Q. I need to draw a tapped blind flange. How can I do this?

A. A tapped blind flange is a choice when turning on fittings in AcornPipe, under flanges..
Draw the blind flange, then click on the face of the flange to display the "branches" menu.
*Add a remark to the item, by editing the Bill of Materials, by selecting "Control - E".  Enhance the description in the BOM by using the remarks column. To do this, next to the blind flange, in the remarks column, type a note to "tap the flange to 1 inch" or some such description. This remarks column is wider than it appears. Any text in the 'Remarks' column will be displayed next to this item, on the BOM.
*When a pipe nipple is required on the face of the flange, draw the nipple  in open space, by using the 'Draw Pipe and Fittings Here' function. Change the FW on the nipple to a Shop Weld. Next select the nipple with the F-11 key to highlight it. Move the selected fitting with the number pad and arrow keys to the face of the flange and press enter. Remember that you can use the zero key to toggle to small movements for placement.
The pipe nipple is found under the Couplings menu, if it is turned on.

Dimensions in AcornPipe:

Q. When drawing SW/TH fittings, I sometimes question how the dimensions are calculated in the AcornPipe program.

A. All valves and SW/TH fittings have dimensions from bottom of Socket or Thread. With SW items the pullback is the amount the pipe or nipple, etc are pulled back from the bottom of socket. Entering the amount of pullback in your spec, will increase a Fitting-Fitting dimension or reduce a pipe dimension between fittings. If a dimension is to the end of a SW valve or coupling, etc. it is to the bottom of socket.
There is no pull back until something is welded to the end of the fitting.

Q. Can dimensions be turned off? Many of my drawings are for general arrangements only, so it is up to the installer to get the dimensions. The dimension lines and arrows just clutter up my drawing.

A.  The dimensions can not be deleted, but they can be hidden.   Dimensions are hidden by right clicking on them near the arrow part of the dimension line.  On the 'Dimension menu, there is also and option to 'Hide all Dimensions'.
Using the "Hide all Dimensions feature" will allow for reversing this action. To place the dimension on the drawing again, select the Dimension menu, then reverse this action, by using  'Show all Dimensions'.
This puts all of the dimensions back on the page, in case you need to have dimensions displayed, after all.
Remember if you do not dimension pipe, then all your reports will not show any pipe. The AcornPipe program will see this as a quantity of 'zero' amount of pipe.

Q. I need to dimension to the open end of a piece of pipe, or the the end of a reducer. How do I do this?

A. With the red arrow displayed at the open end of the pipe, select "Joint" from the fittings menu. Choosing an end prep will then display a prompt, "Dimension to this point?". Enter and place the dimension. (Your joint selection from the menu, can be "Nothing" as well as any of the other offered preps; you will still be prompted to enter the dimension.)
When your line ends at the bottom of a reducer, dimension to this point in the same manner as used on dimensioning to an open end of pipe.
With the red arrow displayed at the end of the reducer, select "Joint" from the menu. You will be asked  "Dimension to this point?".

Q. The drawings have been changed by the engineers. I need to change a dimension on my drawing.

A. To alter the dimension value of pipe and fitting configuration, click on the numbers for the dimension. This gives and opportunity to change the numerical value.
Fitting to fitting dims can only be changed by using the "Tools" - "Custom Fitting Dimension".  Click on the fitting image to be changed and the program will give you the current dimension, and the opportunity to enter a new value. You would need to click on each tangent of an elbow to change each end, or on all three ends of a Tee.
Cut lengths can be altered by changing a fitting dimension as well.

Q. Can I change Fitting dimensions in AcornPipe software?

A. Yes you can, however, this should be used with caution. To alter the dimension of a fitting, select 'Tools' and then 'Custom Fitting Dimension'.  Click on the fitting itself. AcornPipe will give the current dimension, and you can enter the new dimension. On elbows you can change each arm to be different, or create a tee with three different dimension on the arms.
The shortcut for 'Custom Fitting Dimension' is 'Control - F'.
The program user can also change the dimensions in the AcornPipe library by using 'Edit' (at the AcornPipe main program screen) then select 'Master Files'. In the Master files select the fitting type you want to edit. For Example: BW Tees.
Click on a Tee type, such at Straight Tee, and press F3 to view the dimensions. If you really need to alter the dimensions, then click into that cell and tap the spacebar to empty it. Now press backspace, then enter the new dimension in inches and fractions or in mm. The dim type can be changed in the selection box at the bottom of the file.
Elbow dimensions are calculated by AcornPipe, depending on the content of the 'radius' column in the Elbows file.

