Login to AVEVA E3D
AVEVA E3D may be started by using the Start menu icon or the Desktop icon, providing both options were
selected when the product was installed.
Selecting Start > All Programs > AVEVA from the task bar displays
three further options: Design, Engineer and Manage
Selecting the Design option displays the Everything3D 2.1.0 shortcut.
Clicking the shortcut will start an AVEVA E3D session.
Alternatively, an AVEVA E3D session can be started by double clicking

the AVEVA Everything3D 2.1 shortcut icon on the desktop
2.1.1 Entering AVEVA E3D – A Worked Example
Double click the AVEVA Everything3D 2.1 shortcut on the desktop to start an
AVEVA E3D session
The AVEVA E3D initialisation image will be displayed:

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When initialisation is complete, the AVEVA E3D Login form will be displayed:
Project selection Tiles: allows the user to select a project

to work on. These tiles scroll horizontally if there are more
projects available than fit on the form.
Project search Tile: allows the user to search for a project

and to display masked project tiles.
Module selection Tiles: starts the selected module with

the selected project and credentials.
AVEVA Everything 3D is divided into modules to perform the various functions to produce a 3D Plant design
model. The modules and their functions are:-
 Model for 3D modelling.
 Draw for 2D drawing production.
 Isodraft for Isometric drawing production.
 Spool for pipe spooling.
For more information about AVEVA Everything3D Modules, refer to Appendix A.
Click the TRA tile from the Project selection Tiles to

select the “Training” Project

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The Project Information Tile will be displayed next to the selected Project tile, and the Project search tile will
be replaced by the Project Credentials tile:
To navigate back to the project selection tiles, click on the “>” button located at the right hand side of the
Project Information Tile.
Three mandatory pieces of information must be supplied before starting the project with a module: The user
name, the user password, and an MDB. Optionally, it is possible to open the project as it was at a certain date
by selecting a “Stamp”.
Click the down arrow button on the right side of the MDB
textbox displays an options list of MDBs for the project.
Select A-EQUIPMENT from the options list.
MDB stands for Multiple Databases and defines a group of databases to be loaded for the selected Module.
An Everything3D project contains several databases of different types to store the data. In Model, the design
data is generally split into different databases of type “DESI”, to separate the different disciplines, or different
areas in the project. This allows more granularity in the project organisation, and the control of user rights.
The MDBs are created by the administrator with a selection of databases that are required for different tasks
and scope of work.
For example, in the Training project, selecting the MDB “A-EQUIPMENT” will load a selection of all the design
and catalogue databases required for designing the equipment in the project.
Select User A.EQUIPMAN then enter Password A.
Notice the password is hidden with each character being

represented by a dot.
 The Password can be changed by clicking the Key

button next to the password text box.

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The access rights will be applied on the databases loaded by the MDB depending on the User selected in the
Project Credentials tile.
Each database of the project is owned by a “Team” defined by the administrator. The selected user will have
the right to create / modify / delete elements in a loaded database only if they are a member of the Team
owning the database. Otherwise, the database will be opened in “Read Only” mode.
For example, in the Training project, the administrator has assigned the user “A.EQUIPMAN” to the team
“EQUIP” and therefore the user “A.EQUIPMAN” will have the right to create / modify / delete elements in all
the databases owned by the Team “EQUIP”.
Click the Model tile to enter the AVEVA E3D Model session
for the specified project.
The AVEVA E3D initialization animated image will be displayed for a few seconds while the module is loaded
along with the databases from the selected MDB.
The main Application interface will then be displayed. Note that the project data will not be visible until invoked
by the user as described in the chapters that follow.

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2.2 The Model Environment
The AVEVA E3D user interface is based on the Microsoft® Office Fluent™ user interface. Starting Model
for the first time will use the default screen layout as shown below:
Quick Access Toolbar Tabs Group
Prompt Area
Sliding Forms
3D view
PowerWheel™
PowerCompass™
™
Status Bar
Notification Area
Message Area
View Tab Group
This default layout may be modified to suit individual preferences, e.g. additional forms may displayed in the
layout, forms may be moved and ‘docked’ and pinned/unpinned as required. Some of these features are
described later in this chapter.
After exiting AVEVA E3D or changing to a different module, a subsequent return to the Model module will
restore the screen layout as it was left in the previous session.
Quick Access Toolbar: provides shortcuts to most common command for

a quick access.
Tabs: regroups the application buttons by category. Displayed tabs

depend on the selected Discipline.
Groups: each tab is divided into Groups to organise the buttons by task.
Prompt Area: provides instructions while performing an action.

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3D view: Workspace where the Model elements can be viewed and

worked on. The 3D view can contain one or several 3DViews.
Sliding forms Sets or Panels: forms are docked and tabbed on both sides
of the 3D View and can be temporarily hidden to clear the 3D view.
PowerWheel™: provides quick access to most common commands

directly in the 3D View by a right click.
PowerCompass™: provides intuitive tools to orientate the view and select

different Coordinate Systems.
Status bar: provides quick access to common modelling options.
Message Area: displays the last information, warning, or error messages.
Notification Area: displays information about the status of a global project.
View Tab Group: provides access to the different opened 3D Views from
multiple tabs.

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2.3 AVEVA E3D Disciplines
Discipline interfaces are accessed from the Discipline

options list on the Quick Access Toolbar.
Selecting a discipline from the options list displays the

selected disciplines interface.
2.3.1 Selecting a Modelling Discipline – A Worked Example
If not already selected, select the EQUIPMENT

discipline in the Discipline options list from the Quick
Access Toolbar.
Depending on the discipline, new Tabs will be displayed in the Fluent UI to provide the tools specific to that
discipline. For example, selecting the EQUIPMENT discipline will display the EQUIPMENT tab:
 Note that the EQUIPMENT tab will be displayed for most of the modelling disciplines.
The organization of the discipline tabs offers user friendly access by presenting the same groups in the same
order for common tasks like Create, Modify and Delete:
Group Create Group Modify Group Delete
 This training guide covers some general basic functionality, however, the majority of functionality is
described in the relevant discipline training guide.

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2.4 AVEVA E3D Forms
Much of the AVEVA E3D user interface is driven by forms which are invoked from the buttons on the discipline
interface or from other forms. Forms are used to display information or to enter or modify data.
Forms come in a variety of sizes and contain different input and modification devices, e.g. textboxes,
checkboxes, options lists, buttons, link labels, etc, which are commonly referred to as gadgets.
The forms are translucent by default, allowing the model elements on the background to be seen. When a
form is clicked and being used, it becomes opaque. The translucency of the forms can be configured in the
project options which is covered in a later chapter.
Most of the AVEVA E3D Forms are dockable, i.e. can be arranged in a fixed position, in two areas located on
the left and the right hand side of the 3D view. These two areas, allow the creation of Sliding Forms Sets,
which offer different functionality to display and arrange the opened forms.
A Sliding Forms Set
 Allows multiple forms to be opened in multiple tabs.
Tabs  May be split in two parts, the Top and Bottom

Segment, allowing two forms to be visible
simultaneously.
Splitting Bar  May be collapsed on one side to enlarge the working
Top Segment area.
Bottom Segment
 May be hidden to clear the 3D view.
 May be docked on one side of the 3D view, or made

“Floating”, i.e. positioned freely.
 For clarity, when docked on one side of the 3D view the

Sliding Forms Set will be referred as to the Left or
Right Panel
2.4.1 Docking the Forms
The Left and Right Panels can contain one or several forms which will appear as different tabs. Generally,
when dockable Forms are initially displayed they will dock at their default position in one of the Panels, on
either side of the 3D view.
If not contained in a Panel, a Form is said to be “Floating”, and may be reattached by dragging the Title bar of
the form inside the Panel. Or, it can be detached from the Panel by dragging the tab to any location in the 3D
view.
2.4.2 Hiding the Forms
To enlarge the working space, the forms may be hidden in different ways:-
 Modifying the size of the Panels.
 Collapsing one Panel on one side of the 3D view by clicking on the active tab.
 Hiding all the forms on the 3D view by clicking the Clear 3D view button located at the top right hand
corner of the application window.

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2.4.3 Docking and Hiding Forms – A Worked Example
In the tab TOOLS, group Display, click the Messages

button. This will open the Messages Form in a floating
state.
 Buttons opening Forms will remain highlighted in blue

while the form is open
Hold the left mouse button on the Title bar of the Messages
form, and drag the form inside the Left Panel.
A small grey square will appear at the bottom of the Panel

to indicate that the form will be docked above the splitting
bar. Release the button to dock the form.
When a form is docked in the Panel amongst others, a new tab will be added in the tab bar of the Sliding Form
Set. The forms may then be made visible by clicking on the relevant tab which will be highlighted in blue to
indicate the user that it is active.
Drag the mouse when on the border of the panel to

increase or decrease its size.
Double clicking on the border will restore the Panel to the

default size.
Click the active tab to collapse the Panel
Click again on the active tab to restore the previous state.
Click the Clear 3D view button to hide all docked and

floating forms located on the 3D view.
Click again to restore the previous state.

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2.4.4 Splitting the Sliding Forms Set
The Panels consists of two areas, the top and the bottom segment, to allow the visibility of two forms
simultaneously.
The size of the bottom segment, which is collapsed by default, may be adjusted by dragging the splitting bar
upward or downward.
When a Panel is split, the two segments can be populated with multiple forms. The two segments will then
contain their own group of tabs, and two forms can now be visible, one in each segment.
2.4.5 Arranging Forms in Sliding Forms Sets
With multiple forms opened and docked, it is possible to change the order of the forms in one segment, or to
move a form from one segment to another, or to move a form from one Panel to another.
In the same manner, the tab may be dragged to the other side of the 3D view and dropped in the top or bottom
segment of the right Panel.
2.4.6 Using Sliding Form Sets – A Worked Example
In the Left Panel, position the mouse on the splitting bar

located at the bottom of the Panel. The appearance of the
cursor will change to a dimensioning icon.
Hold the left mouse button down, move the mouse forward
to increase the size of the bottom segment.
Release the mouse when the sliding bar is near the middle.
The bottom segment is now ready to be populated with
forms.
Click on the arrow at the middle of the splitting bar. This will
collapse the bottom segment.
Click again on the arrow to restore the splitting bar to its

previous position
In the left Panel, hold the left mouse button down on the
Messages tab.
Drag the Messages tab towards the upper part of the Model
Explorer tab. Note the red arrows indicating the new
position while dragging the tab.
Release the button when the red arrows are on the top of
the Model Explorer tab. The Messages tab is now reordered
before the Model Explorer tab

Foundations TM-1801
In the left Panel, hold the left mouse button down on the
Messages tab.
Drag the tab towards the bottom segment of the Panel.

Note the grey square indicating that the tab will be
positioned below the splitting bar.
Release the button to position the tab in the bottom

segment.
Now the Messages form can be viewed along with the

Model Explorer form.
2.4.7 Undocking the Sliding Forms Sets
The two Panels are by default docked on the left and right hand side of the 3D view. It is however possible to
undock them in order to position them freely on the main screen, or a secondary screen.
To undock a Panel, right click on one of its tabs and select the Float option.
The Sliding Form set can then be moved like any other form by holding the left button on the title bar.
To dock the Panel back to its original position, right click on one of its tab and uncheck the Float option.
2.5 PowerWheel™ overview
A number of Model operations may be initiated and controlled through the use of the PowerWheel™; invoked
by right-clicking within the 3D View.
Tile
The primary PowerWheel in Model
A function is selected from the PowerWheel by a left-click on the required tile – this may prompt a secondary
PowerWheel for refined selection. For instance selecting the View Direction tile from the primary Power Wheel
prompts a secondary PowerWheel to specify the direction of the 3D View.
Alternatively, by clicking and holding the right mouse button, the required tile can be indicated by moving the
cursor in the appropriate direction and selection confirmed on release of the mouse button. The direction of
selection is aided by an indicating line. On selection of the required option in the primary Power Wheel, the
action may be repeated for selection in the secondary Power Wheel. This operation will be referred as a
“Gesture” in the next Chapters and in other Training Guides.

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As an extension to the primary Power Wheel, pressing

the <Ctrl> key on clicking the right mouse button
prompts an alternative layout with general functions.
The PowerWheel may also be used in context during a Modelling action.
On performing an action requiring to specify points in

the 3D View, the Object Snap PowerWheel can be
invoked by right clicking while holding the <Shift> key.
This PowerWheel allows the user to filter one specific

Object Snap temporarily for the current action.
 Object snaps will be described in a later chapter.
The PowerWheel functions will be described in more detail in specific training courses.
2.6 PowerCompass™ Overview
The PowerCompass is an intuitive tool allowing the user to control the view direction and to select different
coordinate systems.
The view direction features of the PowerCompass will be described section 4.2.
The coordinate systems will be described in section 6.3.1.
It is possible to move the position of the PowerCompass by dragging the blue grip located below the compass.

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2.7 In 3D view Commands Overview
Additionally to forms and buttons for user input, it is possible to invoke specific commands by entering them
directly in the 3D View. These commands as referred to as “In 3D view Commands”.
A list of the In 3D view Commands is presented in Appendix C
2.8 Contextual Editor Overview
Many commands in AVEVA Everything3D will require user input and most of the time it may be done by
entering value or selecting options directly in the 3D view.
For example, when the MOVE command is used, the user is required to specify positions, and a prompt called
the “Contextual Editor” will be displayed beside the cursor in the 3D View:
Current option Textboxes
Absolute / Relative mode

Other options
When the command is invoked, the default option for this command will be the current option. But the user
may select alternative options by pressing the <down-arrow> key, then clicking on the appropriate tile or
pressing the corresponding key indicated on the tile.
Navigation between text boxes may be achieved by pressing the <tab> key.
When coordinates are to be entered, it may be possible to switch the Absolute mode to Relative mode by
pressing the <Shift> and <@> keys. Also, it is possible to switch between Cartesian, cylindrical or polar
coordinates by pressing the apostrophe <`> key.

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2.9 Accessing Help Pages
The AVEVA Everything3D Help Viewer can be accessed in three different ways:
 By clicking the Help > AVEVA Everything3D Help button

from the PROJECT tab
 By clicking the ? button at the top right hand corner of the

application window
 By pressing the <F1> key .This will open the Help Viewer
with the page opened for the form being currently used.

Foundations TM-1801
The Help Viewer enables the user to explore the AVEVA E3D documentation either via the logically grouped
items in the Contents tab, from an alphabetical index via the Index tab or search for key words via the Search
tab.
The page of the displayed User Documentation in the Help Viewer may be printed by clicking the Print button
in the top right hand corner of the Help Viewer window.
2.10 Closing AVEVA E3D
Everything3D may be closed by clicking the standard “cross” button at the top right hand corner of the
application window, or, from the PROJECT tab by selecting the Exit button, or, selecting the close button from
the AVEVA E3D icon at the top left hand corner of the application window.
When closing AVEVA E3D, if changes have been made but not saved, a dialog box will prompt the user to
save the changes or cancel:
Refer to section 5.7 for more information about saving the changes in the database.
2.11 Set up the Training Course
In the TOOLS tab, group Training, click the Setup button.
This will open the Training Setup form.
In the Foundations tab, click the Add TRA Site option.
Then click the Apply button.
This will create a new element “SITE TRA.SITE” visible in

the Model Explorer :

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 1 Using Sliding Forms
1. Expand the bottom segment of the right Panel. Drag the splitting bar to the middle of the Panel.
2. In the TOOLS tab, group Display, click the Commands button to open the Commands Window.
3. Dock the Commands Window in the bottom segment of the right Panel.
4. Drag the Messages form to the bottom segment of the right Panel.
5. Collapse the bottom segment of the right Panel.
6. Collapse the right Panel.

CHAPTER 3
3 Exploring the Database
This chapter will describe how the Model data can be browsed and how the different elements can be
identified.
3.1 The Model Explorer
The Model Explorer is a form containing a representation of the content of the loaded design databases, in
the form of an explorer tree with expandable branches called “nodes”. In the default Model environment, the
Model Explorer is docked in the Panel at the left hand side of the 3D view.
If the Model Explorer is closed, it can be opened from the TOOLS tab, group Explorers:
The AVEVA Everything3D database, called Dabacon, is a hierarchical database where elements contain
other elements.
To view or hide the content of one element, expand or collapse the node by clicking on the arrow next to the
element.
Click the arrow icon next to the element SITE TRA.SITE to

view its content. This will expand the node of the Model
Explorer.
When an element contains other elements, it is referred as the “Owner” of the contained elements, and the
contained elements are referred to as its “Members”. The topmost element which contains all the other
elements is called the “World”.
For more options about the Model Explorer, refer to section 9.1

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3.2 The Current Element
A fundamental concept of the Dabacon database is that any action of creation, deletion or modification of an
element in the database is performed on one element which has been previously selected by the user. This
selected element is referred as to the “Current Element” or “CE”. The action of selecting the Current Element
is called “Navigating to”.
In the Model Explorer, a left click on an element will navigate

to this element, making it the Current Element. This will be
notified by a blue highlight of the element in the tree.
It is also possible to navigate to an element knowing its name

by using the Navigation List located at the top of the Model
Explorer:
This is typically used when the position of the desired element

in the hierarchy is not known.
 Note that element names in E3D are case sensitive and this applies while searching for elements in the
Navigation List.
3.3 Element identification
In the Model Explorer, the elements are identified by an icon, an element type, and its name as follows:
Element Name
Element Type
Icon representing the Type
3.3.1 Element Types
Each element in the database is assigned an element Type which defines its characteristics and behaviour.
In the Model Explorer, the type of element is indicated by the first four letters next to the element’s icon.
Depending on its Type, an element may only exist in a valid position in the hierarchy. For example, an element
of type “SITE” can only be owned by an element of type “WORL”, an element of type “ZONE” can only be
owned by an element of type “SITE” etc...
For more information about database types, refer to Appendix B.
3.3.2 Element Names
Next to the element Type is the Name of the element. The name of the element is optional and can be specified
by the user when the element is created, or can be changed afterwards.
 The element names must comply with a set of rules that will be described in the “Creating Elements”
chapter.
When an element is not named, it will appear in the hierarchy with a number next to its type. This number
indicates the order of the element in the hierarchy, from top to bottom, for a given element type.
For example, the first element of type CYLI in TANK1 is not named and therefore
will be identified by “CYLI 1” in the hierarchy.

