Connection Nodes

Connections are created with nodes.

A node is a position in your virtual environment. Your connections travel through these nodes on the way to their destination.

Nodes may have different colours….

Click on the red or blue nodes to select them. The selected node is the one that will be effected by and drag-and-drop or keyboard movement.

Nodes are edited with the same editing grid and movement controls as editing assets.

This includes controls such as 'Shift' (fast movement), 'Ctrl' (slow movement) and 'Alt' (snapping).

The only addition to the editing controls are the '+' and '-' buttons on the numeric keypad, which make your connection thinner or wider if required. You can see Node Scaling for more details on the visual effects you can create with this technique.

When you move any of your nodes, the connection will automatically adjust to suit any changes you make.

You can add new nodes to an existing line by left-clicking along the connection.

For example, to add a node part-way along the pipework shown in the earlier diagram, you would simply click on the pipe half way between the red and green nodes.

When you create a new node, it automatically becomes the selected node, ready for editing.

Some connections aren't direct - occasionally pipes split and feed many items.

You can include these branches in your ARDI connections.

If you are creating branching pipework, we suggest you create your main line first. This is to ensure your pipework is visually accurate, as discussed further in node scaling.

Creating a branch is a single step.

Find the location where your line branches off from the existing connection, then hold 'shift' and click that spot with the left mouse button.

This will create two new nodes. One will be in the exact place where you clicked, the other will be in the direction indicated by the editing grid (ie. if you are looking at the node from the side and the editing grid arrows are pointing up, your new branch will be in the upward direction.)

You can then modify and manipulate the new points.

If you need to remove a node, right-click on it.

This will delete the node and clean up any required connections. Note that erasing a node that forms a branch in your connection will result in the branch moving closer to the origin of the connection and may give funny-looking results.

If you need to delete an entire connection, remove all of the nodes.

Once you attempt to remove the second-last node, the system will ask you to confirm that you want to delete the connection all-together.

Hitting 'yes' on the confirmation will delete the node. There is no opportunity to undo this action.

By pressing the 'Alt' key, you can connect your pipework to existing assets in the scene.

This ensures that if you make changes to the position of the asset in the future, your pipework will move appropriately. It will also help you 'snap' the pipework to suitable locations on the target asset.

When you create a new connection in ARDI, the first and last points are automatically attached to the two assets you choose during the creation process.

To remove the association between a node an an asset, simply use the mouse to drag it a distance away. It will automatically become a standard (red) node.

Note that you can not unlink the first node from the asset. This is always attached.

There isn't a specific control for extending connections. This is because the approach to connection design in ARDI is based on 'Sketch, Then Add Detail'.

You start with your origin and destination, then you fill in specific twists and turns that the pipework has along the way.

You should follow the same process if you ever need to extend a connection further. Move the last point to your destination, then fill in everything it does on the way there by adding points along the line.

There are also some advanced node topics you can read about if you would like to understand and exploit the ARDI pipework system further.