Q. Where can I get fitting dimensions, and documentation, so I can check the dimensions on the blueprints I am given, to be sure they are the same as in the AcornPipe program library.

A. Industry standards for fitting dimensions, are used in the AcornPipe program libraries. There are many good reference book sources on the internet, as well as in fitting catalogues from various manufacturers. Recommended books are the Pipefitter's Blue Book, and the IPT Pipe Trades Handbooks. These same books may be available from  technical school book stores, as well as other sources, such as www.amazon.ca and Chapters online. I have included two links for your convenience:
http://www.pipefitter.com/books.html or at
http://www.pipefitter.com/pfind.html

Q. Dummy Legs on Elbows - How does AcornPipe determine the (cut length) dimensions for the placement of Dummy Legs on Elbows?

A.  The long point on the dummy leg is to where the INSIDE of the dummy leg touches the outside of the elbow, not the OUTSIDE of the dummy leg. The weld is applied to the Elbow-D/Leg connection to form a fillet. The short point is also where the inside of the dummy leg meets the elbow.
Since the Dummy leg's dimension uses the wall thickness, for example, where schedule 160 is used, which is 0.531 inch this makes a large difference to the long point.

Copy Drawing From one Spec to Another:
Other ways to make Spec Changes:

Q. Is it possible to convert an entire drawing from one spec to another without redrawing the entire spool?  This happens when I select the wrong spec., begin to draw and not realize my mistake until well into the drawing.

A. Yes, you can change the spec.  First use the Tools menu to select "Specification". Then select "Change Spec Name".  Next, select the Tools menu again, and pick Specification again. Now choose "Put Walls and Material Onspec".  This will cause the specification selected to be reread into the drawing and alter the walls and ratings, per the spec. Each drawings to be changed must be displayed and reread in this manner. Drawings are not reread in a batch.
Caution: This cannot change flange ratings, because changes to ratings involve a dimension change. It is always a good idea to save the drawing before making these changes. Then, If you do not like the changes, you can exit the drawing without further saves, and revert to the previously saved version.

Q. There have been significant changes to my spec in regards to materials and schedules. How can I change this on the drawing?

A. Another way to change the materials and schedules is by editing the drawing. This can be done when you select CONTROL - E to edit the BOM.   Double click into the schedule column to display the "Schedules" menu and allow you to change them for the selected fitting or pipe. Then double-click into the material column to display the "Material" menu. Make new selections for the material. The display offers you the same menu used in the Specification Set-up,  and allows you to select new values for both material and schedules.
Flange ratings cannot be changed by editing, because changes to ratings involve a dimension change. It is always a good idea to save the drawing before making any changes. Then, If you do not like the changes, you can exit the drawing without further saves, and revert to the previously saved version.

Q.  I have two different flange ratings in my spec., how can AcornPipe handle that?

A. In the event you have a specification with more than one rating, enter the more common rating in your spec setup.
Then at the drawing screen, to draw the other rated flanges, use EDIT - OFF-SPEC. Now select Flange Rating and Flange Face. These must always be selected together. When you draw your next flange, you will be asked to choose the rating and the face for this flange.
This off-spec option stays as selected, until you leave the drawing, or until you re-select off-spec to choose "All on Spec". That will allow you to continue to draw flanges on-spec again.
You will see other off-spec options on this menu as well. Materials and schedules can be off-spec, new SW/TH fitting sizes can be selected, fitting ratings, etc.

Notes, Draw Your Own details, and Standard Details:
Q. When my note is placed too close to a pipe or a  fitting, I have difficulty selecting this note. Clicking on the "hot spot" displays the branches menu.

A. There is a 'hot spot' on the lower left corner of the note. Hold down the ALT key, when selecting the note, and it will be selected, when the note lies close to a pipe or fitting.
Sometimes, creating a 'Zoom Window' helps when selecting notes.

Q. I need to remove the 'end prep' note from the weld, on my drawing. How do I do this?

A. Treat the end prep as you would any other onscreen note. Click on the note at the lower left corner of it. This should put the note back into the note box.  Once the note appears in the box, click on ‘delete note’.
You can delete multiple notes at one time as well: When the first note is in the box, use ‘Next Note Too’, and again, and again, if you need to, until all the notes are in the box. Then use the ‘Delete Note’ feature.

Q. Using the "Draw Your Own" Features: When drawing the arc with arrows, how can I have the arrow displayed on both ends of the arc.

A. The AcornPipe program will put arrows on both ends of Arc w/arrows if you hold down the shift key, for the final mouse-click.