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In the forms, unnamed element will be referenced by a “system name” containing the Type, the order in the
hierarchy, and the name of the owner. For example, the second PYRA in TANK1 will have a constructed
name “PYRAMID 2 OF EQUIPMENT /TANK1”
 Note that the actual name of an element in the database is always prefixed with a forward slash. Most of
the forms will automatically add it if omitted.
Internally AVEVA E3D does not use names to identify elements, but a unique database reference number so
that an element may be re-named at any time.
These reference numbers are never re-used if an element is deleted and therefore, remain unique throughout
the life of the project. On some forms the reference number is used in place of the system name and will look
like =23584/2152.
3.4 Design Common elements
In the Design database, most of the design elements will be stored in a common tree structure composed of
SITE elements and ZONE elements. These two element types are common to all discipline and often referred
as to “administrative” elements as their main purpose is to organize the project.
A typical organization of a project is reproduced in the Training and Sample project, where the purpose of
SITE elements is to group the data by Area and Discipline. The ZONE elements can be used as “Sub-groups”
inside a SITE. All the other element types stored below a ZONE are discipline dependent. For example the
type “EQUI” will be used for the Equipment discipline, the type “PIPE” for the Piping discipline etc.
3.5 Using the Model Explorer – A Worked Example
Click on the element ZONE EQUIP.ZONE in the Model

Explorer to make it the CE.
Click inside the Navigation List in the Model Explorer.
Enter TA. Note that while typing, a list will appear showing
all the element names starting with the current entry:
Click on the name TANK1 in the list to navigate to this

element.
Observe the different element types and their position in the

hierarchy : SITE, ZONE, EQUI …
Note that the standard element types are associated with a

specific icon for a quick identification.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 2 Navigating the Hierarchy
1. In the Model Explorer, collapse the node for the Model WORL * element.
2. Expand the Model WORL * element.
3. Expand the TRA.SITE element to display the ZONE elements owned by the SITE.
4. Expand the different element types in the ZONE and note what type of elements they own.
5. In the textbox at the top of Model Explorer, enter p and note that only element names with a lower case
“p” are displayed.
6. Select one of the names and note that model explorer navigates to one of the elements in the PIPE ZONE
of the TRA.SITE element.

CHAPTER 4
4 Viewing the 3D Model
After starting AVEVA Everything3D, all the loaded database elements will be visible in the Model Explorer and
will be accessible by expanding the nodes of the hierarchy, as described in the previous chapter.
The 3D View allows the user to manipulate the geometric database elements graphically, or in other terms, to
create and visualise in 3D the model elements.
By default, the 3D View is empty when starting AVEVA E3D. The user will have the possibility to decide which
element, or group of elements are to be displayed in a 3D View to suit the scope of his work.
This chapter describes how to select the model elements to be displayed; and how to use the basic controls
to manipulate the 3D View.
4.1 Selecting the elements to display in the 3D View
To display a Model element, it must be selected from the Model Explorer and then added to the 3D View. The
content of the 3D View is a collection of database elements called a Drawlist.
When adding an element to a 3D View, all its members will also be added. For example if a SITE is added, all
the other elements contained in this SITE, like ZONE, EQUI or PIPE, are also added to the 3D View. The
Drawlist associated with the 3D View will be automatically populated, however, only the “significant” elements,
i.e. element containing geometric definitions, will populate the Drawlist.
Elements may be added or removed from the 3D View at any time during a Model session.
4.1.1 Adding Elements to the 3D View – A Worked Example
When an element is made the CE, it may be added to the 3D View by either:-
 Dragging and dropping the element from the Model Explorer into the 3D View.
 Right clicking the element in the Model Explorer and selecting 3D View > Add.
 Clicking the Add CE button from the VIEW tab, group Content
 Add Connected – this option adds the CE and any elements connected to it to the Drawlist and 3D
View.
 Add Within Volume – this option adds the CE and any elements that are partially or wholly within a
‘volume box’ whose size is derived from the extremities of the CE to the Drawlist and 3D View.
4.1.1.1 Dragging and Dropping

In the Model Explorer, navigate to the element ZONE CIVIL.ZONE
Drag and drop the element into the 3D View
Note that the view is zoomed to fit the whole element in the display.
If the CE is a component or primitive, e.g. a valve or a cylinder, the owning element, with all its members are
also added to the 3D View. However, if the <Ctrl> key is pressed during the drag and drop operation, only the
component or primitive will be added to the 3D View.

Foundations TM-1801
 Holding the <Shift> key while dragging an element to the 3D View will remove all the elements from the
Drawlist except the CE.
If the added elements are the first elements to be added to an empty Drawlist, the limits of the view will be
automatically adjusted around these elements. Subsequent additions to the Drawlist will not affect the limits
of the view, i.e. larger elements added later will be clipped in the 3D View. The View limits will then have to be
redefined, as explained in a later chapter.
4.1.1.2 Adding from the Right Click Menu

In the Model Explorer, right click on the element TANK1,
located in ZONE EQUIP.ZONE.
Select 3D View > Add
If the CE is a component or a primitive, selecting the Add Only

option will add the selected component or the primitive only,
without adding its owner.
4.1.1.3 Adding from the View Tab

In the Model Explorer, navigate to the ZONE EQUIP.ZONE.
In the VIEW tab, located in the Content group, click the Add CE button. This adds
the CE to the Drawlist.
4.1.2 Adding other elements to the 3D View – A Worked Example
Additional options are available from the Popup menu when right clicking on the CE in the Model Explorer to
add to the 3D View elements that are close or related to the CE.
4.1.2.1 Add Connected Elements

In the Model Explorer, Navigate to the Equipment element
PUMP1.
Right click on the element and select 3D View > Add

Connected.
This will add the suction and discharge pipes that are connected
to the Pump
 How elements are connected varies depending on the discipline and is outside the scope of this
training guide. Refer to specific discipline training guides for element connectivity.
4.1.2.2 Add Within Volume

In the Model Explorer, navigate to the element TANK2
Right click on the element and select 3D View > Add Within
Volume
This will add all the elements partially or wholly within the
volume englobing the element TANK2.
 The other options Add support, Add Supported Elements

and Add Laser Within Volume are covered in the dedicated
training manuals.

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4.1.3 The Drawlist Form
The Drawlist Form allows the visualization of the list of elements contained in the 3D View. From this form, all
the Add and Remove options seen previously are available, along with additional options to modify the
appearance of the model elements in the 3D View, like colours and translucency.
For more options and settings using the Drawlist form, refer to section 9.3
4.1.4 Colours of the Model Elements
Although it is possible to modify the colours of elements from the Drawlist form, this is temporary, affecting
only the display of the current user, and will be reset when the element is removed from the Drawlist.
Unless customized, standard Model elements do not have a colour information stored in the database. The
standard colours as they appear in the 3D View are defined by Rules, e.g. all elements of type EQUI are in
colour gold with 0% translucency. The Colour Rules may be customized by the Administrator, and are
enabled/disabled by using the Auto-Colour toggle in the VIEW tab, group Settings.

Foundations TM-1801
4.1.5 Removing Elements from the 3D View – A Worked Example
There are 3 methods that can be used to remove elements the 3D View. These are stated in the sub sections
below.
4.1.5.1 Using the PowerWheel

Items can be removed from the Drawlist and 3D view by selecting the chosen elements in the 3D View and
chose the Remove Selection option in the primary PowerWheel.
In the 3D View, left click on PUMP1 to select it.
Right click to invoke the PowerWheel.
Gesture to the Remove Selection tile.
This option will remove all the elements included in the current
graphical selection, i.e. elements that are outlined in green in the
3D View. Graphical selections will be described in a later chapter.
 If the selected element is a component, e.g. a valve, the

owner of the element with all its members will be removed.
4.1.5.2 Using the Model Explorer

Items can also be removed by selection through the Model
Explorer.
Right clicking the element TANK2 in the Model Explorer and

select 3D View > Remove.
If the CE is a component or a primitive, selecting the Remove

option will remove the owner of the component or primitive with
all its members.
To remove only the CE without its owner in the case of a component or primitive, select the Remove Only
option.
4.1.5.3 Using the VIEW tab

The final method is to select an option from the Remove options list, located in the Content group of the VIEW
tab; Remove CE, Remove All or Remove Selection.
In the Model Explorer, navigate to the element TANK1.
Click the Remove options button, located on the VIEW tab and select Remove CE,
this will remove TANK1 from the 3D View.
Click again the Remove options button then select Remove All. This will remove
all the elements in the 3D View and empty the Drawlist.
The Remove Selection option will have the same effect as the equivalent
PowerWheel option.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 3 Displaying Model Elements
In the VIEW tab, group Content, click the Drawlist button to display the Drawlist form. Dock the form in the
bottom segment of the left Panel.
In Model Explorer expand the TRA.SITE element to show the ZONE elements and expand the EQUIP.ZONE
element. Navigate to the element TANK1 and drag and drop it into the 3D View.
Navigate to the element PUMP1 and click the Add CE button from the VIEW tab, group Content.
Right click the EQUIP.ZONE element in Model Explorer to display the pop-up menu and select 3D View >
Add to add the ZONE to the Drawlist. Note that only the equipment element TANK2 has been added to the
Drawlist. As the other equipment items owned by the EQUI.ZONE were already in the Drawlist only the
remaining equipment item has been added.
TANK2 cannot be seen in the 3D View as the display limits were set around TANK1. Right click in the 3D
View and gesture to the Extents tile of the PowerWheel. The limits are now set to display all of the equipment
elements in the 3D View.
Right click on TANK1 in Model Explorer and select 3D View > Add Connected from the pop-up menu. This
will add pipe1-b1 to the 3D View as the pipe is connected to the equipment.
Right click on TANK2 in Model Explorer and select 3D View > Add Within Volume from the pop-up menu.
This adds pipe2-b1 and some of the section (SCTN) elements that make up the TANK2 supports to the 3D
View as they are within the volume of the equipment item.
Navigate to PIPE.ZONE and click the Add CE to Drawlist button on the Drawlist form to add the remainder
of the pipe branches to the 3D View.
Add the CIVIL.ZONE to the Drawlist using any method.

Foundations TM-1801
4.2 Controlling the 3D View
Most of the controls to manipulate the views will be accessed directly from mouse buttons and the
PowerWheel, with their equivalent in the VIEW tab.
4.2.1 View Limits – A Worked Example
Model elements may be present in the Drawlist but not visible in the 3D View. The 3D View has invisible limits
which will clip and hide all elements outside these limits. By default, the view limits are automatically adjusted
to englobe the first elements added to the 3D View as seen in the previous chapter.
To view the elements that are outside the View Limits either:-
 Right click in the 3D View to invoke the

PowerWheel and select the Extents option
 Click the Extents option in the Limits options

button from the VIEW tab, group Control
These options will calculate the dimension of a virtual box that englobes all the elements in the Drawlist, then
scale this box in order to make all the elements visible in the 3D view.
Add the element PUMP1 to the 3D View
Now add the element TRA.SITE to the 3D View, the View will remain focused
on PUMP1.
Right click in the 3D View to invoke the PowerWheel, then gesture to the
Extents option. The view limits will now be extended to include the entire
Drawlist.
4.2.2 Zooming
Rolling the wheel forward will zoom in and scrolling the wheel backwards zooms out. The Zoom is centered
at the location of the cursor.
Additional Zoom options can be found in the VIEW tab, group Control :
Window: define a window to zoom in by two clicks in the

3D View
Extents: rescale the whole Drawlist to fit on the 3D view.

View limits are not modified with this option.
Object: zoom to the elements in the current graphical

selection.
Zoom Center: specify the center and the ratio of the zoom

Foundations TM-1801
4.2.3 Rotating the 3D View – A Worked Example
The Rotation of the model is achieved by holding the middle mouse button down and moving the mouse in
any direction. By default, the rotation mode is set about the Model, i.e. the observer will rotate in any direction
around a fixed position.
The center of rotation is determined when the button is pressed. Its position is set where the crosshair touches
an element on the 3D View. The center of rotation will be indicated by a pink pin while rotating.
Ensure SITE TRA.SITE is displayed in the 3D View.
Explore the Model by rotating and zooming using the different methods
described previously.
 Observe the changes in the PowerCompass and the Crosshair
4.2.4 View Direction – A Worked Example
The direction of the view is set “Freely” when rotating the model as seen previously.
It is also possible to set the view direction by using a preset, like an isometric direction, an orthogonal direction,
or a plan direction.
This may be done either by using Look button in the VIEW tab, by invoking the PowerWheel, or by using the
PowerCompass.
4.2.4.1 Using the VIEW tab

In the VIEW tab, group Control, click the Look options button and select
the first Isometric option. The view is displayed below.

Foundations TM-1801
4.2.4.2 Using the PowerWheel

In the 3D View, right click to invoke the
PowerWheel. Gesture to the View Direction
tile. This will open a secondary PowerWheel.
In the secondary PowerWheel, gesture to the

tile on the right. This will set the View
Direction looking from East.
4.2.4.3 Using the PowerCompass

On the PowerCompass, click on the D label to set the View Direction looking Down.
Click on the blue ball between the N and E cardinal points. This will set the View direction to a NE
Isometric.

Foundations TM-1801
4.2.5 Panning
Panning enables the contents of the 3D View to be moved across the view in any direction.
In the 3D View, holding the <Ctrl> key down and holding the middle mouse button whist moving the cursor
will pan the view.
The 3D View may also be panned by ‘setting the centre of interest’. Positioning the cursor anywhere in the 3D
View and clicking the middle mouse button will move the selected point to the centre of the view. Therefore,
the view may be panned in any direction by selectively picking a point in the view and clicking the middle
mouse button.
The view will pan by the distance between the picked point and the centre of the 3D View. Keeping the cursor
in the same location and repeatedly clicking the middle mouse button will keep panning the view.
4.2.6 Centre View
Clicking the Centre View button in the Manipulate

group of the 3D View tab will move the view so that it
is centered on the CE.
4.2.7 Stepping back to previous views
AVEVA E3D keeps a record of all the successive view directions and positions used during the current session.
At any time, the user may step back to a previous view state, or step forward to a later view state.
- clicking the left arrow label on the

PowerCompass will step back to the previous view.
- clicking the right arrow label on the

PowerCompass will step forward to the next view.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 4 Controlling the 3D View
Remove all the elements from the Drawlist.
Add the element PUMP1 to the Drawlist
Add the element TRA.SITE to the Drawlist and use the Extents tile of the PowerWheel to view the entire
Drawlist contents.
Rotate freely the 3D View using the middle mouse button.
Use the <Ctrl> key and the middle button to pan the View.
Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out freely. Repeat with different cursor positions.
Click on the middle button to centre the view at the cursor’s position.
On the PowerCompass, click the blue ball between the N and the E labels. Limit the View to the Extents.
Using the PowerWheel, gesture to the View Direction tile and select one the isometric direction. Observe the
changes with different View Direction tiles.
On the PowerCompass, click on the N label.

Foundations TM-1801
4.3 Clipping the View
Clipping allows the user to isolate a region of the model by hiding all parts of the model falling outside a user
defined clipping box.
The tools and options for clipping are located in the VIEW tab, group Clip:
Create – offers two options to create a clipping box: around a graphical

selection, or around the CE.
Clip – toggle to enable or disable the clipping by hiding or showing the

parts of the model outside the clipping box.
Add Within – populates the 3D View with elements that are wholly or
partially within the clipping box.
Modify – toggle to enable or disable the preview of the clipping box,

i.e. a yellow translucent box.
Cap – toggle to enable or disable the capping, i.e. closing the sides of
the elements that are cut by the clipping box.
 When using Laser Models, clipping does not apply on laser data.
4.3.1 Creating a clipping box – A Worked Example
A Clipping Box can be created around an Element or Skid to isolate it from the rest of the Model. This is done
by using the Create options button, located in the Clip group of the VIEW tab.
Select PUMP1 in the 3D View.
In the VIEW tab, group Clip, click the Create options button and
select the Current Element option.
This will create a clipping box around the pump and hide all other
Drawlist elements from the 3D View.
Note that the Clip toggle and the Modify toggle will be automatically
enabled.
 Multiple elements can also be selected graphically in the 3D

View to define the clipping box. In the same way, the Current
Selection option from the Create options button is used to
create the Clipping box. Graphical selections will be described in
a later chapter.

Foundations TM-1801
4.3.2 Modifying a clipping box – A Worked Example
Once the clipping box has been created, its position and
dimensions can be adjusted by double clicking on the box and
pulling the grips.
In the Clip group of the VIEW tab, ensure the Modify toggle is
enabled so that the clipping box is visible.
Click the Clip toggle to disable the clipping and view the rest of
the model.
Double click on the yellow box. This will activate the

modification grips.
Ensure the snapping is disabled in the status bar, otherwise,

press the <F3> key:
Click the arrow grip at the top of the clipping box. The dimension
can then be extended freely, or by snapping to an object, or by
entering a value in the 3D view.
Enter 1000 then press <Enter>
Click the arrow grip on the south side of the clipping box.
Move the plane approximately to the middle of the pump, then

click to release the grip.
Press the <Esc> key to finish.
Enable the Clip toggle and disable the Modify toggle.

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4.3.3 Capping – A Worked Example
When the model is clipped, only the parts of the model inside the clipping box are displayed. Where items are
intersected by the clip box, a coloured cap can be added to show that the items extend beyond the displayed
region.
In the VIEW tab, located in the Clip section, click the Cap toggle to activate the capping.
The capping colour may be changed from the View Settings form. See Chapter 10.2.

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Exercise 5 Clipping the View
Navigate to TANK2 in the Model Explorer.
Use the Create button in the VIEW tab to create a clipping box around the Current Element.
Disable the Clip toggle.
Press the <F3> key to disable the Object Snapping.
Double click on the clipping box and pull the grip for the bottom face of the box to include the slab in the
clipping.
Disable the Modify toggle.
Enable the Clip toggle.

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4.4 Hiding elements – A Worked Example
Elements in the 3D View may be hidden temporarily without being removed from the Drawlist.
The hiding options are located within the Hide options button from the Content section of the VIEW tab:
Hide Selected – hides the elements in the graphical selection.
Show Last Hidden – restores the elements that have been last hidden.
Show All Hidden – restores all the elements that have been hidden.
Hidden List – displays the Hidden Objects list.
These options apply to the elements in the current view.
If a primitive or a component is included in the graphical selection, the Hide Selected option will hide the
owner of the primitive or component, e.g. the whole EQUI or the whole BRAN.
Disable the clipping by selecting the Clip button.
Click PUMP1 in the 3D View. The pump will be highlighted with a green
outline.
In the VIEW tab, group Content, click the Hide options button and select
Hide Selected.
Click the Hide options again and select the Show Last Hidden option to
restore the pump.

