OpenBuildings™ Station Designer Help

Bypass Ducts/Pipes

Used to route ducts and pipes for any obstructing elements interfering the path of routing. The tool also supports single line route.

Accessed from:


  • Ribbon: Building Design > Modify > Modify > Connect > Mechanical Bypass Ducts/Pipes
  • Ribbon: Modeling > Forms > Modify Forms > Connect > Mechanical Bypass Ducts/Pipes


The tool settings default controls that manage the spacings and direction. The options populated by the smart bypass system vary based on current duct/pipe orientation and the obstructing component it is to route around. Meaning, the system validates possible direction(s) the duct/pipe could divert and are shown in the option list. The illustration in the right pane indicates the relevance of settings to the components in the bypass route.

SettingDescription
Bypass Direction Sets the direction relative to bypass dict/pipe orientation. The available options are: Up | Down | Left | Right. Depending upon how the rigid component is obstructing in the route, the direction of duct/pipe be set to ease the design. For example, route to pass below a roof beam the direction is set to Down, and across a pillar the direction can be set to either Left or Right; again it is decided by looking at the safe side.
Elbow Angle (A) Sets the angle that signifies the angular change in flow direction. The angle options are the standard angle values of elbow in HAVC or Plumbing discipline. The available angle value options, for example the HVAC elbows would have angle values in the step of: 30 | 45 | 60 | 90, whereas plumbing elbow may have angle values, ranging in 11.25 | 22.5 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 90, etc.
Elbow R/D Sets the radius to dia value for round duct or pipe and depth to width ratio for rectangular duct.
Bypass Clearance (C) Indicates the vertical offset of clearance between the components. A suitable value can be set that allows a reasonable clearance for heat dissipation.
Minimum Offset (B) Sets minimum offset between forward elbow center to obstructing body.
Minimum Offset (D) Sets minimum offset between backward elbow center to obstructing body.
Lock/Unlock icon Manages offsets around the element. When locked, both forward and backward offsets are set symmetrical. When unlocked, they can be set uneven, as required in the design.

Bypassing a duct around an obstructing component is possible without manually adding duct fittings at the juncture. For example, a wall or partition in referenced file may overlap or obstruct the route being planned in current model.



In such events, the Bypass tool automatically computes suitable direction, offsets, and best suited duct fittings for the bypass. You may however, override the settings to make the bypass as per your standards in terms of available fittings, performance and cost.

Key-in: MDL LOAD Bentley.Building.Mechanical.Bypass.dll
Key-in: BMECH MANIPULATE BYPASS1