Update the Order of New Pipe Sizes from Part Builder

You have gone through the process of adding a pipe size to the pipe catalog using Part Builder in Autodesk Civil 3D and you notice that the new pipe size is displayed at the bottom of the list causing the list to be out of order.

It may seem like it should be a simple fix and that Part Builder or Civil 3D should automatically re-order the list appropriately, however, it will require a manual edit to make it happen.

An XML editor will be needed to make the necessary change. The one that I used for this discussion is Notepad++, a free editor that can be downloaded and installed from the internet.

Locate the .xml file that was edited when adding the new pipe size with Part Builder. The default location for these files is: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D XXXX\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes\<the folder containing the pipe shape you edited>. Within this folder, locate the corresponding .xml file.

• The example used here is: C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\C3D 2022\enu\Pipes Catalog\US Imperial Pipes\Circular Pipes\AeccCircularPvcPipe_Imperial.xml
• It is recommended to make a backup copy of the .xml file before making any edits to the original.

The XML editor will allow you to move the new pipe size to the correct location within the list. There are three properties contained in the .xml, the first are the Primary Keys, second are the Inner Pipe Diameters, and third are the Wall Thicknesses. The last row in each set of properties represents the new pipe size that was added.

The new pipe size is assigned an ID, in the example above the ID for the new pipe size is r19. The ID will be the same in all three property categories. To move the new pipe size, cut and paste the entire row for r19 to its new location within the list. The example shows how the new inner diameter of 20.0000 should be moved to between 18.0000 and 21.0000. The ID “r” numbers can also be edited so that they are in the correct order. This same process needs to happen for all three property categories: Primary Key, Inner Pipe Diameter, and Wall Thickness.

Below is an example of the Primary Key category after moving size 20 and renumbering the id.

After saving the edited .xml file, Civil 3D will now recognize the updated order when adding pipe sizes to the parts list.

This will help to eliminate confusion when pipe sizes are out of order after adding sizes in Part Builder.

About the Author

Civil Applications Expert<br><br>With extensive experience in both engineering and IT, Brian helps organizations make the most of their design technology. Whether it’s through a custom setup, training, implementation, or creation of organization-specific templates and styles, Brian helps both users and managers understand the best methods and processes to get the most from their chosen solutions.

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