Irrigation Tips & Tricks

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

Intro/TOC

• Things to Remember When Starting a Project
  • Sheet Setup
  • Run an Irrigation Schedule Before Placing Equipment
  • Schematic Irrigation
• Setting and Understanding Your Source
• Understanding Caps
• Common Functions & Tools
• Placing Equipment
• Editing, Revisions, Verification

0:00 – 3:19: Intro/TOC

3:20 – 7:56: Things to Remember When Starting a Project

Sheet Setup (3:20)

• Ensure you get the proper layout/look you’re going for.
• Reduces the chance of revisions to existing content placed.

Schematic Irrigation (4:35)

• Depending on the circumstances, you may be able to skip this step.
• Gives you area totals of irrigated space.

Run an Irrigation Schedule Before Placing Equipment (5:50)

• Allows you to review your equipment inventory with team and client
• Allows you to review the symbol look of all equipment

7:57 – 11:54: Setting and Understanding Your Source

Setting the Source Data (8:25)

Water source diagram (9:14)

Choosing a water meter size (9:20)

Choosing a service line size and determining the available flow (GPM) (9:32)

Checking the available pressure rate (PSI) (10:30)

11:55 – 16:19: Understanding Caps

Two different approaches on how the system will size a mainline or lateral pipe (12:10):

• Based on pressure and flow demands (cap) –*Use on main and lateral lines
• Based on the available pressure and flow (system monitor) – *Use on mainline

It’s possible to have a zero-length service line if necessary. (15:07)

16:20 – 30:05: Common Functions & Tools

Docking the Irrigation Manager, allowing you to keep it open while still working in your drawing (16:20)

Setting water meter and service line sizes in the Source Data (17:00)

NCOPY: Use this command to copy nested objects from Xrefs. (18:55)

BOUNDARY: Use this command to turn a region into a closed area. (19:57)

SuperJoin: Use this Land F/X Command to clean up and stitch linework together. (20:47)

POLYDIVIDE: Use this Land F/X tool to split an area (e.g., a dripline area) into equal sections or along a specified segment. Any data or quantities within that area will also be divided into equal portions by section. (22:20)

Work Areas: Create a Work Area to isolate a region of your design with its own quantities and scale (26:29)

UCS: Set a User Coordinate System (UCS) to view a drawing at a specified angle or vantage point. (27:30)

Restoring an existing UCS (28:54)

30:06 – 45:09 Placing Equipment

Placing equipment with the Irrigation Manager docked (28:54)

You can now double-click equipment in the Irrigation Manager to place it.

Using keyboard commands when placing equipment, including commands for toggling between nozzles and radii, using a different equipment model, change an equipment type and category, change the arc size, set an Xhair angle, and copy and paste equipment. (31:05)

Press K on your keyboard to see the available commands.

Pressing V to toggle to the Copy along Line command (35:25)

Note that the available keyboard commands change once one of the Copy tools is active. (35:40)

The keyboard commands will now include options to set a spacing distance, choose best or exact fit, toggle to the previous or next radius size, reset the spacing to 100%, choose a full or partial arc, toggle the spacing incrementally, and toggle to another Copy tool.

Toggling to another equipment type (37:45)

Head Autosnap (snapping automatically to heads) (39:45)

Pressing U to undo the previous action (40:20)

Delete Station: Use this tool to delete a valve, all lateral pipe, and all/or callouts connected to it (42:00)

Xhair Angle: Use this tool to snap pipes to a specified angle. (43:25)

45:10 – end: Editing, Revisions, Verification

To help streamline the error-checking process, it’s a good idea to zoom to the extents of the drawing first.

Running Verify Laterals to error check your valve stations (46:00)

Using the Highlight Station tool to identify everything that’s properly connected to a given valve and make connections as needed (46:38)

Colorizing a zone (48:10)

Colorized zones will plot in TrueColor for easy identification.

Error checking the mainline using the Verify Mainline tool (49:55)

Sizing the lateral pipes (49:10)

Reorganizing and decluttering pipe labels using the Pipe Label Cleanup tool (50:40)

You can easily delete lassos from pipe labels and bring them back as needed.

Setting Pipe Data (52:56)

Note that pipes will be assigned classes automatically according to size if you set up your pipe classes in order of size.

Copying and placing a valve using Match Equipment (54:30)

The valve will connect automatically to the pipe where placed.

Editing a symbol using the Edit Equipment tool, including setting a manual rotation or no rotation at all (55:10)

Using the Delete Station tool to delete or relocate a valve from a length of pipe – the pipe will remain connected. (56:35)

Move Piped Equipment: Use this tool to move equipment but keep it connected to the pipe. (57:50)

Running a Valve Schedule to easily read a plan station by station (58:40)

Locate Valve: Use this tool to find any valve in a drawing. (59:35)

Looking for valves that haven’t been called out yet using the Verify Mainline tool, then calling out the valves using the Valve Callout tool (1:01:50)