Automated Utility Design™(AUD) and Physical for AutoCAD® (P4A) 8.5 are officially out! This latest round of updates delivers new and improved features to boost your design team’s productivity.
Here are the top features we’re excited about:
- New: Design Extraction and Updating
Extract and synchronize design data between files, enabling smoother updates and collaboration across design stages and between different users. This feature supports smaller, more efficient 2D sheet drawing files, brownfield designs, and staged workflows and enhances collaboration with multiple designers or external contractors.
- Enhanced: Design Assembly Updating
Changes to assembly design files can be dynamically applied across multiple project files, enabling continuous development and integration even after initial placement. Enable one or more designers to work on assemblies within larger designs before the assembly itself is finalized or needs to be updated.
- New: Better Detailed Cable Modeling
Model physical cable connections separately from their logical, electrical connectivity for greater control over cable endpoints and nested fittings, enhancing the precision of cable layouts.
- Enhanced: Easier Structural Attachment Editing
New tools simplify the process of changing equipment attachments, supporting immediate attachment with enhanced preview graphics and tooltips during copy-paste operations. Copy and paste previews now have automatic limits to avoid performance degradation.
- New: Conduit Bank Modeling Tools
New capabilities simplify conduit bank layout, including automatic assignment of conduits to entry points and adapter fittings, as well as cable and conduit creation functions for automatic routing. A simplified rerouting tool also makes it easier to reassign conduits and conductors along a different route.
- New: 3D Visual Fidelity Framework
Generate 3D models at different levels of geometric detail or “visual fidelity” to suit project needs, improving performance and reducing file size for complex assemblies. Pair with the Assembly and Extract functions for additional performance benefits, allowing larger designs to use the lower fidelity versions while smaller assemblies and extracted subsets can be displayed in full detail.
- New: Bulk File Processing
Scripts and certain automated cleanup and conversion operations can now be performed on files or entire directories of files in bulk. AutoCAD scripts can now be run on larger file sets, and specialized operations can be performed, such as purging blocks, clearing out layers, and converting matching blocks to AUD/P4A ports.
- Enhanced: Schematic Enhancements
The AUDSCHEMATICTOSEGMENT and AUDSCHEMATICTODUCT commands have been enhanced with the option to draw a single line for an entire Set or prompt for multiple lines. AUDEXPAND has also been enhanced with the option to expand ducts and lines together at the same offset or to offset each line.
Download and Support
Login to the Support Portal to download AUD/P4A 8.5 or click here. For general inquiries, email us at info@spatialbiz.com.
Looking for the P&C 8.6 release blog instead? Click here to read it.
Your continued support and feedback help improve our products. Thank you!
