RKCadTools Quick Guide for AutoCAD Plant 3D

Open the toolkit

1. Open AutoCAD Plant 3D.
2. Open your Plant 3D project.
3. Type NETLOAD.
4. Select releases\<year>\RKCadTools.dll (for example releases\2026\RKCadTools.dll).
5. Use the new RKCadTools ribbon tab.

Prefer the autoloader bundle? Copy releases\<year>\RKCadTools<year>.bundle to %APPDATA%\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins\ and AutoCAD loads the toolkit on startup — no NETLOAD needed.

If the ribbon is missing

Type this command in AutoCAD:

If it still does not appear, load the DLL again with NETLOAD.

Choose and load project data

1. Open Data Manager.
2. Choose P&ID or 3D Piping, then choose Current drawing or Full project.
3. Use the Classes tab to select one or more database classes.
4. Click Load selected data. If you change the class selection later, load again to update the grid.

Show the fields you need

1. Open the Fields tab.
2. Use the field search box to find a property.
3. Tick the fields you want.
4. Click Apply.

Save and reuse a view

1. Select the required classes and fields, then arrange or hide grid columns.
2. Type a name in Views and click Save View.
3. The view stores its class selection, visible fields, filters, and column layout. Saving also applies a pending class selection.

Edit a value

1. Show the field in the table.
2. Click a green editable cell.
3. Type the new value.
4. Hover over a pending cell, or select it, to compare the previous value, new value, and change source.
5. Click Review changes to search all pending changes and exclude individual items if needed.
6. Click Accept to write the remaining changes, or Discard to cancel them.

Exchange data with Excel

1. Filter the rows and fields to what you want.
2. Click Export Excel for a formatted workbook containing a hidden stable object key.
3. Edit only the unlocked green cells, then use Import Excel.
4. Click Review changes to compare old and new values, search the pending set, and exclude any change that should not be applied.
5. Click Accept. Unsafe or unmatched rows are skipped and marked in an .import-result.xlsx copy. Its RKCadTools Import Changes worksheet records each staged cell with its drawing, Plant row, class, property, previous value, new value, and source.

Review pipeline groups

1. Click Pipeline Groups.
2. Choose P&ID or 3D pipeline group data.
3. Edit writable fields in the table.
4. Click Update to apply pending changes to affected drawings.

Read the Pipeline Manager guide: select pipeline groups, lock weld numbers, and preselect lines for Isometric extraction.

Check OPC status

1. Click OPC Overview.
2. Review drawing counts, connector counts, and unconnected connectors.
3. Double-click an unconnected connector to open and zoom to it.
4. Click Export HTML if you need a shareable visual overview.

Jump between P&ID and 3D

1. Run P3DCROSSNAV_REBUILD once to build the project tag index.
2. Select a tagged component and run P3DCROSSNAV_FIND, or use the object context menu.
3. The matching component on the opposite side (P&ID or 3D) is opened and zoomed to by tag.

Set up a comparison

1. Click Data Validator in the Data Manager panel.
2. Choose a source under Data A and a matching Key A field.
3. Choose Data B and Key B.
4. Optional: choose Data C and Key C for a three-way comparison.
5. Click Load / Refresh to pull field metadata.

Pair the fields to compare

1. Open the Fields to Compare tab.
2. Click Add mapping.
3. Pick the Data A property and the matching Data B (and optionally Data C) property.
4. Use the search boxes above the grid to filter long field lists.
5. Repeat for every property that should agree across the sources.

Narrow scope before validating

1. Open the Data A, Data B, or Data C tab.
2. Tick the classes you want to include in Database structure.
3. Use Exclude key values matching regex to drop unwanted keys (for example \? to skip placeholder rows).
4. Click Apply to refresh the preview.

Run validation

1. Click Validate.
2. Read the row count, mismatch count, and value cells in the result grid.
3. Use the Search box (space for AND, | for OR, quotes for exact phrases, Field:value for one column) and the Status filter to focus on specific issues.
4. Tick or untick rows in the first column to mark which results to act on or export.

Zoom and export

1. Select a result row.
2. Click Zoom A, Zoom B, or Zoom C to focus the linked Plant object in the drawing.
3. Click Export Excel to share the filtered list. The workbook keeps the row status colors and the per-cell agreement colors.
4. Click Clear Results to start over without losing the source selection.

Save and reuse a selection

1. Type a name in the Selection box at the top of the window.
2. Click Save Selection.
3. Pick the saved selection later to restore sources, keys, class filters, regex, mappings, and result columns.
4. Use Clear C next to Key C to drop Data C from the active setup and fall back to A vs B.

