# Usage

When you run the software, the main window shows a drop-down list of available plants on your current Smart 3D site.

![](./media/image5.png)

After selecting a plant from this list, **select a permission group that is allowed to place piping components**.

![](./media/image6.png)

**SpecXpert** will list the piping specifications of this plant:

![](./media/image7.png)

## Test specifications

Select the checkboxes for the specifications, and nominal piping diameters, that you want to test.

If you want to exclude certain parts from the test, add them to an Excel exclusion list, sheet name `Excluded`, and select the Excel file in **Additional Requirements** (![](./media/image8.png)). Example files are included in the `templates` folder of SpecXpert. Wildcards are currently not supported, that is, all columns must be filled in.
                                                                
If the schedule thicknesses are calculated according to P/T conditions by using `ThicknessDataRule` during placement, for example `1C0031`, `NPD26-NPD36`, `FirstSizeSchedule=ASME B31.3`, it is possible to define user-defined values for P/T pairs. The pipeline name created by SpecXpert contains the P/T parameter. Add the P/T pairs in the `UserDefined-DesignPTPipeRun` sheet and select the Excel file in **Additional Requirements** (![](./media/image8.png)). Example files are included in the `templates` folder of SpecXpert.

In the **Output folder** field you can enter manually, or use the
\"\...\" button to select, an output path and filename for the resultant
report database.

Press **Run** to start placement of the piping specification parts. If you use **Run for median NPD**, only the median NPD size of the selected specifications is placed.

> Please use Intergraph's **Modify Site and Schema Location** tool to change the Smart 3D site.

For larger specifications, the placement process typically takes several hours. The placed components from the selected specifications will resemble the following:

![](./media/image9.png)

Each spec is placed in the \"SpecXpert\" piping system under a pipeline
named after the specification.

Parts are placed on pipe runs according to their nominal piping diameter. There is one main pipe run per NPD, together with a separate pipe run for each branch. The main pipe runs are vertically aligned from the smallest to the largest diameter.

### Report output

The final outputs of SpecXpert are a Microsoft Excel (`*.xlsx`) file and a Microsoft Access database (`*.mdb`) file. These files contain several objects:

-   "StatusPlacedSpecParts" sheet / table

-   "ToDoList" sheet / table, presenting the erroneous parts.

-   "ExtractedPipingData" sheet / table

### To-do list item interpretation

When **SpecXpert** has finished placing the parts from the selected specifications, the next task is to interpret the to-do list items. These can be found either in the SpecXpert report database or in the to-do list itself within Smart 3D. The report database presents similar errors only once, which makes it easier to see the actual number of specification issues.

While there are numerous rules in Smart specification writing that must
be followed, this section will serve as a guideline for interpreting
certain classes of errors that can abnormally occur when using
SpecXpert.

Please refer to the Intergraph Smart 3D troubleshooting guide for detailed listings of all possible to-do list items.

#### False positives

Although every effort has been made to limit the number of 'false positive' to-do list entries reported by **SpecXpert**, these false errors may still occur under certain conditions.

One example of this case is with plug or end cap components where the
end preparation of the connection port is not compatible with the pipe
stock. This can arise when e.g. a plug was included for use with an
instrument valve with a distinct end preparation.

Although **SpecXpert** can save countless hours of repetitive work, interpretation of the results still requires the understanding and domain knowledge of a trained specification writer.

#### Duplicate to-do list items

For many errors, a to-do list item will be created for each of the parts
involved. For instance, if a required flange size does not exist, a \"No
mating flange found\" item will be created for both the pipe stock
feature as well as the component feature. In these situations, fixing
one issue will typically resolve multiple errors.

#### No part found

To-do list items that begin with \"No Part Found in Catalog\" indicate
that the required part was not found in the catalogue.

This will often occur when SpecXpert attempts to place parts of a
certain NPD on a pipe run whose pipe stock NPD is not included in the
spec. For instance, **SpecXpert** places an olet part with a connection
port of NPD 1.5 in. The specification only consists of stock from 2
inches upwards. The branch from the olet will indicate that \"No Part
Found in Catalog Data\". This can be interpreted as either an error or a
false positive if the part is understood to require a spec-break.

