HVAC equipment in AutoCAD MEP

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When creating HVAC plans in AutoCAD MEP, you begin by adding HVAC equipment.

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This equipment is made up of items referred to as targets and sources.

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These are items that distribute and receive air in a model.

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There is already some equipment in this model, along with ductwork.

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You are going to add air terminals and VAV units to the upper offices.

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To place HVAC equipment, make sure you have the HVAC workspace set current.

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Once the workspace is current, you have two places to locate equipment commands.

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From the ribbon, Home tab, Build panel, expand the Equipment tool.

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This flyout includes common components, such an air handler, an air terminal, a fan, a damper, and a VAV unit.

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The other location is the Tool Palettes, Equipment tab.

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From here, select the Diffuser tool to place a supply air terminal.

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The Add Multi-view Parts dialog appears, displaying the category for supply air diffusers in the Part tab.

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Select 24x24 Inch Square Plaque Face Ceiling Diffuser US Imperial.

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For the Part Size Name, select the 8 Inch neck option.

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The elevation field sets the height or Z elevation of the part, based on the insertion point.

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Set this field to 8'-6", which is the height of the ceiling. For the Part Size Name, select the 8 Inch neck option.

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Switch to the Flow tab.

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Set the airflow to 160 CFM.

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To preset the system definition for the duct connector, click the System icon to open the Multi-view Part Properties dialog.

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From the Systems tab, use the drop-down under System to select Standard.

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This tells the part what system to place the duct on when the connector is used to create the duct.

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Click OK.

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Click once in the model space area to place the part.

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You can use an intersection or node space to place the part.

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Pick the first intersection.

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The MEP compass appears, showing the increment angles that can be used to place the part.

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Press ENTER to accept a 0 rotation.

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Place four diffusers in the room.

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While the Add Multi-view Parts dialog is still open, make sure the Part tab is selected.

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Expand the VAV Units folder and VAV Boxes sub-folder, and then select the Single Duct VAV Box.

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There are thousands of sizes available in the Part Size Name drop-down.

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You can filter the list down to a more manageable level.

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Switch to the Part Filter tab.

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Set the Connection Diameter to 22".

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It is recommended to select this from the drop-down, to ensure you are using a predefined size, based on industry standards;

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however, you can type it in also.

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Set the Rectangular Connection Height and Rectangular Connection Width to 24" each and

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notice how the list of available part size names is getting smaller.

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Set the VAV Box Length to 12" and the Elevation to 11'.

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Then, pick in the drawing area once to set it active.

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Place the part in the corridor, and then rotate it 90 degrees.

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You can also change the rotation angle in the Properties window.

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You can continue to add parts using the Add Multi-view Parts dialog, or you can use the AutoCAD Copy command.