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4.5 Element Tooltips
The tooltips provides the user a quick access to essential information by displaying a table containing the data
related to an element in the 3D View or the Model Explorer.
To view the Tooltips for an element in the 3D View, hold the

<Shift> key while the cursor is over the element.
Proceed the same way to display the Tooltips from the Model
Explorer.
The Tooltips are configurable and the content varies depending on the element type.
 Configuring tooltips is outside the scope of this training.
4.6 Settings
For more options about the display of the current view, like background colour and lighting, refer to section
9.2
For more options about the representation of elements in the 3D View like colours and level of detail, refer to
section 9.4
For more options about the view controls configuration, refer to section 0.

CHAPTER 5
5 Working with the Database
Before starting to work with the 3D Model, it is important to understand how the data is managed in the
background. In this chapter, the basic database concepts will be covered through further operations in the
Model Explorer like creating, modifying or deleting elements.
5.1 Access Rights
After starting an AVEVA E3D session, the user should be aware of their access rights in the different
databases. There are two different types of access: Read Only and Read/Write. By default, all the database
loaded via the selected MDB are Read Only, i.e. the user can read and use the information contained in the
database, but cannot create, modify or delete elements. To be able to read and write in a database, the user
needs to be a member of the group of users owning the database, called a Team.
In the Model Explorer, navigate to the element SITE-PIPING-AREA01.
In the GENERAL tab, loacted in the Create group, click the Zone button to create a
ZONE element in the CE.
An error message will appear to notify that the element cannot be created because
the database is Read Only:
When the user attempts to create, modify or delete an element which is in a Read Only database an error
message will be displayed.
Also, when multiple users are working on the same project at the same time, some elements might be locked
by some users to prevent any modifications or deletion from other users. This mechanism is called the “Claim”
and will be described in a later chapter.
 An additional layer of access rights based on rules called DACs, configured by the administrator, can
also prevent the user from performing some actions depending on the context.
5.2 Creating elements
Depending on the discipline and the form used, the database elements can be created in different ways. When
they are not created automatically by the application, the user needs to know some basic rules before creating
new elements manually.
In most discipline tabs, like GENERAL, PIPING or EQUIPMENT, elements can be created by using the
buttons located in the Create group.
The basic steps to create an element manually are:-
 Selecting the Owner of the element to be created.
 Clicking the creation button.
 Naming / Renaming the new element.

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5.2.1 Selecting a Valid Owner – A Worked Example
Before creating an element the user needs to decide where to store the new element in the hierarchy, or in
other words, which existing element will own the new one. This must be a valid owner. All element types in
AVEVA E3D have a list of possible owners, if the selected element is not in the list, it will not be possible to
create the new element and an error message will be displayed.
Navigate to Model WORL * in the Model Explorer
In the GENERAL tab, located in the Create group, click the Zone button.
An error message will appear as a WORL element is not a valid owners for
a ZONE element.
To create an element in a specific position in the hierarchy either:-
 Navigate to the valid owner directly then click the creation button: this will create the new element as
the first member of the CE.
 Or, navigate to one member of the valid owner then click the creation button: this will create the new
element below the selected member.
 The valid owners will be specified when creating elements in discipline related training guides.
5.2.2 Naming the new element
Any element in an AVEVA E3D database may be given an explicit name. Names enable the user to identify
elements and to produce meaningful reports from the database. Which elements are named is a matter of
choice, however, in general ‘significant elements’, e.g. SITE, ZONE, EQUI, SUBE, PIPE, BRAN, STRU,
FRMW, SBFR, etc. would be named. It is not usual for primitives to be named. The WORLD is named “*” and
cannot be renamed.
Element names in AVEVA E3D must comply with the following rules:
 Element names begin with a forward slash, e.g. /MY_MODEL. Generally, most design elements give the
user the opportunity to name them from the element creation form. The user does not have to enter the
forward slash on such forms as it is added automatically when the Return (Enter) key is pressed.
 Element names must be unique across all databases in the MDB.

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 Element names are case sensitive, e.g. /P1001A, /P1001a, /p1001A and /p1001a are all valid, different
names.
 Element names must not contain spaces. Any character such as forward slash (/), Underscore (_),
hyphen (-), asterisk (*), etc. may be used as separators.
Element names must be no longer than 50 characters.
5.3 Renaming Elements – A Worked Example
Elements may be named or renamed after their creation using

the Properties from on the right of the 3D view by entering a
new value in the Name property, provided the user have write
access on the element.
Alternatively, an element may be renamed directly from the Model Explorer. This method offers additional
options, in particular for renaming the element’s members.
Right clicking on the element name will invoke a contextual menu and the rename option can be selected to
change the name of the selected element.
Right click on the element CYLI 1 and select the Rename option.
The Rename Element form will appear
Enter TANK1/CYLI1 then click the Apply button
Note that a list of options is available below the Name Text box. By default, the option is set to “Only” which
means that only the Current Element will be renamed.
Often, the name of the members of an element contains the name of their owner to avoid duplicate names.
For examples, the nozzles of an equipment named TANK2 can be named “TANK2/N1”, “TANK2/N2” etc….
When renaming an element, it is also possible to rename all its members accordingly at the same time.
Right click on the element TANK2 and select the Rename option.
The Rename Element form will appear.
Note that the name appearing in the text box will be the text that will be searched and replaced in the members
names.

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Select the Re-name all option from the list.
Enter VESS1 in the text box then click the Apply button
Observe the changes in the Model Explorer.
Change the name of VESS1 back to TANK2 using the Re-name all option.
5.4 Copy & Paste an Element – A Worked Example
The Model Explorer offers the possibility to create new elements by copying existing ones. This can be done
by right clicking on the element to copy to invoke the contextual menu and selecting the copy, then the paste
options.
As mentioned in the previous chapter, a valid owner must be chosen before creating an element, i.e. when
the paste option is selected in this case. The paste option will not be available if a valid owner is not selected.
In Model Explorer, expand SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01.
Right click on D1201 and select Copy from the popup menu.
Navigate to SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01, this will set the position

of the copy in the hierarchy as the first member, as explain in the
section 5.2.1.
Right click on SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 and select Paste.
The new created element and its members will be named like the original element, with the prefix “Copy-of-“.
In this case, it is good practice to rename the element using the Re-name all option as described in the
previous section.
It is also important to note that the position and orientation of the model elements are always expressed with
respect to their owner’s local coordinate system. If the element is copied below the same owner as the original,
it will have the same position and orientation. If the element is copied to a different owner, having a different
local coordinate system, the position or orientation of the copy will be different than the original.

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5.5 Delete an Element – A Worked Example
The delete options are located in the HOME tab and most of the Discipline tabs, in the Delete group:
It is important to note that deleting a database element will also delete all of the elements in the hierarchy
owned by the element.
For example, if a SITE is deleted, all of the ZONEs owned by it will be deleted and any elements, such as
EQUI, STRU, PIPE, etc. owned by the ZONE will also be deleted.
 Delete Selection – Clicking this button, or pressing the <Delete> key,

will delete all the elements included in the current graphical selection
from the database.
 Current Element – Clicking this button will delete the CE from the
database. Or, alternatively, right click on the element in the Model
Explorer then select Delete.
 CE Members – displays a form to select the members of the CE to

delete
In the Model Explorer, navigate to Copy-of-D1201.
Right click on the element then select Delete.
A confirmation dialog will be displayed.
Click Yes to confirm.
5.6 Modifying the Hierarchy
As seen previously, the position of an element in the hierarchy is defined during its creation. In some discipline,
the order of the elements is fundamental. For example, in the Piping discipline the elements are arranged in
order from top to bottom to respect the “flow” order of the physical pipe.
If some elements are incorrectly positioned in the hierarchy, it is possible to change their order, or even change
their owner at any time.

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In the MANAGE tab, group Modify, three tools allow to modify the hierarchy:
 Include : Changes the owner of an element
 Reverse : Reverse the order of all the members of the Current Element
 Reorder : Change the order of the members of the Current Element
5.6.1 Changing the Owner of an element – A Worked Example
In this example, the element D1201 will be moved from the ZONE ZONE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 to the ZONE
EQUIP.ZONE.
Before proceeding with the change of owner, three important conditions are to be considered:
 The destination owner must be a valid owner for the elements to move.
 The original owner and the destination owner must be in the same database.
 As the element positions are defined relatively to their owner, if the original owner and the destination
owner have different positions, the absolute position of the element will change accordingly.
In this example, the ZONE ZONE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 and the ZONE EQUIP.ZONE are in the same
database and have the same position.
Select the destination owner in the hierarchy by navigating to the ZONE

EQUIP.ZONE
Click the Include button from the Modify section of the MANAGE tab to open
the Include form.
Ensure the name of the destination owner appears at the top of the form.
The destination owner may be changed by selecting it in the

hierarchy and clicking the CE button.
The Members section of the Include form is where the user

specifies the element that needs to be included. For this example,
select D1201.
Select TANK2 in the Include Members list on the left of the Include form.
Then select “After Item” in the list at the bottom of the form.

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This will position the included element, D1201, after the element
TANK2.
To finish, click the Include button and close the form.
Note that other options are available from the Include dropdown list:
 CE : includes the current element (by default)
 CE Members : includes all the members of the Current Element
 Identified : prompts the user to pick elements in the 3D View
5.6.2 Reordering the Hierarchy – A Worked Example
The Reorder button in the Modify group of the MANAGE tab allows to change the sequence of the elements
that are under the same owner in the hierarchy.
In this example, the element D1201 that have been previously included after the element TANK2 will be
reordered before the element PUMP1 in the hierarchy.
First, navigate to the owner of the elements to re-order.
Click ZONE EQUIP.ZONE in the Model Explorer.
Click the Reorder button located in the Modify section of the

MANAGE tab. This opens the Reorder Hierarchy form.
The form contains two grids with the members of the Current
Element.
The top grid is used to select the element to reorder. Click the
element /D1201 in the top grid.
The bottom grid is used to select the destination where the element
will be reordered to. Click the element /PUMP1 in the bottom grid.
In between the two grids, two options are available to reorder the
element before or after the selected element in the bottom grid.
Select the Reorder Before option.
To finish, click Apply then OK to close the form.

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5.7 Save Work
When changes are made to the design model during an AVEVA E3D session, the effects of the changes are
applied only to a copy of the design data until the databases are updated. There is no auto-save in AVEVA
E3D and, therefore, the databases must be updated explicitly by the user. It is advisable to save work regularly
to ensure that other users can access the most recent model changes in a multi-user environment.
Updating the databases to incorporate the current design changes may be achieved by either:
 Clicking the Save Work button on the Quick Access

Toolbar.
 Clicking the Save Work button on the PROJECT tab.
 Using the standard Windows <Ctrl> + <S> keys functionality.
 Invoking the PowerWheel by holding the <Ctrl> key and right

clicking in the 3D View, then selecting the Save Work Option.
In all cases a confirmation message is displayed. Clicking the Yes

button saves the database changes.
5.8 Get Work
Model changes made by the current user are immediately visible in the working copies of the databases.
However, the changes made by other users during your current AVEVA E3D session will not be shown in
your working copies unless they are updated explicitly.
Updating the working copies of the databases, in order to view the changes made by other users, may be
achieved by either:
Clicking the Get Work button on the Quick Access Toolbar.
Clicking the Get Work button on the PROJECT tab.
Pressing the Ctrl and G keys simultaneously.

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Invoking the PowerWheel by holding the <Ctrl> key and right

clicking in the 3D View, then selecting the Get Work Option.
Note that a Get Work is automatically performed when doing a Save Work.
5.9 Undo/Redo
Undo and Redo buttons are available from the Quick Access
Toolbar.
The standard Windows Ctrl + Z and Ctrl + Y keys functionality

for undo and redo may also be used.
It is important to understand that these buttons will only undo or redo database changes i.e. if a position or
orientation of an element is modified or an element is added or deleted, these are database changes, whereas,
changing the display colour of an element is not a database change.
There is no limit to the undo or redo within a Model session, however, any Save Work or Get Work commands
will clear the undo and redo history, i.e. it will not be possible to undo beyond the last Save Work.
5.10 The Claim List
Most of the databases in Everything3D are “Multiwrite” databases, which means that in a multi user
environment, one database can be read and modified by several users at the same time. To avoid conflicting
data when a user creates or modify an element, it will be temporarily locked in Read Only access for the other
users. The locked element is said to be “Claimed” by the user who is currently working on it. The elements
that are claimed by the current user will be notified in the Model Explorer by a name in bold characters:
When an element is claimed, all its members are also claimed.
If the current user attempts to delete or modify an element claimed by another user, an error or warning
message with detailed information will be displayed:

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The elements are generally automatically claimed by the first user who creates or modify them. However, at
any time, a user may claim an element to prevent other users to modify it, provided it is not already claimed
by another user. In the other way, the user may “unclaim” an element he had claimed previously to make it
available to other users for modification.
The elements claimed by a user are automatically unclaimed when he exits the application.
Each claimed element is included in a list called the “Claimlist”. It is possible to view the Claimlist of the
current user, and the Claimlist of other users, in the Multiwrite Claim Lists form.
5.10.1 View the Claim List
On the MANAGE tab, group Access, clicking the Claimlists button displays the Multiwrite Claim Lists
form.
The Claim List options list has two entries:
Active Claimlist – displays the list of all the

significant elements claimed by the current user.
Others Claimlist –displays all significant elements

claimed by all other users in the MDB, except those
in the Active Claimlist.
5.10.2 Claiming Elements
Multiwrite databases have a claim mode that is set when the database is created:
 If the claim mode is Explicit the element must be claimed before it can be worked on.
 If the claim mode is Implicit when a user starts to modify an element it is automatically claimed. In
this mode an element may also be claimed explicitly.
Elements can be explicitly claimed using the Claim menu options:-
 Current Element - claims the CE and all the elements below it.
 Current Element Members - claims the members of the CE and

all the members below it, but not the CE.
 Current Element only - claims the CE only and not any

hierarchy below it.
 Current Element Members only - claims each member of the

CE only and not the hierarchy below.
 Pick - enables items to be claimed by graphically picking them

in a 3D View.
 Current Collection – claims the contents of the current

collection.

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5.10.3 Unclaiming Elements
After performing a Save Work, elements can also be unclaimed using the Unclaim menu option:
The Unclaim menu has the same options as the Claim menu except that
the options unclaim instead of claim. The menu also has the following
additional options:
 All - unclaims all the elements in the Active Claimlist.
 Selected - unclaims all the elements selected in the elements list.
 The Unclaim menu is only active when there are members in the Active
Claimlist.
Exiting AVEVA E3D will unclaim all elements.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 6 Working with the Database
This exercise will create a new SITE containing Equipment elements from TRA.SITE using the functionality
described in the previous chapter.
Copy TRA.SITE in the World
Delete each ZONE in SITE Copy-of-TRA.SITE except for Copy-of-EQUIP.ZONE.
Rename SITE Copy-of-TRA.SITE to EQUIP.SITE.
Rename the element Copy-of-TANK2 and all its members to TANK3.
Unclaim All.
Save Work.

CHAPTER 6
6 Modifying Model Elements
Every AVEVA E3D database element has a fixed set of properties, depending on its type, known as its
“Attributes”. Some attributes are common throughout the large range of elements, some are applicable to
many elements and some are unique to one type of element. Also, it is possible for administrators to create
customized attributes known as User Defined Attributes (UDAs).
When the user has a write access on an element, he may modify its attributes in several ways. This chapter
will describe how to modify the elements attributes by using the Properties form, the Attributes form, or by
manipulating the model elements in the 3D View.
First of all, before modifying them, the user needs to select elements. This can be done by navigating to one
element in the Model Explorer as seen previously, or, by making a graphical selection in the 3D View.
6.1 Selecting Elements
Visible items in a 3D View may be grouped together to form a Graphical Selection which are used in a variety
of ways in AVEVA E3D.
Elements included in a Graphical Selection are highlighted with a solid green line around the extremities of
the constituent parts of the item(s).
A graphical selection may be created by:
 Selecting elements individually.
 Using a selection fence.
The graphical selection will consists of “Significant” elements, i.e. elements that contains a geometric
definition. For example, elements of type EQUIPMENT, VALVE, or FLANGE, may be part of a graphical
selection but administrative elements like SITE or ZONE will not be included in a selection.
6.1.1 Selecting Elements Individually – A Worked Example
Clicking on an element in the 3D View makes it the CE and creates a new graphical selection containing that
one item.
Holding down the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key and clicking on an unselected element will add it to the graphical
selection.
Holding down the <Shift> or <Ctrl> key and clicking on a selected element will remove it from the graphical
selection.
 The <Shift> and <Ctrl> keys will not have any effect if the multiple selection mode is enabled, see 6.2.2
To cancel the current selection, press the <Esc> key.
Navigating to an element in the Model Explorer will cancel the current selection. The CE will be highlighted in
blue in the 3D View but will not be part of a selection.
It is possible to make a graphical selection from the Model Explorer by right click on an element and choose
3D View > Select. All the element’s members will be included in the selection if they are significant. This will
also add them to the 3D View if they are not already displayed.

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Holding down the <Shift> key, click the TANK1, TANK2 and
PUMP1 in the 3D View to add them to the current graphical
selection.
Press the <Esc> key to cancel the selection.
6.1.2 Using a Selection Fence
A graphical selection may be created using a fence selection by holding the left mouse button down in the 3D
View. Pressing the button will define the first corner of the fence, releasing the button will define the opposite
corner of the fence.
The fence has two selection methods:
 To select all the elements that are wholly within, i.e. entirely contained inside the rectangular boundary
of the fence, drag the mouse from left to right. The fence will be coloured in blue.
 To select elements that are both entirely contained inside the rectangular boundary of the fence, and
items that cross the boundary, drag the mouse from right to left. The fence will then be coloured in
Green.
 Using the fence while holding the <Ctrl> key will add or remove elements to the current graphical selection
To cancel the current selection, press the <Esc> key.