Q. I need to show the degree symbol in my notes. How do I do that?

A. When typing the note use the tilde after the numerical value, like this: 60~
Click done. When the note is displayed on the drawing the small circle, depicting the degree symbol will be displayed.

Q. I am experiencing trouble, fine tuning the placement of the "Draw Your Own" features, such as adding a line to an arrowhead, and positioning the items I need to draw.

A. 'Draw Your Own' details - Use of Shift and Alt keys:
When drawing DYO details, AcornPipe normally applies a 15-degree snap to directions, as this makes it easy to draw parallel to any regular direction and also to certain 45-degree offset directions.
If you do not want the snap to be applied, hold down the Shift key while drawing the feature.
If you want to draw a series of connected lines, for example, hold down the Alt key while drawing. A red dot appears at the cursor. This red dot will snap to nearby key points, such as the end of a line, the center of a circle, or either of the two reference points used to construct a triangle, box, or other polygon.
Placement: When drawing 'Draw Your Own'  images, you can press the Alt key when the cursor is near a previous image and the screen will display a red dot and connect the two DYO features.
If you are drawing a line (or arc, half-circle, etc.) which is to join one existing point to another, hold down both Shift key and the Alt key.
Dashed Lines: You can to select lines by selecting F12, then an option is displayed under Edit to change the thickness of the lines or make them dashed. It doesn't work with all Draw-your-own shapes, but does work with lines and boxes.
*The 8.224 update added dashed circles as requested by some of our customers. 　
 It also allows you to take the image and scale of a standard detail and apply them to an attachment or end plate. 
 Scaling: To use this feature, choose an open area of the screen, and draw a standard detail and size it as desired. Then press F11 to get into item select mode. Next, Right-click on the tag of an end plate (or anything listed under GSMaster) or an attachment. The existing end plate or attachment image will be replaced by the image of the standard detail and the standard detail itself will be deleted.

Q. Is there a way to draw a "Standard Detail", or a "Draw Your Own Feature",  and list this item in the Bill Of Material?
 
A1. When a standard detail is selected and imported to the drawing screen, and while it is still displayed in red, use the keystroke combination of CONTROL - ENTER to display a form, allowing for the entry of the description, inches of weld, and weight of an item. This description will be placed on the BOM.
The option to "Add as New Description", will save an accompanying description, and allow you to select it next time, from the menu.
A2.  Draw Your Own features can be added to the BOM, as well, by using a 'Dimension Point' from the Standard Details (with Column Centres), shrinking it to an insignificant size to hide it in your detail. Do not press enter, or left mouse, until finished, because the tiny image needs to remain red, in order to work with it. Then using the keystroke combination of CONTROL - ENTER and using the form, which will be  displayed, to input the description to be placed in the BOM.
Now the 'Dimension Point' image will be displayed in black, and should be hidden somewhat in your DYO feature.

Q. I want to use the Standard Details, but I find it tedious to find the images I am looking for. How can I find them easier?

A. Our customers have asked to have all of the Standard Details in a printable format. We have created a PDF file of all of the details.   
You can print out this PDF file to make it easier for you to find images.
PDF Files/Standard Detail Images.pdf

Fonts in Reports:

Q.  FONTS: My Status reports and Material Summary reports are not lined up into neat columns. How do I fix this?

A. Fonts recommended for the display and alignment of reports are:
Courier, Courier New, and Fixdsys.
My test shows that the Fixdsys font, if available on your computer produces a nice, bolder text for easy reading.
To change the font for reports:
In the reports section, with a report displayed, select "Format" from the menu, then choose "Font". Select one of these recommended fonts from the suggestions above. Make sure "Wordwrap" is selected.
Drag your mouse to highlight any text on the screen, then change the font. This will affect eh currently displayed text.

Q. Rebuilding Status Files:  I have received drawings from another computer using AcornPipe. The material control dos not reflect the material used in these drawings. How can I access that information? How do I rebuild the status files?

A.  To rebuild the status files:
1/ Access "Fabrication Drawings", and use the "File" - "Make New List" to select all of the drawings in this job. To make the list, highlight all drawings, by dragging the mouse over them, or click on the first drawing number, then use Shift - Click on the last drawing number.
Once selected, use the 'File' - 'Batch Operation' - 'Resave drawing......' option, to resave all drawings in this job, and recreate the drawings list. The AcornPipe program will begin to display, and resave each drawing. Resaving will rewrite the status files.
2/  After the resave is complete, exit the drawing screen. At the main AcornPipe program screen , select "Fabrication Material Control" function to "List All" drawings.
3/ Access the "Tools" menu and select "Inventory Update Only". This will write the drawn quantities into the files.

