What is CADWorx Plant Professional?

CADWorx Plant Professional is an integrated and complete software for 2D process and 3D plant design, providing intelligent drawing and database connectivity, advanced levels of automation, and easy-to-use drafting tools. Comprehensive design tools for P&ID schematic creation, 3D piping, equipment and structural modeling, model visualisation and design review, automatic isometrics and bills of material generation are available in a single solution.

Overview
Benefits
Capabilities
Key Features
Customer Success
System Requirements
Related Products

Overview

Why Use CADWorx Plant Professional?

CADWorx Plant Professional includes the most complete range of tools for efficient DWG-based 3D plant design. The software is quick and easy to set up and use, so you can start designing right away. Thousands of companies are benefiting from this powerful yet scalable solution. For projects that require accuracy and need to adhere to timing and budget constraints, whilst delivering high quality results, CADWorx provides unparalleled value.

CADWorx design models have bi-directional data interoperability with Hexagon’s engineering calculation tools for pipe stress analysis (CAESAR II), vessel and heat exchanger stress analysis (PV Elite) and structural stress analysis (GT STRUDL). This allows for a LEAN workflow, reducing duplication of effort among the engineering teams and eliminating the risk of errors in a manual transcription workflow.  

  • Piping modelled in CADWorx Plant Professional, can be exported to CAESAR II, and re-imported after analysis to reflect any changes.
  • Equipment modelled in CADWorx Equipment, can be exported to PV Elite, and re-imported after analysis to reflect any changes.
  • Structural models can also be exported to CAESAR II for inclusion of the structure alongside the piping analysis model to provide accurate flexibility at support locations.

Isogen™ the industry standard for automatic piping isometric drawing generation, which is an integral part of the product, and key differentiator compared to similar DWG-based products, provides fabrication drawing and report automation.

CADWorx projects can be leveraged forward into larger Smart 3D projects, giving you the ability to deliver intelligent models for multiple client sites with a single tool.

All CADWorx products can use either AutoCAD® or BricsCAD® as their CAD platform. Operating in a native DWG common data environment, CADWorx workflows are executed in seamless coordination with all disciplines including BIM, Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil.

Who Uses CADWorx Plant Professional?

CADWorx Plant Professional is a comprehensive software package designed for plant design and engineering. It is widely used in industries such as oil and gas, petrochemical, water treatment, and power generation for designing and modeling complex plant structures.

Since its introduction, CADWorx Plant Professional has revolutionized the plant design industry with its ease of use, flexibility, interconnectivity, and scalability. The software has helped thousands of companies create revenue-earning deliverables quicker and more accurately, and is commonly used by:

  • Plant designers working for EPCs or design firms, working on greenfield and/or brownfield projects.
  • Site-based engineering teams who conduct small brownfield projects in-house.
  • Designers working on BIM projects where industrial type plant is part of the overall building design.

What Can You Do With CADWorx Plant Professional?

CADWorx Plant Professional provides a complete package of powerful and adaptive tools that enable quick and easy creation of fully intelligent, accurate, high-quality 3D plant models for new greenfield new-build plants, or to produce designs required to make modifications to existing brownfield facilities.  

The low administrative overhead required for project setup and execution, along with the ability to reuse existing model data, allows EPCs, design firms and owner operators, the ability to have a quick turnaround supporting agile project execution.

During the O&M phase of the lifecycle, it supports key Owner operator business processes and can be used to:  

  • Plan changes to the plant as part of an extension, upgrade/revamp, or a turnaround/shutdown.
  • Execute small site-based engineering projects, executed by in-house teams.
  • Create/update plant documentation (P&IDs, isos etc.) to reflect the as-built situation.
  • Provide digital information, supporting…
    • Risk-Based Inspection (RBI)
    • Fitness-for-Service (FFS) (piping, pressure equipment, and structures)
    • Projects executed by external contractors
    • Creation of, or making updates to, Digital twins.

What is included?

Each CADWorx Plant Professional licence provides access to:

When additional licenses are required, each product can also be purchased separately.