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6.2 Modifying Attributes
For some element attributes, like the Name or the Position, appropriate values are set by the creation or
modification of the element when modelling, whilst others may be set or entered by the user via the User
Interface, via the Attribute form or the Properties form.
6.2.1 Using the Attributes form – A Worked Example
To open the Attributes form either:
 Click the Attributes button In the HOME tab, group Display.
 Right click on an element in the Model Explorer and select Attributes.
In the Model Explorer, right click on the element TANK1 and select Attributes.
The Attributes form will be displayed and showing the attributes of the
Current Element.
By default, the form is floating but may be docked in a Panel.
Selecting any element in the Model Explorer or the 3D View will

automatically update the attributes for the Current Element. This
behaviour is controlled by the Track CE tick box and can be disabled
to lock the selected element in the form.
The values of the attributes may be modified if the associated cell in the
Value column is white. Grey cells in the Value column indicates that the
attribute is Read Only. This is generally the case for attributes set by
the system, or for elements in a Read Only database.
Click on the value “unset” next to the Description attribute.
Notice the attribute value has been highlighted for modification. This is the case for any modifiable attribute.
Enter the text Storage Tank T1001. Notice the value cell has been highlighted in cyan, this is to show the
modification was successful.
If the modification is unsuccessful then the value cell would be

highlighted in red.
For more options and settings about the Attributes form, refer to
section 9.4.2

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6.2.2 Using the Properties form – A Worked Example
Where the Attributes form allows the modification of attributes for the Current Element only, the Properties
form operates on the graphical selection, allowing the modification of the attributes of multiple elements in
bulk.
By default, the Properties form is docked in the right Panel. If not opened, it can be displayed by clicking the
Properties toggle located in the Display group of the HOME tab.
Clicking one element in the 3D View will add it as the first element in the current graphical selection, and
display its properties in the Properties form.
Selection List
Object Selection Mode
Category
Property Name
Value Cell
Property information
Like for the Attributes form, the property values may be modified by clicking on a value cell and entering data.
The Read Only values will appeared greyed.
It is also possible to control the graphical selection mode from the Properties forms with two options:
 To select only one object at a time, set the Object Selection

Mode toggle to “Single”. This is the default mode.
 To add new selections to the current list of selected elements,

set the Object Selection Mode toggle to “Multiple”
 If the Multiple selection mode is enabled, the <Shift> and <Ctrl> keys will have no effect in during the
selection process

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When the graphical selection includes multiple elements of different

types, the displayed properties will only be those common to all the
selected types. The Selection List will initially display the number of
elements of All types in brackets. It will be then possible to refine the
selection by selecting a specific type in the Selection List.
After selecting a type in the list, the display will be updated with all the properties for the selected type. It
will be then possible to modify the value of a property to update all the elements of the selected type at
once.
Select all the elements in the 3D View using a fence or

pressing the <Ctrl> and <A> keys.
In the Selection List of the Properties form, select EQUI

(3)
In the value cell for the property Function, enter Process

then press <Enter>
This will update the Function attribute with the new value
for all the elements of type EQUI in the current graphical
selection.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 7 Modifying Elements Attributes
Setting up the Exercises
In the TOOLS tab, Group Training, click the Training Setup button to display the Training Setup form.
Select the Foundations tab, then click the Delete TRA.SITE and add MESS Site checkbox.
Click the Apply button and close the form.
Select the EQUIPMENT discipline from the Quick Access Toolbar.
Set the viewing direction to North-East isometric.
The SITE TRA.SITE has been deleted and the SITE TRA.SITE.MESS added to the databases and displayed
in the 3D View. The SITE has been modified to introduce some design errors which may be grouped into three
categories:
 Size errors - some primitives have one of their size attributes incorrectly set. The task is to identify which
attribute is wrong and correct its value.
 Positional errors - equipment items are incorrectly positioned or primitives are incorrectly positioned
within the equipment. The task is to correctly position the equipment and the primitives.
 Orientation errors - equipment items or primitives within an equipment are incorrectly orientated. The
task is to correctly orientate equipment and primitives. Note: All equipment and primitives should be
orientated on an orthogonal axis.
TRA.MESS.SITE showing Design Errors
TANK1 Size corrections
In the Model Explorer, expand the element TANK1 and navigate to BOX 1
Open the Attributes form. Set the attribute Ylength to 2850mm

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TANK2 Size corrections
In Model Explorer, expand the element TANK2 and navigate to CONE 1
In the Properties from, expand the Geometry category, and set the property Top diameter to 1500mm

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6.3 Positioning Elements
The preferred way to modify the position of elements is to move them in the 3D View by either:
 Using the Editor mode to quickly reposition elements from their origin
 Using the Move command to specify a start and end position
Both these methods will require the user to specify positions. It can be just one position for an absolute
displacement, two positions or a vector for a relative displacement. In all cases, the user will have the
possibility to specify the positions by either:
 Entering coordinates directly in the 3D view.
 Using the existing geometry of the model by “Snapping” to graphical items.
 Using a combination of 3D view entries and Snapping.
6.3.1 Setting the Local Coordinate System – A Worked Example
First of all, it is important to understand how the coordinates are expressed in the 3D View and how the user
can control the coordinate system to suit his needs for positioning and rotating elements.
By default, the coordinates are expressed relatively to the World, i.e. the origin is set on (0, 0, 0), and the axis
are set to East/West (E/W), North/South (N/S) and Up/Down (U/D).
 Note that the World axes may be changed to XYZ axes in the Project Options
AVEVA Everything3D includes a set of tools to modify the coordinate system in which the positions are
expressed in the 3D View. This is done my manipulating the Local Coordinate System or LCS.
The LCS is defined by an origin and 3 axis, U, V and W. The LCS plane defined by the U and V axes is called
the Working Plane and will be used to project the cursor’s position in 2D to facilitate the positioning and the
creation of primitives.
The status of the LCS is visible on the PowerCompass, and other visual indication on the 3D view helps the
user while modelling:
Grid
Ruler
Crosshair
Axes
PowerCompass
World / Local coordinates
switch
Selected Working Plane
PowerCompass: shows the orientation of the LCS axes and the selected Working Plane. Three orthogonal
planes are identified by three discs of different colour: blue for the EN or UV plane, green for the NU or UW
plane, and red for the EU or VW plane.
Grid: displays grid lines on the Working Plane. It may be activated with the button in the status bar, or
by pressing the <F7> key. It can be configured from the Object Snapping Settings form, tab Grid Settings.
Ruler: offers a visual indication of the Grid spacing and the position of the Crosshair projected on the Grid

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Crosshair: is the appearance of the cursor when in the 3D View, showing a representation of the 3 axes
direction. It can be configured in the Project Options.
Axes: The LCS axes are represented in the 3D View by 3 coloured lines passing through the origin of the
LCS. The red line is the U axis, the Green line is the V axis and the blue line is the W axis.
The tools to modify the LCS are available from the VIEW tab, group Local Coordinate System:
Also, some of these options are available directly in the 3D View from the PowerCompass:
World: sets the LCS to World mode with its position at 0, 0, 0, and an orientation
set to the East, North and Up axes.
Current Element: set the LCS to a Local mode with its position and orientation
set to those of the Current Element. The axes name on the PowerCompass will
be set to U,V and W.
Object: set the LCS to a Local mode with its origin and orientation set to those
of an object that the user is prompted to select
Move: prompts the user to specify a position where the LCS origin will be moved
to. Other LCS modification options will be available from the Contextual Editor.
3 Points: prompts the user to specify 3 positions to set the position, the U axis
and the V axis of the LCS.
Sets the orientation of the Working Plane to the World’s EN plane
Sets the orientation of the Working Plane to the World’s NU plane
Sets the orientation of the Working Plane to the World’s EU plane
Clicking this button will switch to World mode, setting the LCS origin
and orientation according to the World and changing the axis labels
to E/W, N/S and U/D.
Clicking this button will switch to Local mode, setting the LCS origin
and orientation according to an object that the user will be prompted
to select, and changing the axis labels to U/-U, V/-V and W/-W
Clicking on one of the three discs representing the three orthogonal planes will redefine the orientation of the
Working plane:
 In World mode, clicking on the discs will set the working plane to either the EN, NU or EU plane

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 In Local mode, each disc is divided into four quarters, clicking on one quarter will set the positive U
and V axes along the sides of the selected quarter:
 The Grid will follow the new orientation of the working plane
Using the <F7> key or the toggle in the status bar, enable the
display of the Grid
Click on the Red Disc of the PowerCompass. Note the new

orientation of the Grid and the colour of the Working Plane.
Select the equipment TANK2 in the 3D View.
Click on the Object button on the PowerCompass. This will switch

the coordinates to Local mode. Note the changes in the
PowerCompass, the Grid and the Axes.
Click the quarter between the -V and W axis. Note the change in
the PowerCompass, the Grid and the Axes
Reset the Coordinate System to the World using the button on the
PowerCompass

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6.3.2 Specifying a position
Before moving elements, this section will introduce three different methods to specify a position in the 3D
View:
 The Object Snapping allows to pick a graphical item on the screen
 The Contextual Editor allows to enter coordinates and to lock axes
 A combination of the Snapping and Contextual Editor methods
 For some commands, a specific method called “Positioning Control” may be required to specify positions.
This will be described in section Exercise 9
6.3.2.1 Object Snapping – A Worked Example

To activate or deactivate the object snapping, press the <F3> key or click on the correspondent toggle in the
Status bar:
The object snapping filters man be configured using the Object Snapping Settings form:
Clicking the button in the Status bar will open the

object snap options form.
In the Object Snap tab, the Elements tab offers

filter options to activate the snapping on database
elements like Item or P-Point etc...
The Graphics tab offers filter options to activate the

snapping on graphical items like Endpoint or
Midpoint etc…
Checking the different option checkboxes will

activate the relevant filters when the Object
Snapping is enabled.
Note that the Objects Snaps may also be activated

or deactivated from this form.

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Each snapping filter is associated with a specific snap icon as represented on the
Object Snapping Settings form. When the system prompts the user to specify a
point, hovering the mouse close to an item included in the selected snap filters
will display the associated snap icon on the item.
Left clicking when the icon is displayed will validate the position at the exact
location of the Snapping item.
Open the Object Snapping Settings form and activate the snap
filter for Endpoint in the Graphics tab.
Click Apply then OK.
In the 3D View, enter ID
 Note that this command is used to retrieve the absolute

coordinates of the specified point.
Hover the mouse over some edges on model elements to

observe the snapping feedback.
Also, it is possible to invoke one specific snap filter temporarily at any time when a specified position is
required, even when the Object Snapping is disabled. This is done by right clicking in the 3D View while
holding the <Shift> key:
The first PowerWheel will present the main Element filters like Item or P-
Point.
Gesturing to the More tile will open a second PowerWheel
The second PowerWheel will present the main Graphics filters like
Endpoint or Midpoint.
Additional filters can be accessed from a third PowerWheel by gesturing

to the More tile.
Pressing the <Esc> key will display the previous PowerWheel.
The selected filter will be activated exclusively until the end of the current command.

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Enter ID in the 3D View.
Maintain the <Shift> key down and right click in the 3D View.
Gesture to the P-Point tile.
Observe the snapping while hovering the mouse over the Model.
Change the East value to 7000mm. The new pump position is previewed as a red box outline.
Click Apply to move the pump.
6.3.2.2 Contextual Editor

The user may enter coordinate values directly in the text boxes of the Contextual Editor when prompted:
 When a position needs to be specified, the displacement induced by the mouse will be constrained on
the current Working Plane, i.e. the W coordinate in Local mode, or the U coordinate in World mode will
remain nil.
Depending on the command, the coordinates may be expressed in Relative or Absolute mode. In Relative
mode, the coordinates will be expressed with respect to the previous specified position. In Absolute mode, the
coordinates will be expressed with respect to the current LCS.
When permitted, it is possible to switch between Relative and Absolute mode by pressing the <Shift> and
<@> keys.

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Previous position
(Equipment Origin)
LCS Origin
Relative mode Absolute mode
To validate an entry and move to the next text box, press the <tab> key.
Any validated entry will lock the correspondent textbox with the entered value. The new position will be then
constrained along a plane, or, along a single axis if two text boxes are locked. Snapping to a graphical item
will not modify the value in a locked text box.
 Even if the displacement induced by the mouse is constrained on the Working Plane, the snapping may
affect the value of the W coordinate (or U in World mode) if not locked.
For example:
In this case, the displacement is constrained on the UV

plane
In this case, the displacement is constrained on the U

axis
At any time, the value in a text box can be locked or unlocked by pressing the <Space> key while it is
highlighted.
By default, the coordinates in the Contextual Editor are Cartesian coordinates. But it is also possible to switch
to Cylindrical or Spherical coordinates by pressing the <`> (acute) key.
Cartesian : ENU or XYZ or UVW axes
Cylindrical : Distance (D), Angle (A) and Height (U)
Spherical : Distance (D), Angle (A) and Angle (A)
6.3.2.3 Combining Object Snapping and Contextual Editor

The use of the Contextual Editor may be combined with the Object Snapping. In this case, it is important to
note that any value entered in the Contextual Editor’s text boxes will lock the corresponding axis to this value.

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This will then constrain the displacement along

the plane or the axis defined by the unlocked
textboxes.
Snapping to any object afterwards will only

modify the coordinates of the unlocked
textboxes.
This method is particularly efficient for aligning

elements with others along one axis or one
plane.
6.3.3 Using the Editor
The Editor mode allows different kind of modification on model elements like moving, rotating or modifying
dimensions. This section will describe how to activate the Editor mode, and how to use it in order to modify
the position of an element.
To activate the Editor mode either:
 Double click on a model element in the 3D View
 Click the Editor button from the HOME tab, group Modify
While the Editor mode is active, the Editor button will remain
highlighted in the HOME tab.
The Editor consists of blue modification grips that will appear

at the elements’ origin and orientated according to the
elements’ orientation.
Initially, the modification grips will be displayed on every

significant element - i.e. the owner of elements that have a
geometric definition - included in the current Graphical
Selection i.e. elements highlighted in green.
For example, an EQUI element is significant because it can

contain primitives. Therefore the Editor will be effective on the
whole equipment for positioning and rotating.
 Selecting Routed Items like Piping or HVAC elements, while the Editor mode is active, will display the
Router. The Editor or the Router will not be displayed if a selection includes both Routed and Non-
Routed items.
To deactivate the Editor, press the <Esc> key or click the Editor button in the HOME tab.

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6.3.3.1 Positioning one element – A Worked Example

To modify the position of the element using the Editor,
click on the square grip representing the origin of the
equipment.
This will temporarily change the LCS position to the

selected grip.
Moving the mouse will display a translucent preview of

the new position. The displacement is constrained to be
parallel to the Working. Plane, which may be changed
whilst in the command.
The Contextual Editor will be displayed, and “Dynamic

Hints” will indicate the displacement values along the
Working Plane axes when in Relative Coordinates.
The new position may be using the object snapping, the Contextual Editor or a combination of both as seen
in section 6.3.2. Note that, by default, the coordinates in the Context Editor are expressed relatively to the
selected grip. Also, the snapping discards the Working Plane constraint.
To finish and apply the displacement press the <Enter> key or left click.
In the 3D View, double click the :SLAB BASE. This will activate
the Editor on this element.
Click the square grip and move the mouse.
Enter 0 in the E text box then press the <tab> key.
Hover the mouse over some elements in the 3D View and

observe the feedback.
Press <Esc> to cancel the command.
6.3.3.2 Positioning multiple elements

As the Editor is activated for the current graphical selection, it may be used to reposition multiple elements at
once. In this case, when the selection includes several elements, the square grip will appear on each element.

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Holding the <Ctrl> key allows to select the grips for the
elements to move. They will become red.
On the grips can be then clicked to initiate the

displacement command. The LCS will be positioned on
the clicked grip.
6.3.3.3 Editing Sub-Elements – A Worked Example

As seen previously, the editor will be initially effective on a significant element, e.g. an Equipment. However,
the Editor allows the modification of sub-elements and primitives by navigating through different “Selection
Levels”. This may be achieved by a double click or by using the PowerWheel.
In the 3D View, having the Editor disabled, double click on the

element TANK2.
This will activate the Editor at “root” level, i.e. the Equipment.
The whole equipment can then be repositioned or rotated using

the Editor’s grips.
Once the editor is active on the Equipment, double click on one

foot of the equipment.
This will navigate to one level below the equipment and the rest
of the model will become translucent.
The Editor can then be used to edit any element in the same
selection level, i.e. Sub-Equipment or primitives, to reposition
them individually.
Multiple selections can be made on several elements in the

same level.

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Double click again on one foot of the Equipment.
This will navigate to the level below the Sub-Equipment. The

rest of the equipment will become translucent.
Only the two PYRA elements in the Sub-Equipment can then

be edited individually.
Note that in the case of primitives, the editor can be used to

modify the dimensions of the element, but this is out of the
scope of this training course.
 Refer to TM-1811 Equipment Modelling for the creation

and modification of primitives.
To exit the Editor and navigate to the upper levels, press the <Esc> key in the following sequence:
 Pressing <Esc> the first time will disable the Editor
 Pressing <Esc> a second time will cancel the current graphical selection
 The next consecutive <Esc> will navigate to the upper levels
The navigation between selection levels may also be achieved using the PowerWheel by right clicking on a
selected element, and selecting the Navigation tile. A gallery will appear in the PowerWheel to select the
navigation level
When the primitive level below the Sub-Equipment

TANK2/SUPPORTS is selected, right click on one of the two
primitives.
The PowerWheel will be displayed. Gesture to the Navigation tile.
The Navigation Gallery will appear.

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In the Navigation Gallery, select the SUBEQUIPMENT button. This

will navigate to the element TANK2/SUPPORTS without exiting the
Editor mode.
 The name of the element will appear in a tooltip when hovering

over the different level buttons
6.3.4 Using the Move command
The move command allows to modify the position of the elements included in the current Graphical Selection
by specifying a displacement vector. By default, the displacement is defined by a base point and a
destination point but other options will be available from the Contextual Editor.
The move command is invoked by either:
 Clicking the Move button in the HOME tab, group Modify
 Right clicking in the 3D View and gesture to the Context tile of the PowerWheel
 Enter MOVE in the 3D view
The Contextual Editor will appear, prompting the user to specify a base point.
This is the first step of the default method consisting in the selection of two points to derive the displacement
vector from.
 Alternatively, pressing the <Down arrow> key will offer two options: to enter a displacement vector
relatively to the current LCS origin, or to create a Copy.
Specify a point by snapping an item and/or entering values in the Contextual Editor as described in section
6.3.2.
Once the base point specified, the next step will prompt the user to specify a second point.

