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MagiCAD 2019 Update Release 1
1. Use Running Index on selected drawings only
[Ventilation & Piping, Electrical]
You can now use Running Index on selected drawings only, which significantly enhances the performance of the Running Index function. When the function checks only the relevant drawings and not all the models attached to a project, the performance boost is substantial. The new version includes also several other improvements which optimise performance. To help in selecting the relevant drawings for the Running Index tool, there is a new option for defining user-defined labels for the drawings. By labeling the drawings, you can now build predefined collections of drawings which can be utilised when selecting multiple drawings for the Running Index tool. The same labels can now also be used with the IFC Export and Report tools.
2. Design and calculate sprinkler systems using flexible pipes
[Sprinkler]
MagiCAD Sprinkler Designer now supports the use of flexible pipes when establishing sprinkler connections. Flexible pipes are easy to install on site, which makes them a frequently-used solution for connecting individual sprinklers to rigid pipes. The flexible pipes are compatible with MagiCAD’s sprinkler calculations and reports. The reports include the actual length and the corresponding equivalent length of the flexible pipes. You can define the flexible pipe series in the project and define their actual length and the corresponding equivalent length for each length separately.
3. Perform diversity calculations in ventilation design
[Ventilation]
Diversity factors for ventilation system enable you to estimate what the practical real flow will be when the ventilation system is taken into use. This enables you to optimise cost, energy consumption and indoor air quality. Reduce duct and fan sizes to reduce investment and to increase energy savings while maintaining a good indoor climate. When the diversity factor is set, it affects duct sizes during sizing, and pressure drops during balancing. You can also ignore the defined factors and revert to undiversified flow any time. New properties for diversified flow and diversity factor have been added to keep track of the flow rates.
4. Define functional areas separately for each product
[Ventilation & Piping]
MagiCAD now enables functional areas to be defined for each ventilation and piping product separately, in addition to the previously available option to define them separately for each product type, e.g. zone valves and flow dampers. MagiCAD has previously already enabled you to limit the functional area by setting minimum and maximum values for pressure drops and throttling limits of different control device types. With this latest improvement, you can set these values also for each product separately, making it easy to define the authority of each control device more accurately.
5. Define IFC type and subcategory for each device in IFC export
[Ventilation & Piping, Electrical]
The new version provides you with the option to define IFC type and subcategory for each device based on the IFC standard. This enables objects to be classified more accurately for export from MagiCAD to IFC. For example, it is possible to define a fan object as a centrifugal or an axial fan. More accurate classification enables also more advanced options for third-party software when accessing and processing the information contained in the IFC model. The same selection for the IFC type and subcategory is also available when an AutoCAD object is converted to MagiCAD object.
6. Generate reports more flexibly based on schematic drawings
[Schematics]
The new version offers many improvements to generating reports based on schematic drawings:
- Possibility to sum up all numerical values in a column, or count the number of all cells in a column which contain values. The sum or count value is displayed in the footer of the report.
- Multi-level report sorting based on user-defined columns.
- More advanced settings for filtering objects that are to be included in the report. The filtering can be done, not only based on the grouping of the symbols, but also based on any property value.
- Quantity take-off reports can now be attached to the drawing directly because the new version enables the use of the property “Count of similar” as part of the report definition.
7. Add text objects to device groups in schematic design
[Schematics]
In schematic design, when creating assemblies which include lines and symbols to represent e.g. a heat exchanger or a cooling coil, it is now possible to include also MagiCAD text objects as part of the assemblies. This enables a more flexible workflow when using assemblies or device groups in schematic drawings, and reduces the need for adding text objects to the schematic drawings manually.
8. Create more readable drawings in circuit design
[Circuit Designer]
New visual enhancements to reference texts make circuit schematic drawings more readable. Connection priorities have been adjusted for Terminal Blocks, enabling reference texts to be displayed in a clear and correct manner. Furthermore, the reference texts for all devices are now adjusted automatically, making them visually more organised and preventing them from overlapping with jump wires, which are now supported for all devices. When adjacent components of a device are connected to each other on the circuit side of the drawing, the connections are now indicated visually by jump wires, instead of relying on reference texts to indicate the connections.
9. Summarise cable diameters
[Electrical]
Cable diameters can be summarised to evaluate the required cable tray width. The results can be tagged to the plan drawing by using the new dimension text parameter “Cable diameter sum”. The new parameter returns also the total diameters of all the cables included in the cable packet. When a new cable is added to the cable packet, the tag text will be automatically updated with the correct total diameter value. The cable diameters are available also when creating quantity take-off reports and when exporting the project to the IFC model.
10. Use conduit diameter and cable tray width and height for space reservation
[Electrical]
The maximum limits for conduit diameter and cable tray width and height have been increased significantly to permit more flexible use in space reservation. The maximum is now set to 10 meters which should accommodate all space reservation needs very well.
11. Use revision markers in schematic drawings
[Schematics]
Mark changes to schematic drawings with handy new functions using revision arrows and revision clouds. Each revision marker includes a Note field for adding more detailed descriptions of the changes. This enables information about changes to be also listed in reports.
12. Verify sprinkler system coverage and sprinkler operation areas
[Sprinkler]
MagiCAD Sprinkler Designer makes it easy to verify that the coverage of the sprinkler system is adequate in the selected room spaces. You can select the shape of the sprinkler-specific operation area in the project and then check the coverage of the designed system with the option to view and hide the sprinkler operation areas on the floorplan. This can be done using the V&P Viewport Preferences function. The operating area is calculated based on the operation areas defined for the sprinklers.
13. Benefit from the improved Change Properties function
[Ventilation & Piping, Electrical]
The new version provides extended Change Properties functionality for making adjustments to the height levels of multiple mechanical devices at once, to the bend types on cable routes, and also to revision naming.
- In Ventilation and Piping design, the improvement enables the height levels of multiple devices to be changed using a single command, also in situations where the devices are already connected to the network.
- In Electrical design, bend and branch types of modelled cable trays, lighting tracks and LED stripes can now be changed using Change Properties, in most cases also without a need to change the default fitting type for the whole cable route in the project settings.
- Revision names can now be changed afterwards using Change Properties. The Property filter of Change Properties now includes also Revision name, which enables only specific revision names to be replaced in a drawing.
14. Select whether components installed to insulated duct or pipe inherit insulation
[Ventilation & Piping]
When installing components to insulated ducts or pipes, you can select whether the insulation is inherited by the installed components. When e.g. a flow damper is installed to an insulated duct, you can choose whether the flow damper is to be insulated by default or not. This will minimise the need for changes afterwards, because you can now determine the logic based on your own needs and preferences.
15. Export connection node type “None” as a reservation object to IFC
[Ventilation & Piping]
MagiCAD enables a connection node to be set to “None” in order to emulate an object which has not yet been selected when sizing the network. This reservation object can now be exported to the IFC model as a visible part of the network, showing that the pipe or duct installation is not incomplete. When the object is exported, it is possible to read the information, e.g. flow or pressure drop data, stored into the object using the IFC viewer.
16. Verify the correctness of heat loss and cooling power information
[Room]
MagiCAD now offers improved tools for analysing the correctness of heat loss and cooling power information. You can check the values per square meter which will enable you to verify that the calculations are correct. It is easy to display the values in the drawing with the Show Objects function. Moreover, it is now possible to mark also the spaces where the heat loss or cooling power values are under or over the defined limit values using hatch marks. This makes finding the problematic spaces quick and easy.