#### No \<End Preparation\> x \<End Preparation\> mating part found

This error indicates that the end preparation of the part is not
compatible with the allowed end preparations of the pipe stock. The
above \"\<End Preparation\>\" will be replaced with the name of the
incompatible end preparation.

## Export specifications

<img src="./media/image10.png" width="680" height="341">

Select the specifications that you want to export in the tree view and choose which type of bulkload files to export from the **BulkLoadGenerator** tab. Then press **Extract bulkload sheets**.

To avoid empty sheets, select **Delete empty sheets**. To create only one workbook for more than one selected piping material class, select **One workbook for spec. data**:

This process typically takes several minutes. The resulting bulkload sheets are written to the folder specified in **Output folder**.

All options except the first option create Excel workbooks that are
related to the option name. The first option **Pipe spec with parts**
creates three types of workbooks:

-   **Specification data.** Excel workbook(s) for selected piping
    specification(s) with specification-dependent data sheets that
    include the attribute **SpecName** (e.g. "PipingCommodityFilter",
    "ServiceLimits", "NominalDiameters" etc.).\
    ![](./media/image11.png)

-   **Piping catalog data.** One Excel workbook for all selected piping
    specifications with their part data sheets (e.g. parts, valves,
    operators etc.).\
    ![](./media/image12.png)

-   **Material control data.** One Excel workbook for all selected
    piping specifications with their part-dependent data (e.g. for
    pipes, valves, operators etc.).\
    ![](./media/image13.png)

-   **Symbol icons.** Symbol icons for all part classes.
	It doesn\'t exist any information about the symbol icon name or
	symbol icon folder in the Smart 3D catalogue database.
											
	The symbol icon file listed in \...\\SharedContentXYZ\\SymbolIcon
	folder (.gif, .bmp or .jpg) is only used during the bulkload
	process.                      
											
	The bulkload utility takes the symbol icon file according to the
	name and folder in the part class sheet and saves the graphic
	in a BLOB (binary large object) attribute on part level in the
	Smart 3D catalogue, but it isn\'t saved any information about
	the original name and folder on part or part class level in the
	Smart 3D catalogue database.
											
	When SpecXpert has to export the symbol icon information it
	extracts the graphics out of the BLOB and saves it to a GIF file
	in a special directory named \"BulkloadGenerator\". The symbol
	icon name is created out of the part class name and the attribute
	PartDataBasis. To reuse the exported data copy the
	\"BulkloadGenerator\" directory (including all .gif files) to the
	..\\SharedContentXYZ\\SymbolIcon folder assigned to the Smart 3D
	catalogue where you want to reuse the data.

## Compare specifications

**SpecXpert** enables the user to compare specifications against each other. First select the type of bulkload sheets to compare, for example **Codelists**, **Generic data**, or **Plant rules**.

Ensure that the correct Smart 3D version is selected, then choose a folder with the requested files, a folder with the current files, and the result folder, and press **Compare**.

<img src="./media/image14.png" width="742" height="118">

> The exported file is formatted by using the unit settings defined in **Configure units**.

> If bulkload files with `PartClassType = PipeComponentClass`, `InstrumentClass`, or `SpecialtyClass` exist in the same folder, separate the files with different `PartClassType` values into different folders before comparison.

> Warning: all sheet names must be unique across all files in the selected folder and must appear in both folders to be compared. Otherwise, they are not compared at all.

## Units

Click **Configuration / Units** to open the **Configure units** form, which defines the output format of units of measure for new bulkload files.

![](./media/image15.png)

-   **Unit Type:** the quantity name of the unit.

-   **Unit:** the symbol of the unit (in Smart 3D notation).

-   **Decimal Precision:** the number of decimal places.

## Codelists

Click **Configuration / Codelists** to open **Configure Codelists**, where you define which codelists should be extracted.

![](./media/image16.png)

All codelists to be extracted are listed on the right-hand side. It is possible to move available or used codelists from one side to the other by using `>`, `<`, `>>`, or `<<`. The default codelists are defined by the codelists available in the bulkload files of the Smart 3D installation.

## Additional attribute PartNumber

The attribute PartNumber of PipeStockClass, PipeComponentClass or
ClampClass may be extracted by selecting the option **Extract attribute
PartNumber additionally** in the **Configuration** menu.

## Status bar

The status bar shows information about the current state of the software, for example progress bars. If you double-click it, the log file opens:

![](./media/image17.png)