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When the second point will be specified, the selected elements will be moved by the vector between the base
point and the second point.
 Alternatively, pressing the <Down arrow> key will offer two options: to use the base point as the
displacement vector relatively to the current LCS origin, to create a Copy from the moved element, or to
go back to the first step.
6.3.5 Other Positioning aids
Other drawing tools available from the status bar toggles, or pressing the <F#> keys, will help the user to
position elements.
Or <F7> - Displays of the Grid -
Or <F9> - Activates the Snapping to the Grid (even if the Grid is not displayed)
Or <F10> - Displays a polar coordinate feedback and snap the displacement to radials
Or <F8> - Lock the displacement along the U axis or the V axis
Or <F12> - Displays the dynamic hints
Projects the snaps onto the working plane by locking the W displacement to 0

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Exercise 8 Positioning Elements
TANK1 positional corrections
Select TANK1 in the 3D View and activate the Editor.
Double click on the Cylinder to make it the CE and activate the Selection level on primitives.
Right click on the Cylinder, gesture to context and select move.
Ensure the object snapping filter is active for P-Point. Enable the object snapping.
Specify the base point of the displacement when the snap is on P2 of CYLINDER 1 of EQUIPMENT /TANK1
Click on the snap P3 of BOX 1 of EQUIPMENT /TANK1
Navigate the Selection level to the Equipment by using the PowerWheel’s Navigation tile, or by entering
<OUT>

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PUMP1 positional corrections
Select the element PUMP1 in the 3D View and activate the Editor if not already enabled.
Click the square grip to select the origin of the pump.
Move the pump to snap the P1 of FLANGE 4 of BRANCH /pipe1-b1

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Navigate the Selection level to the Equipment by using the PowerWheel’s Navigation tile, or by entering OUT
TANK2 positional corrections
Select the element TANK2 in the 3D View and activate the Editor if not already enabled.
Double click on the Cylinder, select the square grip, then lock the U coordinate to 0.
Click on the P1 of CONE 1 of EQUIPMENT /TANK2
Double click on PYRA1 to navigate the the primitive level below the Sub-Equipment SUPPORTS/TANK2

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Select the square grip of the Editor.
Lock the displacement to 0 along the E axis and the U axis
Pick the P-Point P1
Select the other Pyramid and use the Move command.
Snap the base point to any point on the lower surface of the pyramid
Lock the E and N coordinates to 0 then snap any item on the top of the steel.
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6.4 Rotating Elements
Many AVEVA E3D elements have an Orientation attribute, e.g. SITE, ZONE, EQUI, SUBE, STRU, PANE,
Primitives, etc.
Orientation in AVEVA E3D is expressed in terms of axes direction, e.g. Y is N and Z is U, meaning that the
element’s Y axis is pointing North and the elements Z axis is pointing Up. Only two axes need to be stated as
the third axis direction is known because it conforms to the right hand rule, i.e. in this case X is E.
Like any other attribute, the orientation may be modified using the Attributes form or the Properties form. But
the preferred way to modify the orientation of elements is to rotate them in the 3D View by either:
 Using the Editor mode to quickly rotate elements around their origin.
 Using the Rotate command to specify a rotation base point.
6.4.1 Using the Editor
Unlike the positioning, rotating using the Editor can only be applied on a single element selection.
Selecting and activating the Editor on one Non-Routed element will display rotation grips on the three axes of
the element:
 Activating the Editor on Routed elements like HVAC or Piping components will display the Router, which
functionalities are described in the Training Manual of the relevant discipline.
To rotate the element, select the correspondent Grip, enter an angle

value in the Contextual Editor, or specify a point using the Object
Snapping.
 Rotating using this method is restricted to the three axis of the element’s LCS
6.4.2 Using the Rotate command
The Rotate command allows the rotation of all the elements in a graphical selection, in any direction and from
any rotation origin.

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First, the elements to be rotated have to be selected. It may be any significant element displayed in the 3D
View, or, it may be several Sub-Elements or primitive below a significant element. Refer to section 6.3.3.3 for
the selection of Sub-Elements.
Then, as the rotation will be applied around the W axis, the LCS needs to be set accordingly using the tools
described in section 6.3.1
The Rotate command is invoked by either:
 Clicking the Rotate button in the HOME tab, group Modify
 Right clicking in the 3D View and gesture to the Context tile of the PowerWheel
 Enter ROTATE in the 3D view
The Contextual Editor will appear, prompting the user to specify a base point.
Using the Contextual Editor’s text boxes or the Object Snapping, specify the position of the rotation base point.
 Pressing the <Down arrow> key will offer an option to create a copy from the rotated element
Once the base point specified, the Contextual Editor will prompt to specify an angle
Entering a value in the text box or snapping an item will rotate the selected element(s) by the specified angle
around the W axis.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 9 Rotating Elements
TANK1 orientation corrections
Click on TANK1 in the 3D View to select it.
Activate the LCS mode using the Object button or the PowerCompass.
Use the Rotate command, select the base point on the origin of the equipment, then enter 45 in the angle
text box.
PUMP1 orientation corrections
Use the Editor to rotate the cylinder and align it with the Pump axis, by snapping a point
TANK2 orientation corrections
Double click on the equipment TANK2 then on the Nozzle TANK2-n2 to activate the Editor.
Use the rotation grip to align the nozzle with the center of the equipment

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6.5 The Positioning Control
Some commands will require a different method to specify positions called the Positioning Control, also
referred as to Event Driven Graphics (EDG).
In this case it will not be possible to use the Object Snapping or Contextual Editor. The
PowerCompass will be disabled (greyed) and the Positioning Control form will be
displayed.
Pick Type Pick Method Additional options
 The PowerWheel is disabled while using the Positioning control, right clicking in
the 3D View will display a contextual menu.
To specify a position using the Positioning Control form:
 Select a Pick Type
 Select a Pick Method
 Hold the left button on the element containing the item to Pick
 Release the left button to confirm the selected position
When the left button will be pressed and maintained on an element, the selection of the item to be picked will
be locked on this element. The Prompt Area will then indicate the type of relevant snap item while the mouse
hovers the element. Note that releasing the mouse while the Prompt indicates a snap item will confirm the
snapped position.
If the button is pressed on the wrong element, move the mouse away from this element before releasing the
button to cancel the picking.
 Some commands require two or three positions. If the first snap is wrong, the command will need to be
aborted and recalled to start a new picking operation.
6.5.1 Pick Type
The Pick Type acts like a snapping filter and its options are:
Element - picking is restricted to elements origin.
Ppoint - picking is restricted to Ppoints or panel vertices.
Pline - picking is restricted to structural Plines
Graphics – enables edge, surface and corner picks on any graphical element.
Aid - picking is restricted to 3D Aid Constructs, including User Grid Systems.
Screen – enables a pick anywhere in the 3D View which identifies two co-ordinates, the third co-
ordinate being taken from the current Working Plane or normal to the view direction if there is no
active Working Plane.
Laser – picking is restricted to Laser data points.
Any – uses any appropriate pick type.

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6.5.2 Pick Method – A Worked Example

Snap - selects the snap point nearest to the cursor pick point. Snap points vary for different elements.
Mid-Point - derives the mid-point between two snap points along a linear item.
Intersect – derives the intersection of two picked lines from any directional elements. The elements
do not have to be co-planar.
Cursor - places the derived point exactly where the cursor picks on the element.
Distance - applies the offset value entered in the textbox. For example a +ve value of 500
derives a point 500 mm from the nearest snap point, measured towards the cursor
position, whereas, a –ve value of 500 derives a point 500 mm from the nearest snap point,
measured away from the cursor position.
The two additional buttons on the Positioning Control form are:
Working Plane – this button activates the working Plane if one has been derived.
Explicit Position – this button displays the Explicit Position form allowing explicit co-ordinates to
be entered.
In the Measure section of the HOME tab, click the Measure button. The
Measure Distance form will be displayed along the Positioning Control
form.
Set the Pick Type to Element and the method to Snap.
In the 3D View, hold the left button down on TANK2.
Release the button when the prompt indicates Snap : CYLINDER 1 of

EQUIPMENT /TANK2
The Measure distance start will be indicated on the 3D View
Set the Pick Type to Graphics and the Pick Method to Midpoint
In the 3D View, hold the left button down on SLAB. Hover the mouse over
one edge of the slab.
Release the button when the prompt indicates Snap: EDGE of /Concrete
This will pick the Midpoint of the selected Edge.

CHAPTER 7
7 Creating Additional Views
AVEVA E3D provides the ability to view the model, or parts of the model, in multiple 3D Views. In practice;
however, the number of useable views will probably be limited by the size of the monitor(s) in use.
AVEVA E3D has one, default 3D View, named 3D View(1) – Drawlist(1), which cannot be deleted or renamed.
New 3D Views with the same or different Drawlists can be created and displayed simultaneously. The content
of the 3D Views can be linked or separate, depending on the associated Drawlist and each view can be
manipulated separately.
The tools to create new views are located in the Views section of the VIEW tab:
7.1 Creating an Empty View
In the VIEW tab, group Views, clicking the New button creates a new 3D View with an empty Drawlist, and
displays the View Settings form where the new 3D View may be configured.
 See section 9.2 for details of the View Settings form.
The new 3D View is named, by default, 3D View(x) – Drawlist(y) where x is the sequential number of the 3D
View and y is the sequential number of the Drawlist associated with the 3D View. It will be docked in the same
tab group as the current View.
Only one 3D View can be current at any one time and is identified by its correspondent tab being highlighted
in blue. All non-current 3D Views have a light grey tab. A 3D View is made current by left clicking its
correspondent tab, or anywhere in the 3D View if multiple Views are visible.
7.2 Copying a 3D View
In the VIEW tab, group Views, three copy options are available from the Copy button
To a Separate View – this option creates a copy of the current 3D View and
creates a new Drawlist populated with the same contents as the copied 3D
View’s Drawlist. For example, copying 3D View(1) - Drawlist(1) to a separate
view may create a 3D View named 3D View(2) – Drawlist(2).
To a Cloned View – this option creates a copy of the current 3D View and is
associated with the Drawlist of the copied 3D View. For example, copying 3D
View(3) - Drawlist(3) to a cloned view may create a 3D View named 3D View(4)
– Drawlist(3).

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To a Local View – this option creates a copy of the graphical selection in the
current view and a new Drawlist which is populated with the elements in the
graphical selection. For example, copying 3D View(3) - Drawlist(3) with a
graphical selection to a local view may create a 3D View named 3D View(4) –
Drawlist(4) and the 3D View contents would be the graphical selection.
7.3 Grid Plane View
When working with Reference Grids, it is possible to create a new view based on a selected Grid Plane.
Selecting a Grid Plane element and clicking the Grid Plane button in the
VIEW tab, group Views, will create a new view. The new view will be
orientated parallel to the Grid plane. The clipping will be activated with an
offset from the two sides of the plane. The new view will be named after the
Grid Plane ID, e.g. “B Grid View”.
 Refer to TM-1802 AVEVA Everything3D™ Model Utilities for the creation of Reference Grids
7.4 Displaying Multiple Views – A Worked Example
Only one View can be visible in one Tab Group but it is possible to create multiple Tab Groups to visualize
multiple Views simultaneously.
When several Views are opened in the same Tab Group, right clicking on one tab will offer three options to
detach the view from the Tab Group:
Close : remove the selected View
New Horizontal Tab Group : Move the selected View to a new Horizontal tab
New Vertical Tab Group : Move the selected View to a new Vertical tab
Float : detach the selected View completely to form an independent window that
can be moved anywhere outside the main application window.
Once one Vertical or Horizontal Tab Group has been created, the subsequent options will only allow the
creation of the same kind of Tab Group, i.e. horizontal or vertical.
When multiple Tab Groups are opened, it is possible to drag and drop one tab from one Group to another.
 Multiple views are not retained from session to session, only 3D View(1) is persistent.

Foundations TM-1801
In the Views section of the VIEW tab, click the arrow next to the
Copy button and select the To a Separate View option. This will
create a new View Tab 3D View(2) – Drawlist(2) and make it the
current View.
Remove TANK1 from the current View and note that, because it has
a separate Drawlist, it will remain in the other view.
Right Click on the tab 3D View(2) – Drawlist(2) and select New

Vertical Tab Group
The two views will be now displayed side by side.
Close 3D View(2) – Drawlist(2)

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 10 Creating Additional Views
Clear the Drawlist and add the TRA.SITE.MESS element to the 3D View and set the view direction to NE.
Create a new Empty View. Close the View Settings form.
Add the PIPE.ZONE element to 3D View (2) – Drawlist(2) and set the view direction to North.
Create a separate copy of the current view.
Make 3D View (2) – Drawlist(2) the current view. Change the viewing direction and remove element pipe1.
Note that this has not affected the viewing direction or view contents of 3D View (3).
Move the view 3D View (1) – Drawlist(1) to a new vertical Tab Group.
Click on TANK2 in 3D View (1) – Drawlist(1) to make it the CE and the graphical selection. Copy the view a
local view.
Close all the view tabs. Note that 3D View (1) – Drawlist(1) cannot be closed as it is the main 3D View.

CHAPTER 8
8 General Utilities
8.1 Search Utility
The Search utility enables the databases to be searched for specific items. The scope of the search may be
defined and the items may be identified by different criteria including name, type, attributes or any combination
of these.
In the HOME tab, group Search, clicking the Search

button displays the Search form.
The form is displayed in a ‘basic search’ mode and may

be docked in one Panel on either side of the 3D view.
The items to be searched for may be specified by names that contain a specific string, one or more element
types or a combination of both.
A string may be entered in the Name Contains textbox. The string may be of any length and contain any
permissible name character. The names are case sensitive.
An element type must be entered in the Element Types textbox. By default [ALL] is displayed which will find
all element types for the search.
One or more item types may be entered in the Element Types textbox. If more than one item type is entered
they must be separated by a space, comma or semi-colon, e.g. EQUI PIPE, NOZZ; TEE. The entries may be
any valid element type and are not case sensitive.
The Scope options list sets the ’ceiling’ for the search, i.e. an element or collection which
will be searched for the specified elements.
Selecting Current Element will display the CE in the adjacent textbox and updates automatically if a new CE
is selected.
The Element option enables an element name, with the leading forward slash, to be entered into the textbox.
The entry does not change if a new CE is selected.
The Current Collection option searches the current collection for the specified elements.
Having made appropriate entries, clicking the Search button

initiates the search.
The time taken to complete the search will depend on the

amount of data in the scope and the number of elements
being searched for.

Foundations TM-1801
The results of the search will be displayed in a new form, the

Collections form.
This form allows many operations like saving and sharing the
results of the search, modifying, grouping and sorting the
grid’s columns. These functionalities will be described in the
sections 8.3 and 8.3.

Foundations TM-1801
8.1.1 More Search Tools
Clicking the More Search Tools link label displays the

form in ‘advanced search’ mode. This enables the
search scope to be refined, attribute and free filters to
be applied and searches to be managed.
The form opens by default with the Search Scope

fold-up panel open.
The In Volume checkbox enables the search to be

specified within a volume rather than using an element
or collection for the ‘ceiling’ of the search.
There are two methods to define the limits of the

search volume if the checkbox is checked.
The Of Element option enables an element name to

be entered in the combo box. Making an element the
CE in Model Explorer and clicking the CE button
displays the current element name in the combo box.
Previously selected elements in the current session

are available in the combo box and the list may be
cleared by selecting the Clear History option.
The Explicit Volume option enables a volume to be

explicitly specified by entering Lower and Upper co-
ordinates for opposite corners of a volume box.
The Wholly Within and Wholly & Partially radio

buttons function, as described previously for Fence
Selection in section 5.2.1.2, and applies to both
volumetric search options.
The Modified checkbox restricts the elements being

searched for to those modified in the current session.
8.1.1.1 Attribute Filters
Attribute Filters provide a method of filtering the search

criteria by specifying restrictions to one or more
attributes.
Expanding the Attribute Filters fold-up panel enables a

filter to be added by clicking the Add Filter link label.
By default the new attribute filter is NAME, however,

clicking in the Attribute cell enables a valid attribute or
UDA to be entered.

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Opening the options list in the Attribute cell displays an all standard attributes and UDAs.
If more than one element type is being searched for the options list contains a union of all
standard attributes and UDAs.
Opening the options list in the Operator cell displays the filter options that may be used.
After selecting a filter the filter value may be entered in the Value cell.
More than one filter can be applied.
Filters may be deleted by selecting them in the left hand column and clicking the Delete
Filter link label.
8.1.1.2 Free Filter

A Free Filter enables any valid PML (Programmable
Macro Language) expression to be used as a filter.
Expanding the Free Filter fold-up panel displays a

textbox where the free filter is entered.
PML expressions such as HBOR EQ 50mm, PSPEC NE /A3B or DRNS NE U OR DRNS NE D may be used.
The filter may be removed by deleting the expression from the text box.
 Refer to the Database Management Reference Manual for more information about PML expressions
8.1.1.3 Manage Searches

The Manage Searches fold-up panel enables
regularly used or complex searches to be saved for
later use.
Expanding the Manage Searches fold-up panel

enables a search to be saved based on the current
search criteria.
Clicking the Create “Saved Search” Based on Current Search

Criteria link label displays the Create Saved Search form.
Entering a suitable name in the Name textbox activates the OK button

and clicking the button saves the search, including element type and
scope definition.
After searches have been saved they may be

selected from the options list. Clicking the Search
button runs the current saved search.
When saved searches have been defined the Delete

Selected Saved Search link label becomes active
and clicking it deletes the current saved search.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 11 Search Utility
In the HOME tab, group Search, click the Search button.
Enter BRAN in the Element Type textbox. Select the Element option for the scope and enter /SITE-PIPING-
AREA01 in the scope textbox.
Click the Search Button in the Search form.
On the Search form select the More Search Tools link label and expand the Attribute Filters fold-up panel,
click the Add Filter link label to create a new filter. Enter HBOR in the Attribute column, select Greater than
from the Operator column and enter 50mm in the Value column.
Click the Search button to replace the existing Search Results collection.
Minimise the Search Scope fold-up panel and expand the Manage Searches fold-up panel. Click the Create
“Saved Search” Based on Current Search Criteria link label to display the Create Saved Search form.
Enter BRAN with Hbor gt 50mm in the Name textbox and click the OK button. Note that the named is
displayed in the options list for future re-use.

Foundations TM-1801
8.3 Collections
Collections are lists of database elements that are selected and filtered using a set of criteria. A collection can
be used to perform an action on all of the elements in the list, either from the Collections form or from other
forms, e.g. Position By and Rotate.
Collections also enable the user to view data in a grid format which can have additional columns displayed
and may be filtered, sorted, grouped, printed or exported to Excel.
Collections are persistent between sessions and disciplines and some collections are persistent between
modules, allowing, for instance, to use in Draw a collection created in Model. Shared collections may be
accessed by all project users.
The Collections form is displayed by clicking the Collections button in the Common group or on the HOME
tab in the Search group. It may be docked in a Panel on either side of the 3D view.
The Collections form consists of two parts. The upper part

displays the available collections under three categories which
display their contents as a tree structure.
The lower part of the form displays the contents of a selected

collection in a grid.

