Vinod Tirupati, Project Leader, Hexagon
CAESAR II comes with a great many symbols by default to represent elements on isometric drawings. But, did you know that you can also easily create custom symbols for your drawings using a utility that is installed with your software? In just a few simple steps, you can customize or edit symbols to your liking!
1. Navigate and run the Symbol Editor
Navigate to C:Program Files (x86)Intergraph CASCAESAR II 2014I-Configure and double-click to run Symbol Editor.exe.
2. Use the default images in the Symbol Editor
The SmartPlant Symbol Editor has some default symbols which can be used as the basis for creating new symbols.
3. Create a new symbol using the editor
To create a new symbol, navigate to the SKEY (Symbol Key) folder in the appropriate symbol category. In this scenario, SKID SKEY (Support) is modified as shown below.
Right-click on the SKID folder and select New Symbol.
Enter new 4-letter symbol key (SKEY) or the same SKEY if you want to edit the existing SKEY.
Click Ok, and the editor creates a new SKEY.
Modify the SKEY symbol in the graphic pane. Then, select Export ISOGEN Symbols to generate an .asc (symbol) file.
4. Map the symbol file to I-configure in CAESAR II
Open CAESAR II and select I-Configure from the Output tab.
Connect to your Isogen directory and select your project in the SmartPlant I-Configure dialog box. Click Edit in the bottom right pane to navigate to the Isogen Configuration dialog box.
In the Isogen Configuration dialog box, select Input Files in the Drawing Manager.
Select Input Files, then select ASCII-SYMBOLS from the Type dropdown in the right pane. Browse and select your exported .asc file in the Path box.
Click Open in the file open dialog box, and then click Save in the Isogen Configuration dialog box to save the symbol file.
Once you have saved the style, exit I-Configure and click Generate Stress Isometrics to open CAESAR II Isogen. Select the updated style for generating isometrics by clicking Create Isometric Drawing. Then, from the Isometric Drawing Generation dialog box, select to Use Existing Style.
Customized symbols for your isometric drawings are just a few clicks away.
Give the symbol editor a try and you are on your way toward more meaningful ISOs in CAESAR II.