Connections are defined based on constraints. If the two Assets being connected meet all the constraints then they can be connected. However, in many cases one or more constraints may not be met and modifications need to be made to one or both of the Assets in order for the Connection to be made.


To understand constraints let’s look at connecting two Straights with another Straight.



In order to create a Straight that fits exactly between the two existing Straights the following must be true:


    1. The existing Straights must have the same diameter.


Diameter Constraint Met

Diameter Constraint Failed


    1. The existing Straights must have the same (or opposite) direction.


Direction Constraint Met

Direction Constraint Failed


    1. The existing Straights must lie on the same axis.


Axis Constraint Met

Axis Constraint Failed


If all of these constraints are met then the new Straight can be created and will fit perfectly between the existing Straights. However, if one or more of these constraints are not met then one or both of the existing Straights need to be modified and this is done using the Connection Wizard.


There are three scenarios where the Connection Wizard is displayed:


    1. Whenever there is more than one Asset that can be used to connect the two selected Assets.


For example, two Straight Assets with a common axis but different diameters can be connected with either a “Custom Reducer” or a “Concentric Reducer” so the Connection Wizard will be displayed to allow the user to choose which Asset to create.

Straight Assets with a common axis but different diameters.

Connection Wizard will be displayed allowing the user to choose “Custom Reducer”.

Connection Wizard will be displayed allowing the user to choose “Concentric Reducer”.


Even though in this example the results are the same it illustrates how there can be multiple possibilities when it comes to connecting the same two points and that the Connection Wizard allows the user to choose the best option.


    1. Whenever a connection is being created between two Assets that do not meet all of the required constraints.


For example, two Straight Assets which are perpendicular to one another but have different diameters can be connected with an Elbow but the diameters have to match so the Connection Wizard will be displayed to allow the user to choose which Straight is going to be modified.


Straight Assets which are perpendicular to one another but have different diameters.

Connection Wizard will be displayed to allow the user to choose to modify the vertical straight.


    1. The user forces the Connection Wizard to be displayed by holding down the ALT key during a connect operation.


For example, two Straight Assets whose axes are parallel but offset from one another and have different diameters will be automatically connected using a “Custom Reducer”, however, the user may wish to connect them with a “Eccentric Reducer” and so forcing the Connection Wizard to be displayed allows the user to choose which Asset to create and which Straight is going to be modified.


Straights whose diameters are different and directions are parallel but their axes are offset from one another.

Straights are automatically connected with a “Custom Reducer”.

Hold ALT key to force Connection Wizard to be displayed and create an “Eccentric Reducer” instead.


In all of these cases the wizard steps the user through the connect process providing them with full control over which Assets is going to be used to connect the two Assets and how the Assets are going to be adjusted in order to make the connection possible.



The first page of the Connection Wizard shows which Asset Templates could be used to connect the two Connection Points that were chosen. If there is only one way to connect the two Assets then this page will be skipped automatically. As well as the name of the Template there is also an indication of how good of a fit the Template would make based on the Connection Points. The scale ranges from Perfect to Poor. A Perfect fit means that all constraints have been met, Good means only one constraint needs addressing, OK means two constraints need addressing, and Poor means three or more constraints need addressing.



The subsequent pages of the Connection Wizard are all about addressing those constraints which haven’t been met. Each constraint is handled differently but the user is always given four choices:


    1. Ignore - This option will ignore the constraint completely which typically results in a crooked or bad connection.



    1. Modify Asset A - This option will only modify Asset A. Asset A is always the Asset whose Connection Point the user clicked on first. The option will always show the name of the Asset which will be modified in order to help the user determine which Asset is going to be modified.



    1. Modify Asset B - This option will only modify Asset B. Asset B is always the Asset whose Connection Point the user clicked on last. The option will always show the name of the Asset which will be modified in order to help the user determine which Asset is going to be modified.



    1. Modify Asset A & B - This option will modify both Assets. The option will always show the names of the Assets which will be modified in order to help the user determine which Assets are going to be modified.



There is also the rare case where a constraint is not met and there is no action that the Connection Wizard can take in order to address the constraint. In this case all the options are disabled and the user should just consider it as a warning.



For example, when connecting two Straights with a Reducer one of the constraints is that the Straights have different diameters, however, if the diameters are the same then the user will see the following Connection Wizard page. In this case there is no action that can be performed to meet this constraint so all the options are disabled.f