Open Quick Properties

1. Click Quick Properties.
2. The palette opens immediately.
3. Select objects in the drawing to load their configured properties.
4. Edit the properties shown in the palette.

Choose shown properties

1. Select an object first so the tool knows which Plant database and class to use.
2. Click Quick Settings in the Properties panel.
3. Pick the class or family.
4. Select which properties should appear.

Set a value at the command line

1. Run QEDITSET.
2. Select one Plant 3D or P&ID object.
3. Pick the editable property by number.
4. Type the new value. It is written immediately, without opening the palette.

Number nozzles

1. Select or pick the nozzles.
2. Click Nozzle Number.
3. Enter the starting number.

Number off-page connectors

1. Select or pick off-page connectors.
2. Click OPC Number.
3. Enter the starting connector number.

Assign a tag

1. Select the object.
2. Click Assign.
3. Fill in the tag and configured extra fields.
4. Confirm the Plant 3D tag command.

Check tags in one drawing

1. Open the drawing.
2. Click Tag Audit and use the Active Drawing tab.
3. Review missing tags, duplicate tags, and question marks.
4. Use Assign to edit the selected tag. P&ID lines open Autodesk’s native Assign Tag dialog.

Assign next available numbers

1. Click Assign Next.
2. Pick objects one after another.
3. The tool assigns the lowest available number for each tag prefix.

Refresh acquired drawing data

1. Open Tag Audit on the Active Drawing tab.
2. Click Refresh Acquired.
3. Plant 3D refreshes acquired and calculated properties in the current drawing. Tags that use those properties are updated, and Tag Audit rescans when the command finishes.

This does not assign new tags or rebuild tags after tag-format changes. Collaboration and Vault drawings must be writable or checked out.

Replace existing tag numbers

1. Select the objects and click Renumber.
2. Review the confirmation explaining the left-to-right processing order.
3. The tool clears and replaces each number. If assignment fails, it restores the previous value.

Check tags in the project

1. Open the Plant project.
2. Click Tag Audit and select the Project tab.
3. Review drawing-level and class-level tag status.
4. Double-click a drawing or use Open in Tag Audit for row-level fixes.

Choose tag fields

1. Open Tag Settings and choose Visible Fields.
2. Choose P&ID or 3D Parts. Each scope has its own class tree and field configuration.
3. Choose which extra fields appear in the tag window for that scope.
4. Save the configuration.

Take over the native tag command

1. Open Tag Settings and choose Native Takeover.
2. When enabled, the native Assign Tag command opens Assign Tag Extended instead.
3. Choose Native Takeover again to switch back to the native dialog.

Connect or review off-page connectors

1. Click OPC Manager.
2. Search or choose the drawing.
3. Review unconnected connectors and suggested partners.
4. Connect or disconnect the connector pair.

Review the project overview

1. Click OPC Overview.
2. Review drawing-to-drawing connector flow and unconnected connector counts.
3. Switch to Cluster Map when you need a draggable visual map of drawing relationships.
4. Open or zoom to a connector from the overview when a drawing needs correction.

Search a spec sheet

1. Click Spec Browser in the Pipe Specs panel.
2. Choose the active spec or all registered specs and optionally filter by component type.
3. Search with spaces for AND, | for OR, quotes for exact phrases, or a column-qualified term such as Size:DN100. Right-click a column header to target it, or paste an Excel list.
4. Use Columns… to choose the visible result columns. Search and export use them in their current order.
5. Review matching component rows, part sizes, item codes, descriptions, and custom spec columns.

Insert or export results

1. Select a result and click Insert in Model, double-click the row, or drag it into the active Plant 3D model.
2. Complete placement using the normal Plant 3D insertion prompts.
3. Click Export to Excel to create a formatted workbook from the visible result layout.

Choose classes and numbering series

1. Open Numbering Settings.
2. Keep the default to number all detected weld classes in one shared series per pipeline, or enable Choose weld classes and numbering series.
3. Add a named series and check its weld classes. Multiple classes in one series share a counter; separate series have separate counters.
4. Set Start number. Review the numeric example and save.

Weld numbers are positive integers without leading zeros. Example: one shared series produces 1, 2; separate series can each start at 1. Use one shared series when numbers must be unique across classes. A class can belong to one series. Unselected classes are skipped.

Lock missing weld numbers

1. Click Lock Weld Numbers.
2. Pick an object on the pipeline.
3. Review old and new numbers, class, row ID, Drawing No. and DWG filename in the preview. Apply the changes, or cancel to leave the drawing unchanged.
4. Review the result and save/check in through the normal Plant 3D workflow.