Sending Drawings to other people:
Q. I need to send a copy of my drawing to another person, who does not have the AcornPipe software. How can I do this?

A. The best option, of course is for the other party to purchase AcornPipe.
The second  best option is to create a .PDF file to email to this other non AcornPipe user.
These options to print to a PDF file, come up as printer drivers in our AcornPipe program, or any other program for that

Printer Driver must be present:

Q. The program runs erratically, and gives a run time error when I try to draw items.

A.  It never occurred to us, that someone would try to run AcornPipe without any print drivers installed.  This does cause the program to give a run time error, and exit the program. When drawing is attempted, the program will allow you to draw a few items, then look for a print driver, then give the error. Once a printer/driver is installed, the program runs normally again.
**The printer does not need to be physically present, so you can fake it. As long as the printer driver is installed, the program's search for the printer is satisfied.**

A-2. File Names must be 8 characters or less.
Perhaps you are trying to create a job name/number that is already in use in AcornPipe. The job name must be a unique name, one not used previously in a Client folder, on this computer.
*About Client/Job Names*
The job name can be longer, but the job folder must be given a name with 8 characters or less. Client Folder Names, must also be 8 characters or less. Think of it like this:
Client name - long
Client folder name - short
Job name - long
Job Folder name - short.
*Keep these rules in mind when naming job folders.*

A-3. You may require additional RAM memory in your computer. A minimum of 512  MB is recommended, when running the AcornPipe software under Win XP.

AcornPipe Program must be installed, not copied:

Q. I have copied all of the program files as well as the AcornClients directory from my old computer to my new computer. The program does not allow me to do any reports. My drawings are all there, in the fabrication directory. What is wrong here?

A. Copying the program files to the new computer is not enough. Copying them will not allow the program to run properly. You need to run the install files to install the AcornPipe program. The install program writes to the computer registry, registering the .dll, .ocx files and basically tells the computer that the AcornPipe program exists.
Install the complete program, then copy your existing client folders, and jobs from the old computer to the new AcornClients folder, on the new computer. One idea would be to copy the entire AcornClients Folder to the C drive of the new computer to overwrite all the files.
But remember this would overwrite the newer Master Files, and that may not be what you really wanted to do.
Any altered Master Files in your old setup can be copied to the C:\AcornClients\Data\Master folder. The Master Files change when you add new material and fittings to the files.

Q. My program seems to have failed to register the program's .dll and .ocx files. How do I register these files?

A. The easiest way is to download these files which will do the registration for you.

1/ Register files on C:\Windows\System32 folder:

Publix/AcornPipe DLL Register Install.zip

Then double click to run this file which will register the files.
You should receive a message that the files are registered successfully. Restart your computer following the install.

2/ Manually registering files:
a/ Copy the VSFlex8L.ocx file from the C:\Program Files\AcornPipe to your System folder, C:\Windows\System32 or in some cases to the C:\Windows\System folder.
Then use 'Start' - 'Run' and type the following command into the line: regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\VSFlex8L.ocx
Click OK, and you will receive a message indicating that the file has either been registered correctly or there is a problem registering the file. If the later then check your spelling, and make sure there is a space in the right spot.
In some instances you will also need to register the MSBVM50.DLL file in the same way.
b/ Copy the MSVBM60.DLL file from the C:\Program Files\AcornPipe to your System folder, C:\Windows\System32 or in some cases to the C:\Windows\System folder.
Then use 'Start' - 'Run' and type the following command into the line: regsvr32 C:\Windows\System32\MSBVM60.DLL
Click OK, and you will receive a message indicating that the file has either been registered correctly or there is a problem registering the file. If the later then check your spelling, and make sure there is a space in the right spot.
In some instances you will also need to register the MSBVM50.DLL file in the same way.
c/ In a 64 bit system, The \Windows\SysWOW64 directory is where 32-bit system files are installed. 64-bit system files are in the \Windows\system32 directory for compatibility reasons.

Q. Dummy Legs on Elbows - How does AcornPipe determine the (cut length) dimensions for the placement of Dummy Legs on Elbows?

A.  The long point on the dummy leg is to where the INSIDE of the dummy leg touches the outside of the elbow, not the OUTSIDE of the dummy leg. The weld is applied to the Elbow-D/Leg connection to form a fillet. The short point is also where the inside of the dummy leg meets the elbow.
Since the Dummy leg's dimension uses the wall thickness, for example, where schedule 160 is used, which is 0.531 inch this makes a large difference to the long point.