Foundations TM-1801
8.3.1 System Collections
System Collections consist of the Drawlist, the Claimlist and

the Current Selection.
Expand the System Collections to display the three available

collections. Click on the Drawlist collection to display its
contents, if any, in the grid.
 System and Shared collections may be hidden using the

Show Current Collection / Show All Collections link labels
System Collections are generated automatically and updated

dynamically. Add SITE SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 to the 3D
View and notice how the Drawlist collection is updated.
Right clicking in the grid displays a context sensitive pop-up

menu:
The options available depend on the collection and element type.

The 3D View option has a sub-menu which has the same
functions as the Model Explorer pop-up menu for adding or
removing elements from the Drawlist.
The Navigate To option navigates to the element in the Model

Explorer and makes it the CE.
 For more information about the Grids in AVEVA E3D, refer to section 8.3
8.3.2 Create a Shared Collection
Shared Collections are stored in Group Set (GPSET) elements owned by Group World (GPWL) elements
and are persistent across modules.
Right click on Shared Collections to prompt a pop-up menu

with one active option. Select the New option to display the
sub-menu which enables creation of new category.
Click the New Category option to create a GPWL named

New_Shared_Category<n>, where <n> is a sequential
number.
The new category is displayed in the Shared Collections.

Foundations TM-1801
Right click on the newly created category to display the pop-

up menu with three active options.
The New option has a sub-menu which enables another new

category to be created or a new collection to be created.
Click the New Collection option to create a new GPSET

named New_Shared_Collection<n>, where <n> is a
sequential number.
The new collection is displayed below the category in Shared

Collections.
Clicking the Delete option deletes the category.
Clicking the Rename option enables the category name to be edited to a more descriptive name.
Right clicking on a collection displays a pop-up menu which

enables the user to add or remove the contents of the
collection to/from the 3D View, create a New Collection,
Rename a collection or Delete a collection.
Select SITE SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA02 in the Model

Explorer to make it the current element. Then right click on
the new shared collection and select Add CE To Collection.
Notice that the SITE is now displayed in the grid to show it is
in the collection.
Select SITE SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 in the Model

Explorer. Then right click on the new shared collection and
select Add CE Members to Collection. Notice that the only
member of this site ZONE ZONE-EQUIPMENT-AREA01 is
now displayed in the grid to show it is part of the collection.
Navigate to SITE SITE-EQUIPMENT-AREA03 in the Model

Explorer. Drag and drop it into the grid or onto the collection
name to add it to the collection.
Click the Edit Scope Selection option in the Shared

Collections pop-up menu to display the Expression
Editor form.
This enables an expression to be associated with a

shared collection to dynamically update the contents of
the collection.
Set the expression to ALL PIPE, to automatically

populate the collection with all of the PIPE elements
contained within the MDB. Other example expressions
are:
ALL PIPE WITH PSPEC EQ /A3B - would add all pipes

in the MDB of the Spec A3B.
ALL PIPE WITH PSPEC EQ /A3B AND BORE GT

80mm - would add pipes with spec A3B and a bore
greater than 80mm.

Foundations TM-1801
Once the expression is entered, click the Evaluate

button to populate the Results list with all elements that
meet the criteria in the MDB.
Clicking the OK button adds the results to the collection

for which the expression has been set.
If elements that comply with the expression are added or

deleted to the scope covered by the expression then the
collection contents will be dynamically updated.
The expression can be removed from the collection by

opening the Expression Editor form, deleting the
expression and clicking the OK button.
The contents of the collection created by the expression

are deleted from the collection.
Collections may contain a mixture of elements added via

an expression, which are dynamically updated, and
elements that have been added by manual methods.
In the Collections form grid, elements added manually

are displayed in normal text whilst items added via the
expression are displayed in italic text.
8.3.3 My Collections
My Collections are similar to Shared Collections except that

they are not stored in the database and cannot be viewed by other
users.
My Collections are persistent across sessions and modules for

the user who created them.
My Collections have the same functionality on right click menus

to that described previously for Shared Collections except that a
scope selection expression cannot be applied to a collection.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 12 Using Collections
Open the Collections form.
Create a new Collection in the My Collections sections and rename it Branches Greater than 50mm
Use the saved searched created previously to populate the Search Results collection.
Copy the Search Results collection to the Branches Greater than 50mm collection.
Add the collection Branches Greater than 50mm to the 3D View.
Create a new Category in the Shared Collections section and rename it Area01 Equipment. Create a new
collection in this category and rename it Electrical Equipment.
In Model Explorer, navigate to ZONE-ELECTRICAL-AREA01. In the Collections form, right click on Electrical
Equipment and select Add CE Members to Collection.
In the Shared Collections, create a new category and name it Area01 Structural.
Create a new shared collection named All Sections. Right click on the collection and select Edit Scope
Selection. In the PML Expression textbox, enter ALL GENSEC WITH ZONE EQ /ZONE-STRUCTURAL-
AREA01.
SaveWork.

Foundations TM-1801
8.4 Working with Grids
In AVEVA E3D, like in the Collections form, many tools will use a Grid to display a list of elements. Depending
on the tool, the Grids may have one or several of the functions described below.
Most of the functionality may be accessed from a contextual menu by right clicking on the Columns’ headers
bar.
8.4.1 Modifying Values
If the access rights allows it, attributes may be modified directly in a Grid by double clicking on a cell and
entering values. Read Only cells will be indicated with a grey background. Values from pseudo-attributes and
from PML expressions are always Read Only.
Modified values will be indicated by a cyan background.
It is also possible to modify multiple rows at once in a Grid. This may be achieved by:
Copying the value of a cell.
Selecting multiple cells to be modified and paste the copied

value.
 Multiple selection may be achieved by holding the <Shift>

key or the <Ctrl> key
Selecting multiple cells, the top one having the value to copy.
Right clicking and selecting the Fill Down option. This will
propagate the value of the top cell of the selection.
Note that in the same way, the Fill Up option will propagate the
value of the bottom cell of the selection.

Foundations TM-1801
When the Attribute associated to a column is a reference to another element, e.g. a specification or a property,
a “…” button will appear in the cell.
The user may enter an element’s name manually but it must exist in the database. Or, clicking the “…”
button will open a browser to search for a valid element.
8.4.2 Sorting a Column
Clicking on the header of a column will sort the column in alphabetical order,
alternatively ascending or descending.
Multiple columns may be sorted by holding the <Shift> key down while clicking on a
column header. The sorting precedence order will be then indicated by a number on
the column.
8.4.3 Freezing a Column
When a grid contains a lot of columns it may be practical to freeze one column in
order to have it always displayed when scrolling across the other columns.
Clicking on the pin icon on a heading will duplicate the column and keep it in a fixed
position at the left of the grid.

Foundations TM-1801
8.4.4 Filtering a column
The first row below the column headers is reserved for filtering the correspondent
column. By default the filter is set on “Contains”, so entering any text in the cell
below the column header will filter all the values containing the text entered for
the correspondent column.
Clicking the in the filter cell will cancel the filter for the corresponding column.
Clicking the at the left hand side of the filtering row will cancel all the filters.
Other filtering options are available from the button on the right of the filtering cell.
It will be then possible to filter the grid to any individual existing

values by checking the relevant check boxes.
The Text Filters options allows to modify the filtering criteria

when entering text in the filtering cell.
8.4.5 Adding columns
On some forms, it is possible to add columns to the grid by right clicking

on any column header. In the collections grid selecting Column Setup will
display the Column Setup form.
Clicking the Add Column link label will add a new row in
the table to define a new column.
To define the values in the column, select an attribute from

the dropdown list of an Expression cell, or enter a valid
PML expression.
Enter any text in the Heading cell to define the name of

the column that will appear in the column’s header.
It also possible to change the positions of the columns

using the arrows on the right hand side. Although it may be
done directly in the grid by dragging the columns’ headers.

Foundations TM-1801
If values are not set or not valid for some columns, the cell will show a red indicator that may be hover by the
mouse to display the reason of the error.
8.4.6 Arranging Columns
The columns may be re-arranged by drag and drop:
Press and hold the left mouse button on a column header to re-
arrange.
Drag it to the desired position in between two columns and release

the button.
It is also possible to position a column below other ones:
8.4.7 Column Units
When columns contain numerical values with a physical dimension, e.g. length, weight, it is possible to choose
the displayed unit.
In the Collections Grid, a ruler icon will be displayed for the columns having
numerical values with a dimension, and the selected unit will be displayed
beside the name of column.
Clicking on the ruler icon will offer options to change the displayed unit.

Foundations TM-1801
8.4.8 Grouping
It may be possible to activate the grouping of rows in some grids.
In the collections grid, right clicking on the heading bar will show
the Grouping toggle in the contextual menu.
When the Grouping is enabled, dragging and dropping a column

header in the designated area will group the items of the grid by
the selected columns.
If multiple column are selected for grouping, it may be possible

to modify the order of the grouping by dragging the column
headers in the grouping Area.
The grouping order will be indicated in the columns’ headers
Each group will then appear as individual sections in the grid

which may be expanded or collapsed.
8.4.9 Column Summaries
When columns contain numeric values, like for example Lengths or Weights, it is possible to display
summaries for each group. Summary functions allows to calculate:
 Averages
 Counts
 Maximum / Minimum
 Sum

Foundations TM-1801
In the Collections Grid, summaries may be enabled by right clicking in the

Headers bar and selecting the Column Summaries option.
This will display a Sum symbol in the header of the columns containing
numerical values.
Clicking on the Sum symbol will display a list of options.
One or several function may be selected. The results will be then displayed
in the Grid for each group:
8.4.10 Quick Report
It may be possible to create a report with the columns and values contained in the Grid.
In the Collections Grid, right clicking in the columns’ headers bar will display the
contextual menu from which the Quick Report option may be selected.
The Quick Report form will be displayed. A template may be selected from the Layout
Template tab.
Selecting a template and clicking the Open button will display a confirmation message.

Foundations TM-1801
After clicking the yes button, the report will be generated and opened in the Quick Report Designer
The report layout may be modified and printed in the Report Designer. Note that the report will only consider
the columns and values in the grid, not the sorting, grouping and summaries.
8.4.11 Exporting to Excel
As for the quick reporting, the contextual menu invoked from a right click in the headers
bar of the Collections grid offers an option to export the grid to Excel.
A file browser will be displayed and the file may be saved in xls or xlsx format.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 13 Working with Grids
Open the Collections form and select the Collection All Sections created previously.
Create a new column with MATREF in the Expression cell and Material in the Heading cell.
Create a new column with CUTL in the Expression column and Cut Length in the Heading column.
Create one more column using NWEI and Nett Weight in the Expression and Heading columns respectively.
Click OK.
Sort the Name column so that the element named C3 is at the top of the grid.
Group the rows by Material. Expand the group for Material : GR355I.
Double click in the Material cell for the first element at the top of the group to enable editing. Enter GR275 in
the cell and click out of the cell.
Multi select the Material cells for the elements C3 to K7. Copy the first value to the other cells using the Fill
Down option.
Click the Units button in the Cut Length column header and select different units from the pop-up menu.
Export the Grid to Excel.

Foundations TM-1801
8.5 Measuring tools
The measuring tools allows to evaluate distances and angles. These tools are using the Positioning control
described previously.
8.5.1 Measure Distance
Clicking the Measure Distance button in the Common group of the Home
tab displays the Measure Distance form and activates the Positioning
Control form.
The Units frame enables the user to specify the units the measured
distance will be displayed in. The Unit Type options list has three entries,
Default, Metric and Imperial.
Selecting Default displays the distance values in the current session units
whilst selecting Metric or Imperial activates the Display Units options list.
If Metric is selected the user can choose from Millimetres, Centimetres

and Metres for the display units.
If Imperial is selected the user can choose from Inches, Feet & Inches
and Feet (decimal feet) for the display units.
The prompt ‘Measure distance start (Snap) Snap:’ will be displayed in

the prompt area of the 3D view.
The prompt will change depending on the pick method setting on the
Positioning Control form, e.g. ‘Measure distance start (Mid-Point) Snap:’
Picking the first measure point displays an aid text Measure distance
start at the selected point and the prompt changes to ‘Measure distance
end (Snap) Snap:’
Picking the second measure point

displays the ‘true’ distance and the X, Y
and Z components with aid lines and
text in the 3D View.
These values are also displayed on the

Measure Distance form with the
addition of the direction between the
first measure point and second
measure point.
The direction and offsets are expressed, by default, with respect to the World co-ordinate system. They may
be expressed in terms of another frame of reference by entering a named element, CE, Owner or db reference
no. in the wrt textbox on the Measure Distance form.

Foundations TM-1801
Once a measure distance task is performed, the form will remain active, enabling other distances to be
measured, until the form is closed.
8.5.1.1 Using Graphics Picks

The graphics in the 3D view may also be used to derive points for measuring. Selecting pick type Graphics on
the Positioning Control toolbar enables the graphics to be used with any of the pick methods.
Clicking and holding the left mouse button over an element in the 3D view highlights the edges of the element
and displays a graphics cursor. Moving the cursor over the element(s) changes the cursor shape depending
on what is ‘below’ the cursor at the time, for example a surface, a corner or an edge.
Surface Corner Edge
8.5.2 Measure Angle
Selecting the Angle entry from the Measure Distance button options list
displays the Measure Angle form and activates the Positioning Control
form.
The prompt ‘Measure angle root of angle (Snap) Snap:’ is displayed.
 The prompt will change depending on the pick method setting on

the Positioning Control form.
The root of angle is the centre point of the angle.
Picking the root of angle point displays an aid text Measure angle root
of angle at the selected point and the prompt changes to ‘Measure angle
first point (Snap) Snap:’

Foundations TM-1801
Picking the first measure point displays an aid text Measure angle first
point at the selected point and the prompt changes to ‘Measure angle
second point (Snap) Snap:’
Picking the second measure point

displays the angle with aid lines and
text in the 3D View.
These values are also displayed on

the Measure Angle form with the
addition of the directions between
the root of angle point and the first
measure point and second measure
point.
The measured angle is expressed,

by default, with respect to the World
coordinate system. The measured
angle may be expressed in terms of
another frame of reference by
entering a named element, CE,
Owner or db reference no. in the wrt
textbox on the Measure Angle form.
8.6 Walk Mode & Fly Mode
Additionally to the classic View Controls, the Walk and Fly Modes allows the user to visualize the 3D Model in
a “realistic” review mode, from a moving observer point of view and in perspective mode.
To activate or deactivate the Walk mode or Fly Mode, click the Walk Mode or the Fly Mode toggles in the
VIEW tab, group Control.
The View will be set to Perspective with a 90 degree field of view.

Foundations TM-1801
In Walk mode, the cursor will appear as a walking man :
In Fly Mode, the cursor will appear as a paper plane
 When Laser Models are displayed, enabling the Walk or Fly Modes will activate the HyperBubble™ mode
for a photorealistic rendering of Laser data.
 For more information about displaying Laser Data, refer to TM-1821 AVEVA Everything3D™ 2.1 - Using
Laser Models
8.6.1 Walk Mode Controls
In Walk Mode, the displacement may be achieved along a fixed horizontal plane with a variable speed.
 The maximum speed can be set in the Project Options
The Walking Mode navigation controls are operated using the 3 mouse buttons:
Left Button : Walking
Pressing the left mouse button down will initiate the walking motion by constraining the displacement on the
current horizontal plane, and freeze the location of the black crosshair on the screen.
While holding the left button down, the cursor will be representing a walking man, and a dashed line will run
between the cursor and the black crosshair. Moving the cursor away from the black crosshair will set the
direction and speed of the displacement.

Foundations TM-1801
Holding the <Shift> key down will increase the walking speed, holding the <Ctrl> key down will decrease the
walking speed
When the cursor is above the crosshair, the observer will move forward,
below the crosshair he will move backwards.
When the cursor is on the right of the crosshair the observer will rotate to
the right, and when the cursor is on the left of the crosshair the observer will
rotate to the left.
The distance between the cursor and the crosshair will determine the speed
of the walk. The further the cursor is from the crosshair, the faster the walk
will be.
Middle button : Rotation
Pressing and holding the middle mouse button will allow the rotation in every direction from a fixed position.
Moving the mouse will pan the view angle following the mouse position.
Right Button : vertical motion
Pressing and holding the right mouse button will allow the displacement in a vertical motion. The displacement
will go upward when the cursor is above the crosshair. The displacement will go downward when the cursor
is below the crosshair. The speed of the displacement will be controlled by the distance between the cursor
and the crosshair.
 Pressing the <Esc> key or clicking the Walk Mode button will exit the Walk Mode and restore the view as
it was before the Walk Mode was enabled.
8.6.2 Fly Mode Controls
In Fly mode the displacement may be achieved in every direction at a constant speed.
 The Flying speed can be set in the Project Options
The Walking Mode navigation controls are operated using 2 mouse buttons.
Left Button : Flying
Pressing and holding the left mouse button will activate the flying motion.
When the cursor is above the crosshair, the observer will rotate upward, and
when the cursor is below the crosshair the observer will rotate downward.
When the cursor is on the right of the crosshair the observer will turn right,
and when the cursor is on the left of the crosshair the observer will turn left.

Foundations TM-1801
The distance between the cursor and the crosshair will determine the speed
of the rotation. The further the cursor is from the crosshair, the faster the
rotation will be.
Holding the <Shift> key down will increase the walking speed, holding the <Ctrl> key down will decrease the
walking speed
Middle Button : Rotation
Pressing and holding the middle mouse button will allow the rotation in every direction from a fixed position.
The direction of the rotation is determined by the position of the cursor relatively to the black crosshair. The
speed of the rotation will be controlled by the distance between the cursor and the crosshair.

Foundations TM-1801
Exercise 14
Empty the Drawlist then Add the shared collection Area01 to the 3D View from the category Areas.
Activate the Fly Mode and fly around the model using the commands described previously. Fly to the center
of the model then exit the Fly Mode.
Activate the Walk Mode and walk around the model using the commands described previously.