Existing values stay unchanged. Blank numbers continue above the highest matching number in each series on that pipeline in the active DWG. Numbers in other DWGs do not affect the counter. “Lock” fills values; it does not set a separate read-only flag.

Automatically number new welds

1. Enable Automatically number new welds after modeling commands in Numbering Settings.
2. Create new welds while modeling.
3. Check the automatic numbering result after the command ends.

Enable this in WM_WELDSETTINGS; no ISO, start point or prior Renumber From Point run is required. The same classes and series rules apply in the active DWG. Only new blank weld rows are numbered; existing numbers and older blank rows are preserved. Undo/Redo and failed or cancelled commands do not trigger numbering. Automatic numbering runs without a preview dialog after successful modeling commands. Commands without new Plant objects do not trigger a drawing scan, and completed objects leave the queue immediately. Numbering may be a separate undo operation.

Renumber from a point

1. Click Renumber From Point.
2. Pick an object on the pipeline and the start point.
3. Review Drawing No., DWG filename, class, row ID, old number and new number. Drawing No. falls back to the filename when unavailable.
4. Apply the plan or cancel without changing numbers.

This replaces existing numbers for the selected classes in the active drawing, using each series’ start number. Numbers in other DWGs do not affect this sequence. The existing command aliases remain available.

Lock all or clear a pipeline

Lock All asks you to continue before filling blank numbers on all pipelines in the active drawing with your numbering rules. Existing values are kept.

Blank Numbers clears editable weld numbers on the selected pipeline for all weld classes, irrespective of class selections in Numbering Settings.

Check weld numbers

Check Weld Numbers reports duplicates within each series on the pipeline in the active DWG. Existing 001 and 1 values represent the same number in that series.

Configure an interactive lookup

1. Click Setup, then add or select a configuration.
2. Choose its data source and set Run mode to Interactive lookup.
3. Add the external-to-Plant property mappings that should be written.
4. Click Configure filters and displayed columns.
5. Add the required filters and check only the columns users should see in the result table.

Choose data for components

1. Preselect one or more compatible components, or click Choose Data and select them afterward.
2. If several lookup profiles apply, choose the required profile.
3. Use the configured dropdown filters and search box to narrow the external rows.
4. Select a row and review the before-and-after property preview.
5. Click Use row for this group. If only one row is visible, it is selected automatically.
6. Complete any remaining groups, then click Apply all groups.

Interactive filter types

Component-property filters also create groups. A mixed DN50/DN80 selection is therefore handled as separate lookup groups when Size is configured.

Interactive write rules

• The chosen row is applied to every component in its group.
• Non-empty mapped values overwrite existing Plant values.
• NULL, blank, or missing external values are ignored and never clear existing content.
• Writable properties are applied even if another mapping is read-only or acquired.
• Skipped read-only and acquired properties are listed in the completion report.
• Selected components must use the same Plant class and project section. Configured component-property differences are handled as groups.

Set up a sync

1. Click Setup.
2. Create or select an Excel, SQLite, SQL Server, or OData data source.
3. Choose the table, view, or sheet.
4. Choose scope, classes, and conditions.
5. Map external columns or static values to Plant 3D or AutoCAD properties.

Preview before syncing

1. Click Preview.
2. Review the before→after grid of every change the sync would make.
3. Click Apply all to write every listed change. To write only selected changes, use Accept first and then Apply (N); close the window to discard the preview.

Nothing is written until you click Apply.

Manage data sources

1. Click Data Sources.
2. Add or edit Excel, SQLite, SQL Server, or OData sources.
3. Preview the source rows before mapping.

Sync the active drawing

1. Open the drawing.
2. Confirm the setup is correct.
3. Click Sync.

Sync open drawings

1. Open the drawings that should be processed.
2. Click Sync All Open.
3. Let the tool activate, save, and sync each drawing.

Control sync order and matching

1. Use Enabled to keep a setup saved without running it.
2. Use Priority so lower-numbered configurations run first.
3. Use condition logic for all conditions or any condition.
4. Choose whether empty external values should be written or skipped.

Create and apply a set

1. Open a 3D Piping drawing and choose Color Rules → Settings.
2. Click New, name the set, and choose whether values come from a component property or a pipeline group property.
3. Choose Color by. Use Scan drawing to collect values, or add them yourself. Assign colors individually or use Auto-assign palette.
4. Choose optional colors for empty values, unlisted values, and non-Plant objects. Set non-Plant transparency if needed.
5. Click Save, then select the set from the Color Rules ribbon menu. Use Show Legend to review the active colors; choose Color Rules Off to return to normal display.