Industries Served

  • Oil & gas
  • Petrochemicals
  • Chemicals
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Food & beverage
  • Water
  • Power - Nuclear/non-Nuclear
  • Mining
  • Semiconductor
  • Marine
  • Utilities
  • Infrastructure/AEC/BIM

Benefits

Benefits of CADWorx Plant Professional

Comprehensive Design Tools

CADWorx Plant Professional offers a wide range of design tools that allow engineers to create detailed 3D plant models. These tools enable the design of piping, equipment, steel structures, and ductwork, among other plant components.

Piping Design

Easily model complex piping systems with intelligent routing and a wide selection of industry-standard components.

Equipment Design

Create accurate representations of plant equipment, including pumps, vessels, and tanks.

Structural Design

Design steel and concrete structures with precision, ensuring structural integrity and compliance with standards.

Intelligent Modeling

Automatic Piping Layout

Assess various routes and choose the best layout via pipe auto-routing in three dimensions.

Dynamic Model Updates

The software supports intelligent modeling, which allows users to create dynamic models that automatically update based on changes in design parameters. Editing tools – such as Change Size, Change Spec., and the self-aware nature of model objects – enable design changes to be made quickly, easily, and accurately, without undoing work already done, reducing errors, and saving time and effort.

Integration with Other Software

Integration with Engineering Analysis Tools

CADWorx Plant Professional offers seamless integration with various software applications, enhancing interoperability and collaboration across various stages of the design process. Exchange designs bi-directionally with CAESAR II for pipe stress analysis, PV Elite for pressure vessel analysis, and GT STRUDL for structural analysis.

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication

CAD Tools

Through External Referencing of design files, and automatic notifications when changes occur provided by the CAD platform, the software supports collaboration and communication among team members, improving project efficiency and reducing misunderstandings.

Use AutoCAD or BricsCAD as the CAD Platform

Allows users to leverage familiar CAD tools, workflows, and produce and share designs in industry standard DWG file format.

Comprehensive Libraries and Specifications

CADWorx Plant Professional includes extensive libraries of industry-standard components and specifications, ensuring that designs comply with relevant standards and codes.

Component Libraries

Access a vast library of piping, equipment, and structural components. Piping components based on industry specifications such as ASME, ANSI, DIN, and ISO.

Specification-Driven Design

Create custom specifications and components to suit unique project requirements. 

Accurate Bill of Materials and Reporting

CADWorx Plant Professional generates accurate bills of materials (BOM) and detailed reports, streamlining procurement and project management.

Automatic BOM Generation

Automatically create BOMs based on the model, saving time, and reducing manual errors.

Customizable Reporting

Generate customized reports from the model or a connected project database to meet specific project requirements.

Industry standard Isogen isometrics

The software includes Isogen, the defacto-standard for the automatic generation of piping isometrics.

Improved Productivity and Efficiency

User-Friendly Interface

With its advanced features and intuitive interface, CADWorx Plant Professional enhances productivity and efficiency, reducing project timelines and costs. Working in a familiar CAD environment and designed for ease of use, the learning curve for inexperienced users is reduced to a matter of hours.

Time-Saving Features

Automatic Pipe Routing, configurable piping rules, spec.-driven design, self-aware component behaviour, single click model update actions - such as Change Size, Change Spec. - all help to save time and streamline design workflows.

Quality Assurance and Compliance

Piping Rules

Prevent errors from being made as designs evolve, particularly those caused by inexperienced users, saving time, increasing quality, and reducing errors.

Specification-based Design

Ensures compliance with industry standards and regulations, maintaining high-quality design and engineering practices.

Clash Detection

In-built clash detection enables hard and soft collisions between components to be identified during the design process.

Standards Compliance

Design in accordance with international standards and codes.

Quality Control Tools

Correlation via the project database supports confirmation that inline components such as valves reside in both the 3D model and process design.

Training and Support

Technical Support

Hexagon provides comprehensive technical support to assist users with troubleshooting, software updates, and best practices, ensuring that teams can fully leverage the software's capabilities.

Training Resources

Users have access to a variety of training resources, including webinars, tutorials, and documentation, to help them maximize the benefits of CADWorx Plant Professional. Free eLearning available via Hexagon University.

CADWorx Plant Professional is a powerful tool for plant design and engineering, offering a wide range of benefits that enhance accuracy, productivity, and collaboration. Its comprehensive features, integration capabilities, and user-friendly interface make it an ideal choice for professionals involved in plant design projects. By leveraging CADWorx Plant Professional, organizations can streamline their design processes, improve project outcomes, and achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in their engineering efforts.

