December 29, 2014

AutoCAD MEP -- Takeoff Anchors

Consider the simple duct arrangement below. The duct has two takeoffs connected to it. The first was added when a branch was connected to the main run. The second was added independently using the “Add Duct Fittings” dialog (easily done using “Add Selected” with the first takeoff).
 

The takeoffs may look identical but they will be added with a different anchor.

 
Basic Anchor

Select the first takeoff that got inserted with the duct, right-click and choose “Properties” and navigate to the “Anchor” table in the Advanced panel of the dialog. Notice, how you can use this to adjust the position of the takeoff along the duct but not its vertical position. 




Takeoff Position Anchor

If you look at the “Duct Fitting Properties” dialog for the second takeoff that was inserted independently, you have a “Takeoff Position” anchor instead which as some additional options.




Within this dialog, we can set the anchor to position above or below the center of the duct. For example, the second takeoff is now positioned on the “Left” face with a 2 inch offset from the top of the duct:

 
 



One point to note; the “Left" ( or Right or Top or Bottom ) side of the duct is relative to the direction that the duct segment was drawn in.
 

 



Bill Johnson
Ideate Senior Application Specialist MEP/AEC Solutions

Bill has over 25 years experience in applying MEP & AEC design solutions for large commercial companies, this has led to actively develop Autodesk® Revit® implementation strategies, techniques, and procedures for architectural and MEP companies. He has worked for TEECOM Design Group, GTE/GTEL, Greg LeDoux and Associates, and Scottish Power in England. Bill is a Autodesk MEP Implementation Certified Expert, and has been the Lead Designer for several multimillion dollar communication sites which have included structural, electrical, HVAC, conduit, cable plans and equipment layouts. He graduated from the Pasadena Institute of Technology and has a Sustainable Design Certification from the University of California at Berkeley.

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