Local, shared, and plotting

Local sets can be edited. Shared sets are read-only in the list; use Duplicate to Local to make an editable copy.

Colors are display-only by default. Tick Include in plot only when the plotted output should use the set.

Publish a linked PDF

1. Click Linked P&ID Publish on the ribbon.
2. Choose All project P&IDs to include paper layouts from registered P&IDs, including closed drawings, or choose Open drawings for the standard AutoCAD Publish sheet list.
3. Leave Link OPC connections selected when reviewers need clickable off-page connections.
4. Click Open Publish. Review sheets, order, page setups, and PDF settings in AutoCAD Publish, then publish a multi-sheet PDF in the foreground.
5. Open the resulting PDF and test the links between sheets.

Before you publish

All-project scope selects paper layouts and excludes Model. Every selected project DWG must be available locally and have a paper layout.

If the output PDF is locked by a viewer, the linked result is saved as a separate _linked.pdf file. Check the report beside the output if a sheet or link could not be processed.

Add a revision

1. Open Revision Manager or choose Add Revision Note from its ribbon dropdown.
2. Review the next revision code and date; enter the description and initials.
3. When working in Revision Manager, click Add to stage the row, then Save & Sync to write the DWG history and update configured paper-space title blocks.
4. Use Edit or Delete to maintain the history. Run Sync again after reviewing any manually changed title-block attributes.

Configure the title block

1. Open Revision Manager Configuration and select the title block.
2. Choose alphabetic or numeric numbering, define the revision fields, and map each visible revision row to its title-block attribute tags. Auto-map can detect numbered tags.
3. Save as user to test locally, or Export a shared administrator configuration.

Create and export a list

1. Choose a configured profile from the Drawing List Generator ribbon dropdown.
2. Select drawings or folders in the active project’s drawing tree.
3. Click Scan and Preview. Review the status and the drawing number, description, latest revision, date, description, and initials columns configured for the profile.
4. Clear Include for rows you do not want, then click Export to Excel to create the .xlsx file.

Administrator setup

In Settings → Drawing Lists → Configure Drawing Lists, create a profile and map Excel columns to title-block attribute tags or Revision Manager fields. Choose Revision Manager fields such as revision code, date, description, and initials to bring the latest revision into the drawing list. The generator reads the latest saved revision from the drawing history; when no RKCadTools history exists, it can use the newest visible mapped title-block row. Save the profile in the shared admin folder so it appears in the ribbon.

Save edits in source drawings before scanning. Unavailable DWGs, missing title blocks, and missing revision values appear as preview warnings; the scan does not save the drawings.

Create a project drawing

1. Open Create Drawing and choose P&ID Drawing, Ortho Drawing, or 3D Drawing.
2. Use the next number (highest existing number plus the configured step), choose an available gap, or enter another file name.
3. Choose a destination from that drawing type’s searchable folder tree. The last location is remembered separately per type, and New Folder can create a child through Plant 3D.
4. A file name already used by the same registered drawing type is blocked.
5. Click Create, or Create & Continue to create the drawing and keep the dialog open for the next one.

Administrator setup

1. Open Settings → Create Drawing.
2. Select P&ID, Ortho, or 3D and assemble an independent name from ordered segments.
3. Use Fixed/Separator for constants, FreeText or Choice for user input, and ProjectLookup or Date for generated values. Add at most one Counter when automatic next-number and gap suggestions are wanted; omit it for counterless names.
4. Edit or reorder segments, select folder or whole-project number scope, and review the generated read-only pattern.
5. Enable each required drawing type. Existing registered names are scanned within the matching project part.
6. Test the local draft, then export and deploy the shared JSON through the normal ACC/Vault project administration workflow.

Update from one source block

1. Open Update Blocks.
2. Choose the source drawing and click Pick Block.
3. Pick the title block or block reference that contains the attributes to copy.
4. Edit the New Value column and tick the attributes to update.
5. Select target drawings. Add DWGs, add a folder, or load paths from a .txt, .csv, or .lst list when needed.
6. Choose whether to update the source drawing, update all matching blocks in each drawing, and save drawings after the update.
7. Click Update Attributes and review the result grid.

Batch edit with Excel

1. Add the DWG files to edit.
2. Pick the source block from the first DWG, or type the exact block name.
3. Click Read Attributes to preview values across the files.
4. Export the preview to .xlsx, edit the attribute values, and import the edited workbook.
5. Review the diff. Red rows are missing files or missing blocks; green rows contain changes that can be applied.
6. Click Apply Changes and export the CSV result log when a record is needed.