Capabilities

Capabilities

  • Works on AutoCAD or BricsCAD
  • Intelligent process diagrams (via included CADWorx P&ID Professional)
  • Intelligent 3D piping and equipment modeling
  • Intelligent structure design (via included CADWorx Structure Professional)
  • True multi-discipline task-based modeling
  • Specification-driven design
  • Efficient specification creation and management
  • Rule driven pipe modeling
  • Live database links
  • Dynamic pipe supports
  • Equipment library
  • Basic ducting/cable trays (intelligent HVAC/ducting via optional AX3000 MEP Professional)
  • Cross discipline clash detection & management
  • Isogen® isometrics
  • Detailed bills of materials
  • Display/Selection filtering
  • Model/P&ID synchronization
  • Design review (via included CADWorx Design Review Professional)
  • Bi-directional links to stress analysis (CAESAR II, PV Elite, and GT STRUDL)
  • As-built multi-discipline models from point clouds (when used in combination with CloudWorx)

Key Features

Key Features

CAD Platform

Choose AutoCAD or BricsCAD as the CAD platform for CADWorx, it is your choice!

Pipe Modeling and Auto-routing

Develop optimised piping layouts in record time using intuitive modeling techniques and automatic pipe routing.

Equipment Modeling

Parametric-based modeling makes creation of any type of equipment model simple and quick. Alternatively, develop company standard equipment models based on templates, then select from the equipment library and place into the 3D model.

Structural Steel Modeling

Intelligent routines speed the modeling of a wide range of structural steel models based on international steelwork standards.

Reference Data Creation

Creation of catalog and project files in CADWorx Specification Editor ensures high quality component data is available for creation of accurate 3D models from which deliverables such as the bills of materials are produced.

Piping Rules

In-built piping rules prevent design errors occurring and improve designer efficiency and productivity whilst assuring accurate, quality of 3D models and deliverables are produced.

Integration with CAESAR II

Plant piping designers and pipe stress engineers benefit from time savings and greater accuracy by exchanging piping data bi-directional between CADWorx Plant Professional and CAESAR II, Hexagon’s solution for code-based pipe stress analysis.

Integration with PV Elite

Plant equipment designers and vessel stress engineers benefit from time savings and greater accuracy by exchanging piping data bi-directional between CADWorx Plant Professional’s Equipment module and PV Elite, Hexagon’s solution for code-based pressure vessel and heat exchanger analysis.

Dynamic Pipe Supports

When piping changes location or size, rather than delete and replace connected or associated pipe supports, it is possible in CADWorx to simply update their size and location automatically, using their dynamic update behaviour to make changes.

Productivity Tools

CADWorx offers several productivity tools – such as ChangeSize, ChangeSpec, “Drag-lock,” Convert Elbow to Tee etc. - that make design changes easy. These powerful tools enable designers to make modifications without having to undo work already done, avoiding wasted time and effort, whilst maintaining design intent.

P&ID vs. 3D Model Correlation

So that 3D designs are created accurately and consistently based on the 2D process design created in CADWorx P&ID Professional, CADWorx Plant Professional can be linked via the project database to the process design, enabling correlation between the logical 2D and physical 3D worlds to be performed.

Collision Detection

CADWorx offers clash detection and issue identification inside the 3D design environment. This ensures design errors are found and eliminated in the virtual world, where they are cheaper and easier to resolve, a crucial step before deliverables are generated from the 3D model and used to create the physical reality.

Model Visualisation and Review

Enhancing collaboration between design teams and project stakeholders, 3D model visualisation, and review is possible using CADWorx Design Review Professional.

Automatic Piping Isometrics via Isogen

Bundled with, and an integral part of the solution, Isogen is used to create accurate high-quality industry standard piping isometrics and bills of materials automatically from CADWorx 3D piping models.

Automatic Annotation of Orthographic Deliverables via OrthoGen

OrthoGen, a separate add-on for CADWorx, automates the addition of dimensions, coordinates, match lines, labels and tags and other annotation to 2D layouts created from a CADWorx 3D model, saving considerable time compared to adding these details manually to create orthographic deliverables.

System Requirements

System Requirements