Foundations TM-1801
8.7 Save & Restore Views
Views may be saved and restored by clicking the Save & Restore button in VIEW tab, group Control. This
will display the Save & Restore View form.
8.7.1 Saving Views
The Current Directory frame displays the path and

directory where the saved views will be stored.
Clicking the Select Directory button to the left displays

the Browse for Folder form were a directory may be
found by browsing.
Entering a suitable name in the New View textbox in the

Save Current View frame and clicking the Save Current
View button to the right of the textbox will save the current
view in the specified location.
The saved view will be then displayed in the Saved Views

frame and the save time and date displayed below.
The saved view name is also displayed in the View

options list in the Saved Views frame.
If another view is saved with the same name a

confirmation message is displayed.

Foundations TM-1801
8.7.2 Restoring Saved Views
Restoring saved views may be achieved in three ways using the buttons on the Save & Restore View form.
Restore View – if there are existing elements in the current 3D view, the Drawlist is emptied and the
Drawlist contents and view settings from the selected saved view are restored.
Add to Drawlist - The Drawlist content of the selected saved view is added to the Drawlist of the
current view. The view settings, i.e. direction, scale, etc., are not changed to the saved view settings.
Replace Drawlist - The Drawlist content of the selected saved view replaces the Drawlist of the
current view. The view settings, i.e. direction, scale, etc., are not changed to the saved view settings.
8.7.3 Deleting Saved Views
Saved views may be deleted using the buttons on the Save & Restore View form:
Delete Saved View – this option deletes the saved view named in the Save Name option list. A
confirmation message is displayed:
Delete All Saved Views – this option deletes all saved views. A confirmation message is displayed:
8.8 Copy Image
On the 3D VIEW tab, in the Manipulate group, clicking the Copy Image button copies an
image of the contents of the current view to the clipboard from where it can be pasted into
any document.
The button has an options list of the different resolutions available for the image.

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CHAPTER 9
9 Settings
This chapter will describe the different settings and options that may be applied to the tools seen previously
but are not essential for an overall comprehension of the application.
9.1 Explorer Settings
In the PROJECT tab, selecting Options > Configuration > Explorer Settings displays the Explorer Settings
form.
The form contains check boxes that toggle the

following settings:
 Auto Collapse Tree – If selected, whenever

the user changes CE, any expanded node
not containing the selected CE is
automatically collapsed. This applies to all
active explorers. This option is disabled if
Expand to CE is not selected.
 Expand to CE – If selected, this option

automatically expands the tree when the CE
changes (if not already expanded).
 Hide non-user System Data– If selected,

this option hides all System Data elements
in the MDB, e.g. Application Data World
(APPLDW) and Template World (TPWL), to
which the user does not have write access.
 Show TUBI/ROD – If selected, this option

displays all TUBI and ROD elements in the
Model Explorer.
 TUBI and ROD elements are Piping and Cable Tray components respectively. These elements are
discussed in the appropriate discipline training guide.
9.2 View Settings
On the VIEW tab, in the Settings group, clicking Current View button displays the View Settings form. This
form enables settings to be made for the current 3D View and is divided into several frames which are
explained in this section.

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Title – the textbox displays the title of the current view which
defaults to 3D View. A different title may be entered which
will be displayed on the 3D View header, for example: My
View(1) – Drawlist(2).
Projection – sets the projection to Parallel or Perspective
Rotate – sets the Rotation mode to About Model or About

Eye.
Effects – these options enable the user to change the

appearance of the graphics display in a 3D View. The
checkboxes in this frame are toggles.
Unchecking the Shaded checkbox displays the elements in

wire line. This may also be achieved by pressing the F8
button.
Unchecking the Outlines checkbox removes outlines

around the elements in the 3D View.
Unchecking the Shadows checkbox removes the shadows

made by the elements in the 3D View.
Checking the Outline Translucent elements checkbox

displays a hard outline edge around translucent elements.
 Leaving the form open and making
another 3D View current updates the
form to the current 3D View’s settings.
Shaded, Outlines and

Shaded unchecked Outlines unchecked Shadows unchecked
Shadows checked
Outline Translucent Outline Translucent

elements unchecked elements checked
Tools –these options enable the user to display or hide the PowerCompass and the World Axes.
Background – these options enable the user to set the colour and effect of the 3D View background.

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Clicking the Colour button displays the 3D View Background Colour

with 16 major colours.
Clicking the More… button displays a larger form with 256 colours that
may be chosen.
Clicking a colour on either form sets it as the 3D View background

colour.
By default the Graduated checkbox is checked, which gives a graduated effect to the 3D View background.
Unchecking this checkbox removes the effect and makes the 3D View background a solid colour.
Graduated checked Graduated unchecked
Capping – these options enable the user to set the clipped element capping colour and toggle capping on
and off. See section 5.10 for details of clipping and capping.
Lighting – these options enable the user to set the Brightness and Reflection for the 3D View graphics
using a slider and a relative number between 0 and 1 for each setting. The default settings are 0.7 and 0.8
respectively.
Brightness 0 Brightness 1

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Reflection 0 Reflection 1
Clicking the Save button will store the current View Settings to be re-applied on the Main 3D View for the next
AVEVA E3D sessions.
Clicking the Reset button will restore the default settings for the current 3D View.
9.3 Drawlist Settings
The Drawlist has many features to help control the Drawlist for a 3D View and has three areas, as described
in the following sections.
9.3.1 Tabs
The top part of the form consists of three tabs, each of which
has a grid.
The Drawlist tab displays all the elements currently in the

Drawlist.
The Graphical Selection tab displays all elements in the

current graphical selection.
The Primitives tab displays the primitives of an element

selected from the Drawlist tab list. The tab header changes
to Primitives of /<nnnn>, where <nnnn> is the name of
the element, when an element is selected from the Drawlist
tab. If more than one element is selected in the Drawlist tab,
the first primitives of the first element selected will appear in
the Primitives tab and the tab title appropriately changed.
The grid in each tab have the same functionality. Each grid
has two columns showing the element Name, either an
explicit name or the system generated name, and the
element Type.
The grid entries may be grouped, sorted and filtered to suit the user’s requirements.

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The grids have a right click pop-up menu which has the following options:
 Multiple selections can be made from the grid.
 Navigate To – this option navigates to the element, selected in the list, in the Model Explorer, effectively
making it the current element. Where more than one element is selected this option navigates to the first
one in the list.
 Hide in 3D View – this option hides the selected element(s) in the 3D View. The elements are not
removed from the Drawlist, only removed from the 3D View graphics. The Show checkbox in the Display
Settings frame of the Drawlist is unchecked.
 Show in 3D View – this option shows the selected elements(s) in the 3D View if they have been hidden.
The Show checkbox in the Display Settings frame of the Drawlist is checked.
 Remove from 3D View – this option removes the selected element(s) from the Drawlist and 3D View.
 Add to Collections – this option adds the selected element(s) to the current collection.
 See section 8.1 for details about the Collections form.
 Export to Excel… – this options opens the Save Drawlist As browser, enabling the grid contents to be
saved to a .xls file.
 Print Preview… - this option opens the Print Preview form and displays a print preview of the grid. The
grid contents may be printed from the form.
9.3.2 Display Settings
The Display Settings frame of the Drawlist enables single

elements or multiple elements selected in the tab grids to
have their visual properties in the 3D View modified.
 When the display settings of a top level element in the Drawlist are modified, all lower level elements
owned by the element are also modified, however, individual primitives may have their display settings
changed from their owner’s colour by making a selection from the Primitives of /<nnnn> tab.
The Show checkbox enables an entry in the Drawlist to be displayed or hidden in a 3D View’s graphics. If
unchecked, the Show checkbox hides the selected item(s) in the 3D View. Checking the checkbox displays
the object in the 3D View, if previously hidden.
The Colour button caption shows the colour of the selected element(s) and displays its colour name. If more
than one element is selected the colour of the first element selected is shown, although the operation will
change the colour of all selected elements.
Clicking the Colour button displays the Colour form which displays
the standard 16 AVEVA E3D colours. Any colour may be selected
from the palette by clicking the required colour button
Clicking the More… button displays a larger Colour form with 256
available colours.

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When a colour is selected the Colour button on the Drawlist form is updated. The selected elements in the
Drawlist will be displayed in the selected colour.
The Edges checkbox toggles the

highlighting of the element’s edges in
the 3D View.
This setting is often used with semi-

translucent elements to ensure a
clearer view of the element(s).
The Translucency slider enables the

translucency of elements to be modified.
Setting the translucency of displayed
elements allows other elements that are
obscured in the display to be seen
through the semi- translucent element.
The number next to the slider label

shows the percentage of translucency for
the selected item(s), i.e. 0% is a solid
colour and 100% is completely
transparent.
The percentage may be set by dragging

the slider or by clicking the left or right
arrow buttons at each end of the slider
until the desired number is reached.
If more than one element is selected the

translucency of the first element selected
is shown, although the operation will
change the colour of all selected
elements.
9.3.3 Options
The Options frame of the Drawlist contains three link labels

that have the following functions:
 Select CE in List – this link label selects the CE, as shown in Model Explorer, in the selected tab grid
and highlights the entry. If the CE is not in the selected tab list then a warning alert form is displayed.
 Add CE to Drawlist – this link label adds the CE, as shown in Model Explorer, to the Drawlist. This may
be a significant element, a component or a primitive.
 Remove Selection – this link label removes the selected row(s) from the Drawlist. The other tabs are
updated automatically. This button is only enabled when one or more rows in any of the tab grids has
been selected.

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9.4 Graphics Settings
In the VIEW tab, in the Settings group, clicking the Graphics button displays the Graphics Settings form.
The form contains five tabs from which the majority of graphics settings can be made. Each tab is described
in the following sections.
9.4.1 Colour Tab
The General Colours frame enables colours used for

specific purposes in 3D Views to be set.
Clicking the button adjacent to the purpose label displays a

colour form with buttons for 16 colours. As described
previously, clicking the More… on the colour form shows
buttons for 256 colours button.
Selecting a colour button changes the button colour on the

tab accordingly.
Each colour form has a title describing the purpose it is

setting.
The purpose of each button is as follows:
 CE – sets the colour of the current element in a 3D View. This colour overrides any other colour that
may be set for the element.
 Active – sets the colour of elements associated with the CE, e.g. if an equipment primitive is the CE
then all other primitives owned by that equipment will be displayed in the active colour.
 Visible – sets the colour of all other elements in the 3D View other than the CE and those elements
with the active colour. This setting is only applied if Auto Colour rules are inactive.
 Aids – sets the colour of the graphical aids used in AVEVA E3D.
 Highlight – sets the highlight feedback colour, e.g. for highlighting elements to be deleted.
 Tracing – sets the colour for pipes with a tracing specification.
The Auto Colours Settings frame contains functions to control and define the auto colouring of elements in
a 3D View.
Auto Colours are a set of rules that define the colour and other representation parameters for elements, e.g.
pipe systems may be displayed in different colours according to the fluid code or equipment in different plant
areas be displayed in different colours.
Auto Colours are toggled on and off using the Auto Colour checkbox on the tab. The Dynamic Auto Colour
checkbox controls the re-evaluation of an elements colour if the attribute that the colour is dependent on is
modified. If enabled the colour will be changed dynamically if the attribute is changed and if disabled the colour
will change when the element is next added to a Drawlist. Both of these settings are checked by default.

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Checking the Auto Colour Components checkbox enables the auto colour rules defined for component types
e.g. VALVES. If a colour rule is set for valves and the Auto Colour Components checkbox is not checked,
the rule for Pipes will be applied on the valve components.
The Auto Colour Rules… link label displays the Auto Colour Rules form, from which Auto Colour rules may
be created, deleted and modified.
9.4.2 Representation Tab
The representation of elements in a 3D View is

controlled from the Representation tab.
The Representation Settings frame contains the

following controls:
The Tube and Centreline checkboxes control the

representation of pipework in the 3D View.
If the Tube checkbox is enabled, pipework will be

displayed as solid elements.
If the Tube checkbox is disabled and the Centreline

checkbox enabled, the pipework is displayed as
centrelines, with components shown as a symbolic
representation defined in the catalogue.
If both Tube and Centreline checkboxes are enabled

both representations are displayed which can give an
undesirable outcome.
Tube enabled Centreline enabled
The Holes Drawn checkbox controls how negative elements are displayed in the 3D Views. AVEVA E3D does
not fundamentally change the solid primitives from which items are created but modifies them with negative
primitives that ‘cut’ the solid primitives.

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If the Holes Drawn checkbox is disabled, any negative elements are displayed as black lines in a shaded
view. If the Holes Drawn checkbox is enabled, the negative primitives ‘cut’ the primitives to show the ‘holes’.
This does not apply to holes in pipe flanges.
Holes Drawn disabled Holes Drawn enabled
The Flange Bolt Holes Drawn checkbox controls whether holes in piping flanges are displayed, providing
they have been set-up in the catalogue. This function works in the same was as Holes Drawn but is
independent from it.
Flange Bolt Holes Drawn disabled Flange Bolt Holes Drawn enabled
The Tracing checkbox controls the displayed colour of pipe elements that have a tracing specification
applied. If the Tracing checkbox is enabled, the pipe elements with a tracing specification in the 3D View
will be displayed in the Tracing highlight colour specified on the Colour tab of the form.
The Anti-Alias checkbox and the Anti-Alias Level options list controls the ‘feathering’ of diagonal lines in
the 3D View. If the Anti-Alias checkbox is disabled, diagonal lines will appear ‘jagged’, however, if the Anti-
Alias checkbox is enabled, diagonal lines will appear smoother.
The Anti-Alias Level options list has three levels of anti-aliasing that can be used, 2, 4 or 8. The higher the
number the smoother the diagonal lines will be, however, this does have an overhead on the amount of
processing the graphics card has to perform.
The Insulation Visibility/Translucency options list controls the

display of insulation on pipes that have an insulation specification.
The default setting is Off, i.e. insulation is not shown. The insulation
may be shown as Solid colour, the pipe cannot be seen through the
insulation, however, the options list also has entries for showing the
insulation at different levels of translucency, i.e. the pipe can be seen
through the insulation, from 12% through to 87%. The higher the
percentage the more translucent the insulation becomes.

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Insulation Visibility/Translucency Off Insulation Visibility/Translucency 50%
The Obstruction Visibility/Translucency options list controls the

display of obstruction volumes where they have been defined.
The default setting is Off, i.e. obstruction volumes are not shown.
Obstruction volumes may be shown as Solid colour, the element that
owns the obstruction volume cannot be seen through it, however, the
options list also has entries for showing the obstruction volumes at
different levels of translucency, i.e. the element can be seen through
the obstruction volume, from 12% through to 87%. The higher the
percentage the more translucent the obstruction volume becomes.
Obstruction Visibility/Translucency Off Obstruction Visibility/Translucency 50%
The Representation Rules… link label enables representation rules to be written and set. This functionality
is outside the scope of this training guide.
 Refer to TM-1802 AVEVA Everything3D ™ Model Utilities for details of Representation Rules in Model.

Foundations TM-1801
The Level frame on the tab shows the current display level for various item types in the model. The display
level may be set by entering a valid display level number in the appropriate textbox.
 The AVEVA E3D default display level is 6.
The Arc Tolerance value controls the representation of certain curves as polygon segments or faceting
planes. The smaller the arc tolerance, the smoother the curve drawn, however, on very large models this may
be an overhead on graphical performance.
Arc Tolerance 1mm Arc Tolerance 10mm
The value may be set by entering a number in the Arc Tolerance textbox. The default setting is 1mm
The Mass Arc Tolerance value controls the accuracy of the calculation of the weight and CoG for elements
that does not have a user defined weight.
9.4.3 Steelwork Tab
The Steelwork tab controls the display of structural

profiles and associated elements.
The Steelwork Settings frame contains the Profile

and Insulation checkboxes which enable and
disable the display of profiles and insulation, if any
has been defined in the catalogue.
The Profile Obstruction Visibility/Translucency

options list works as previously described for general
obstruction visibility/translucency.
The Primary Nodes and Secondary Nodes frames

control the display, size and colour of Primary and
Secondary Nodes for structural profiles.
The Display checkboxes toggle the display of the

nodes, the Size textboxes sets the size of the nodes
and the Colour buttons enable the colour of the
displayed nodes to be set.
 Refer to TM-1812 Everything3D™ Structural

Modelling for details of Primary and Secondary
Nodes.

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9.4.4 Cabling Tab
The Cabling tab controls the display of cableway

volumes, centreline representation,
head/tail/route attachments and cable nodes.

attachments and nodes, the Size textboxes set
the size of the attachments and nodes and the
Colour buttons enable the colour of the displayed
attachments and nodes to be set.
 Refer to TM-1815 AVEVA Everything3D™

Cableway and Cable Modelling training guide
for details of Cabling attachment points and
route nodes.
9.4.5 Plines and Ppoints Tab
The Plines & Ppoints tab controls the display of

Plines on structural profiles and Ppoints on
primitives and piping, HVAC and cable tray
components.

Plines and Ppoints and the Pkey and Numbers
checkboxes control the display of the Pline name or
Ppoint number respectively.
The Length value determines the length of the

displayed Plines or Ppoints.
 Refer to TM-1812 AVEVA Everything3D™

Structural Modelling training guide for details of
Plines and TM-1811 AVEVA Everything3D™
Equipment Modelling training guide for details
of Ppoints on primitives.