Redefine blocks from a source DWG

1. Open Update Blocks and switch to Redefine Blocks.
2. Add the target DWGs where an existing block definition should be replaced.
3. Pick the target block from the first target DWG, or type the exact block name.
4. Pick the source DWG and the source block definition that should replace the target.
5. Click Preview Targets to check missing, read-only, and matching drawings before writing.
6. Click Redefine Blocks and review the result grid. Export the CSV log when a record is needed.

Shared and project files

Data Bridge is project-specific. Its default shared/admin JSON and per-user JSON are stored under %APPDATA%\RKCadTools\DataBridge\Projects\<projectName>-<hash> so Plant 3D cleanup does not remove them.

When Shared Admin Folder is set, this project’s shared/admin Data Bridge file is read from <sharedFolder>\Projects\<projectName>\Plant3DDataBridge.json. A project.identity.json marker verifies the Plant project identity, and a short project-ID suffix is used only for duplicate project names. Existing hash-named folders are not migrated automatically. The matching Plant3DDataBridge.user.json file stays in each user’s AppData folder.

Admin vs user configs

Every RKCadTools feature uses two config files: a shared/admin file (<Feature>.json) and a per-user file (<Feature>.user.json). The plugin always writes to the user file; the admin file is maintained by an administrator and read-only from the plugin.

At runtime both files are merged: lists (data sources, configurations, columns) are concatenated, dictionaries (class entries, scope settings) are unioned by key with user entries winning on conflict, and scalar flags take the user value when present.

An admin can redirect all shared/admin settings in one step via Settings → Shared Admin Folder → Set Location. RKCadTools then reads admin-managed views from <sharedFolder>, feature admin configs from <sharedFolder>\Admin\<Feature>.json, and Data Bridge admin configs from <sharedFolder>\Projects\<projectName>\Plant3DDataBridge.json. Users’ own edits always go to their personal .user.json files.

Saved views (admin + user)

Saved views (Data Manager views, Export selections, Validator profiles) also support the admin/user split. User views are saved in the personal views folder (%APPDATA%\RKCadTools\SavedViews) unless Saved Views points to another personal or team folder. Admin-managed views come from the root of the Shared Admin Folder and are loaded read-only alongside each user’s personal views. Views with the same name in the user folder override admin views.

Data Manager views are grouped by data source below the views root:

• DataManager\PnId — standard P&ID views.
• DataManager\Piping — standard 3D Piping views.
• DataManager\PnIdPipelineGroups — P&ID Pipeline Group views.
• DataManager\PipingPipelineGroups — 3D Pipeline Group views.

For admin-managed views, these folders are below the Shared Admin Folder. Personal views use the same structure below the configured Saved Views folder. A personal scope folder is created automatically when its first view is saved; an administrator can create the corresponding shared folder when publishing an admin view.

User files

User-specific JSON files are stored under %APPDATA%\RKCadTools. This includes Quick Properties, Assign Tag Extended, Data Manager, Cross Navigation, and PID Connector Helper settings. Data Bridge user files are stored per project under %APPDATA%\RKCadTools\DataBridge\Projects\<projectName>-<hash>. Each feature has a .json (shared/admin) and a .user.json (personal) file; RKCadTools writes to the personal file.

Build a report

1. Save the source drawings and open Reports from the ribbon.
2. Choose an installed Autodesk Report Creator template.
3. Select Whole project, Current drawing or Selected drawings.
4. Click Build report. Review the completed Excel output and its entry in history.

Autodesk Report Creator must be installed. Reports use saved project data; unsaved drawing edits are not included.

Compare matching runs

The first successful report establishes a baseline. Build the same template again with the same drawing selection to compare against a matching previous run. Review changed, added and removed rows, and use Open change report to open the Excel comparison.

An unambiguous worksheet and key can be selected automatically. If the report has ambiguous keys, missing headings or duplicate values, configure the comparison first. Changing a tag used as a key can appear as a removed and added row.

Build a portable palette

1. Open a registered P&ID drawing and choose Admin Tools → P&ID Palette Builder.
2. Arrange the project symbols with headers and separators, and review their icons.
3. Validate the palette against the current project setup.
4. Use Save Configuration for the draft and Build Portable Package for the standard XTP palette package.

Test in Plant 3D

On a copy of the project, choose Test in Plant 3D to load a native preview palette. Open Tool Palettes with Ctrl+3 and place test symbols through Plant 3D.

After changing the draft, choose Update test palette. Use End test to remove preview palettes. Objects you placed remain in the drawing; remove them through the normal drawing workflow. Testing does not replace saving or exporting the palette.