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The Graphics Settings form has buttons along the bottom of the form that are applicable to all tabs. The
buttons have the following functions:
The Load button loads Graphics Settings from a previously saved file.
The Save button saves the current Graphics Settings to a file.
The Apply button applies the changes.
The Cancel button cancels any changes made and dismisses the form.
9.5 Attributes Form Settings
Right clicking in a column heading of the Attributes form will display a contextual menu including additional
options and settings for this form:
WRT Element : changes the element which the positions and

orientations are expressed with respect to
Track CE : enables the automatic update of the Attributes grid for the
CE
Categorised/Alphabetical : regroups the attributes by category or by

alphabetical order
Expand Nodes : expands all the attributes categories
Collapse Nodes : collapses all the attributes categories
Modify Category Filters : displays a selection of attribute categories to

filter
Manage Category Filters : displays a list of element types having

filtered attributes categories.
Display Standard Attributes : displays the most common attributes
Display UDAs : displays the User Defined Attributes
Display Pseudo Attributes : displays attributes that are read-only

results of system processed functions depending on other attributes
Columns : displays two optional columns, the attribute description and

attribute data type
Settings : allows to remove “Unset” or “Nulref” values
Export to Excel : exports the attributes grid to an excel file
Print Preview : opens a window to setup printing options

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Also, clicking on any row of the attributes grid will display additional options :
Navigate To : if the attribute value is a reference to another element, this

option will navigate to this referenced element.
Set Attribute Value to CE : if the attribute type is a reference this option

will set its value with a reference to the CE if the type compatible.
Display P-Points : if the element has P-Points they will be displayed in

the grids along with their own attributes.
9.6 Project Options
The project Options are available from the PROJECT tab :
The Project Options contains three groups :
 Configuration : offers general settings to configure the user interface
 View : configure the appearance and behaviour of the 3D View
 Discipline : offer specific settings for Integrator, Piping and Structural
9.6.1 Configuration
Coordinates : option to set the world axes to ENU or XYZ
Explorer Settings : opens the Explorer Settings form (see section 9.1)
Forms : sets the transparency, tabs appearance and confirmation dialog
Properties : configures the Properties form
Units : configures the default units for the current session

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9.6.1.1 Setting the Project Units

Session Units enable the user to display the output of values on forms and input values in forms in a unit other
than the system units. For example, AVEVA E3D works internally in millimetres, however, distance and bore
input and display units can be modified to suit the user during a session.
Attribute values are stored in databases in the system units and are converted on input and output to the
current session units.
On the PROJECT tab, selecting Options >

Systems > Units displays the Session Units form.
The left pane of the form displays a list of the

available unit types that can be modified and their
current setting.
Clicking on a unit type in this list displays a list of

the available session units in the pane to the right.
The current unit is denoted by the notation > unit
<.
Clicking one of the other available units and then

clicking the Set <unit type> Unit button, where
<unit type> is the selected type, makes the
selected unit the current session unit for that type
and updates the left pane list.
By default, Distance units are metric whilst other unit types have a mixture of Metric and Imperial units to
relevant to industry practice. For example, Bore has Millimetres and Inch available. Some unit types, e.g.
Current, Voltage and Impedance have only one unit available.
Imperial distance units can be made the default by including a UNIT element in a Catalogue database.
The Save / Restore frame enables the current session units to be set to current project defaults and saved
and restored by clicking appropriate button.
Session Units enable the user to display the output of values on forms and input values in forms in a unit
other than the system units. For example, AVEVA E3D works internally in millimetres, however, distance and
bore input and display units can be modified to suit the user during a session.
Attribute values are stored in databases in the system units and are converted on input and output to the
current session units.

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9.6.2 View options
Animations & Colours : sets the zoom animations speed, the colours of the
3D View items, the display of the Axes and the Crosshair
Selection & Snaps : sets the appearance and behaviour of grips and snap
cursors
Configuration : sets the mouse navigation controls sensibility
Picking Control : sets the picking offset when using EDG (see section 6.5)
Elements : selection of an element filter for the picking using EDG
Ppoints : selection of filters for picking Ppoints using EDG
Controls : sets the colour of the Route Editor
PowerCompass : set the projection mode and the size of the PowerCompass
9.6.3 Discipline Options
Integrator : configuration options for Integrator (refer to TM-1875)
Piping : Piping application defaults (refer to TM-1810 Pipework Modelling)
Structural : Structural application defaults (refer to TM-1812 Structural Modelling)

APPENDIX A
AVEVA E3D Modules
AVEVA E3D is divided into modules to perform the various functions to produce a 3D Plant design model. The
modules and their function are described below.
Model
Model is the graphically driven data input module for the 3D model in AVEVA E3D. In this module the plant
model is built and the data stored in one or more databases. The databases contain a three-dimensional
description of all items in the plant. Component selection is provided through specifications that dictate which
catalogue components can be used.
The main features are:
 Creation of new model elements.
 Modification of existing model elements.
 Graphical manipulation of modelled elements.
 Creation of reports, e.g. MTO, weight, Centre of Gravity, model status, etc.
 Clash detection to find interferences between model elements.
The module has a number of disciplines to assist designers in building models efficiently. These disciplines
are:
 General
 Equipment
 Piping
 HVAC
 Cabling System
 Cable Trays
 Structures
 Supports
 Design Templates.
 Laser

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Draw
Draw is used to create annotated and dimensioned arrangement and detail drawings from the 3D model and
also has extensive 2D drawing capabilities.
Annotation can be in the form of labels attached to model elements or 2D annotation such as drawing notes,
drawing frames, tables, etc. Annotation attached to a model element on the drawing will move if the 3D position
of the element changes.
Dimensions are projected distances between points in the 3D model and may be attached to model elements.
Dimensions attached to model elements are calculated automatically and are re-calculated when the drawing
is updated, thus reflecting the current model data.
The 3D model can be interrogated through the Draw module, however, the model cannot be changed.
Example Draw Output

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Isodraft
Isodraft produces dimensioned symbolic piping and HVAC isometrics for construction and erection purposes
in various formats.
Isodraft functionality includes:
 Full material lists.
 Automatic spool identification.
 Automatic splitting of complex drawings.
 User-defined drawing sheets.
Example Isodraft Output
Spool
Spool is used for pipework spooling. It enables the designer to split the pipework design into logical sections
(spools) ready for fabrication. The spool data can be output as isometric drawings using Isodraft.

Foundations TM-1801

APPENDIX B
AVEVA E3D Database Elements
The main element types in an AVEVA E3D Model Database are described below. Most element types are
abbreviated, usually to the first four letters of the full name, when they are displayed in the user interface.
These abbreviations are shown in parentheses.
World (WORL)
When the database is first built, it is usually empty except for a single element named the WORLD. Each
database has its own WORLD element as the first element in the hierarchy. The World cannot be deleted or
re-named.
Site (SITE)
Below the WORLD, the second level of the hierarchy is SITE. A SITE may be considered as a significant
collection of plant, whose size is not necessarily determined by physical area, but by practical considerations.
It may, for example be the whole project, or one part of a large project. There can be as many SITEs within
an AVEVA E3D project as required for data organisation.
Zone (ZONE)
The next level below a SITE is a ZONE. As with a SITE, a ZONE is not necessarily used to define a physical
area, it is more likely to store similar types of items for easy reference, such as a piping system in one ZONE,
related equipment in another, and so on. There can be as many ZONEs owned by a SITE as required for data
organisation.
SITEs and ZONE elements are common to all disciplines. Below ZONE level the hierarchy is discipline
dependent, i.e. the elements depend on which discipline the user is modelling.
Equipment (EQUI)
Equipment items are built up in AVEVA E3D using elements known as primitives. Each piece of equipment
can comprise any number of primitive shapes positioned in space to represent the equipment item. The
primitives may be owned directly by the EQUI element or by a Sub-Equipment element.
Sub-Equipment (SUBE)
A SUBE is an optional element to sub-divide an EQUI. The SUBE can own primitive elements.
Primitives
Primitives are the basic building blocks of AVEVA E3D. They are used by other disciplines to create catalogue
components. There are many types of primitives; each with its own features which when combined with other
primitives can represent complex shapes.
Examples of primitives are nozzle (NOZZ), box (BOX), cylinder (CYLI), pyramid (PYRA), cone (CONE) and
dish (DISH).
Volume Model (VOLM)
A VOLM is a ‘simplified’ version of an EQUI element. This allows volumes to be modelled without them being
called Equipment items. A VOLM may directly own any primitive except a NOZZ.
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Sub-Volume Model (SVOLM)
A SVOLM is an optional element, similar to a SUBE, to sub-divide a VOLM. A SVOLM may own any primitive
except a NOZZ.
Structure (STRU)
STRU elements are administrative elements, i.e. they exist to own FRAMEWORK elements, and allow the
plant structures to be sub-divided for ease of modelling and reporting.
Framework (FRMW)
FRMW elements are used to store structural components in the model. A complex structure can be divided
into logical frameworks. Dividing the structure in this way allows structural modelling, and also reporting, to be
done more efficiently, e.g. by copying a complete FRMW.
Sub-Framework (SBFR)
A SBFR is an optional element that can own structural components. They are used to further sub-divide
complex projects or for modelling sub-assemblies within a framework.
Structural Components
Linear structural profiles are represented in AVEVA E3D by Section (SCTN) elements, for straight profiles,
and Generic Section (GENSEC) elements for curved profiles. Profile sizes are selected using a section
specification that references standard catalogue data for section sizes complying with various national
standards or company standards. Flat planar items, such as plates and grating, are represented by Panel
(PANE) elements.
Pipe (PIPE)
Pipes may be considered to be like lines on a flow sheet. They may run between several end connection
points and are usually grouped by a common specification and process.
Branch (BRAN)
Branch elements are sections of a pipe, which have known start and finish points. In AVEVA E3D the start
and finish points are called the Head and Tail. Heads and tails may be connected to Nozzles, Tees or other
Heads and Tails, depending on the configuration of the pipe, or left open ended.
Piping Components
A Branch may own a wide variety of components such as Gaskets (GASK), Flanges (FLAN), Elbow (ELBO),
Tees (TEE), Valves (VALV), etc., which are all elements. These form the shape and geometry of the Branch
and ultimately the Pipe itself.
Piping components are selected using Piping Specifications that reference standard catalogue data. For
example, each time a user wants to use a 100mm bore elbow, AVEVA E3D always accesses the data for it
from the component catalogue. The data for these elements remains constant no matter how many 100mm
bore elbows are used in the design.

APPENDIX C
Hot Keys and 3D View Commands
Function Keys
F1 Aveva Help
F2 Clear 3D View
F3 Object Snap On/Off
F4 Object Snap Projection On/Off
F5 Toggle Walk Mode On/Off
F6 Toggle Fly Mode On/Off
F7 Grid On/Off
F8 Orthogonal drawing On/Off
F9 Grid Snap On/Off
F10 Polar Tracking On/Off
F11 Toggle Shaded/Wireline mode
F12 Dynamic hints On/Off
General Keys
Delete Deletes selected elements in 3D View with confirmation
Tab Navigates to Contextual Editor input boxes
Space Locks value in the in Contextual Editor input boxes
Home or Page Up Navigates to WORL* level in any Explorer
End or Page Down Navigates to Bottom Level in any Explorer
Exits current CIE Operation / cancels position input/ removes selection/exits edit
Esc mode
Arrow UP Shows In-3D view command of last used CIE Operation
Arrow Down Shows available Tile Icons during CIE Operation
Insert Toggle Feature Highlight function On/Off
Backspace Removes selection from 3D view
Enter confirms position, selects default option, executes command, etc.
In-3D view Command Description

AIDARC Invokes function to create AID type Arc
Invokes function to create an AIDLIN bisecting between two non-parallel
AIDBIS AIDLINs
AIDCIR Invokes function to create AID type Circle
AIDFIL Invokes function to create filleting AIDARC connecting two non-parallel AIDLINs
AIDLIN or L Invokes function to create AID type Line
AIDPOI Invokes function to create AID type Point
Invokes function to create an AIDLIN tangential to two circles which are non
AIDTAN concentric
AIDTEXT Invokes function to create AID type Text
ANGLE To calculate angle between any two entities

Foundations TM-1801
BRACING To specify bracing gaps for existing diagonal elements or members

Enables to lock view wrt an object. Also disables 3D orbit mode when it is
CAMERA enabled
CANCEL Cancels any current operation in-progress
Invokes function to copy selected entities with respect to a base point selected
CO or COPY and also paste them at required locations in a loop
COPYBASE Invokes function to copy selected entities with respect to a base point selected
COPYCLIP Invokes function to copy selected entities without any base point
CONNECT Enables function to connect any two GENSECs
Invokes function to CUT/PASTE selected entities with respect to a base point
CUTBASE selected
CUTCLIP Invokes function to CUT/PASTE selected entities
D or LINDIM Invokes function to create db type Linear Dimension
DELETE To delete selected entities
DISCONNECT Enables function to disconnect any two connected GENSECs
DIST or DI To calculate distance between any two entities
EM or EDITMODE Triggers Edit Mode
Create a ENDATU Fixing at selected End of GENSEC. Specs can be set only for old
ENDATUM BS Column and Beam type profiles
Enables function to extend the end of a structural element to a reference
EXTEND element.
FILLET To create a Fillet between two non-connected structural elements
FLY Enable FLY mode operation
FORCETRIM To trim an attached GENSEC to selective Pline of Owning GENSEC
Enables option to enter new Vertical field-of-view angle(Projection mode should
FOVY be in Perspective to enable this option)
GENSECDEF Triggers function to set default specification wrt existing GENSEC
GFITT_CRE Enable function to create a GENSEC Fitting
GFITT_MOD Enable function to modify a GENSEC Fitting
GRIDCY Invokes function to create a new GRID CYLINCER for Radial Grid only in In-Mode
GRIDID Resets IDs of REFGRDs
Invokes function to create a new GRID PLANE for REFGRD in IN-Mode(Currently
GRIDPL works for a single REFGRD)
ID Queries Coordinate Positions at snapped position
IN Triggers IN or Include mode
JMOD Enables user to modify joints on a SECTION
LCS Invokes operation to change Coordinate system between Local and World
LINDIMA Invokes function to create db type Aligned Dimensions
Enables 3D Orbit mode option to look around a locked view in Perspective
LOOKROUND ProjMode
Invokes function to move entities with respect to a base point selected and also
M or MOVE paste them at required locations in a loop
MERGE To merge two members of same element type
MI or MIRROR To mirror any selected Structural Elements by defining a Mirror Plane
MITRE Enables option to Mitre two ends of GENSECs
MLABEL Invokes a function that creates a Label in 3D 3D view
MREDO Enables user to REDO all previous actions or to desired no.of actions

Foundations TM-1801
NEXT To go Forwards through Views

OUT Trigger OUT mode by exiting IN mode
OUTALL takes user all the way out
OSNAPD Triggers Distance Snap Mode function
P or PAN Enables REALTIME PAN option
PANARC Enables function to Create a ARC PANEL using three point or two point methods
PANCIRC Enables function to Create a CIRCULAR PANEL with multiple options
PANDIR Pans View towards selected PLAN VIEW directions
PANDISC Enables function to Create a DISC PANEL using Centre+ or two point methods
PANELNXTRDISC Creates a Negative extrusion of a PANEL in Circular Shape in 3 different Modes
Creates a Negative extrusion of a PANEL in Rectangular Shape using Multiple
PANELNXTRMULT Points
PANELNXTRRECT Creates a Negative extrusion of a PANEL in Rectangular Shape using Two Points
PANMULT Enables function to Create a RECTANGULAR PANEL with multiple points
PANOFFSET Enables function to Create a an Offset Perimeter of PANEL with multiple points
PANRECT Enables function to Create a RECTANGULAR PANEL using two points
Enables function to Create a RING PANEL using three point to two point
PANRING methods
PASTECLIP To paste any copied or cut elements that are available in current session
PFITT_CRE Enable function to create a PANEL Fitting
PFITT_MOD Enable function to modify a PANEL Fitting
PL or PLINE Enables function to create a Polyline
PLAN Set the current View to Plan View mode
PR or PROPERTIES Open Property Window if not opened already in the application
PREV To go Back through Views
PROJMODE Toggles between Projection modes Orthogonal or Perspective
RADIAL Enables option to create a Radial Grid
REDO Redo any operation that was previously called back(Performed Undo)
REFGRD Enables option to create a Reference Grid
RO or ROTATE Invokes function to rotate any object around any defined axis
SCALE To Scale a Structural Element by selecting a Base Point
Creates a ARC GENSEC and also gives multiple options to choose the way they
SECARC are created
Creates a Curved GENSEC and also gives multiple options to choose the way
SECCUR they are created
Creates a RING GENSEC and also gives multiple options to choose the way they
SECRING are created
Creates a Straight GENSEC and gives multiple options to choose the way they
SECTION are created
SELALL To select all the elements in 3D View
SPLICE To Splice any Structural Element(s) in multiple ways
SPLIT To split any Structural Element(s) in multiple ways
STRETCH To Stretch any Structural Element along a defined path
TOWER Enables option to create a Rectangular Tower Grid
TOWERT Enables option to create a Triangular Tower Grid
U To Undo any current operation

Foundations TM-1801
UNDO Enables user to UNDO all operation or to desired number counts

WALK Enables user to WALK around a Model
Z or ZOOM Enables Zoom options
-VIEW or -V To change any View between Isometric or Orthographic or Plan View
-PAN or -P PANs view wrt base point selection


TM-1801 AVEVA Everything3DGäó (2.1) Foundations Rev 3.0

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Training TM-1801

AVEVA Everything3D™ (2.1)

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Date Revision Description Author Reviewed Approved

01/03/2013 0.1 Issued for Review AVEVA E3D™(1.1) NG

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@AVEVA Solutions Limited 2015

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4.3.1 Creating a clipping box – A Worked Example ........................................................................... 41

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8.3.1 System Collections .................................................................................................................... 99

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Sub-Volume Model (SVOLM) .................................................................................................................. 142

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 Familiarise trainees with the basics of the User Interface.

 Explore the data structure of AVEVA E3D.

 Explain how to display and manipulate the 3D model.

 Explain basic techniques for creating and modifying 3D models.

 Familiarise the user with general functionalities.

 Familiarity with Microsoft Windows.

 Knowledge of engineering design.

1.4 Course Structure

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1.5 Using this guide

Information the user has to key-in will be in bold red text.

 Refer to other documentation

Example files or inputs will be in the courier new font.

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2.1 Enter/Login to AVEVA E3D

Selecting the Design option displays the Everything3D 2.1.0 shortcut.

Clicking the shortcut will start an AVEVA E3D session.

Alternatively, an AVEVA E3D session can be started by double clicking

2.1.1 Entering AVEVA E3D – A Worked Example

The AVEVA E3D initialisation image will be displayed:

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Project selection Tiles: allows the user to select a project

Project search Tile: allows the user to search for a project

Module selection Tiles: starts the selected module with

 Model for 3D modelling.

 Draw for 2D drawing production.

 Isodraft for Isometric drawing production.

 Spool for pipe spooling.

For more information about AVEVA Everything3D Modules, refer to Appendix A.

Click the TRA tile from the Project selection Tiles to

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Select A-EQUIPMENT from the options list.

Select User A.EQUIPMAN then enter Password A.

Notice the password is hidden with each character being

 The Password can be changed by clicking the Key

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2.2 The Model Environment

Quick Access Toolbar Tabs Group

Quick Access Toolbar: provides shortcuts to most common command for

Tabs: regroups the application buttons by category. Displayed tabs

Prompt Area: provides instructions while performing an action.

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3D view: Workspace where the Model elements can be viewed and

PowerWheel™: provides quick access to most common commands

PowerCompass™: provides intuitive tools to orientate the view and select

Status bar: provides quick access to common modelling options.