Serious question, I always thought 2D was fine for MEP until a guy at the supply house in Boise said something.

I was picking up some conduit last week and overheard a contractor talking about how he started using 3D modeling for his plumbing runs. He said, 'It cut my clash detection time in half on a 12-story job.' I've been doing everything in 2D for 15 years, but that got me thinking. Maybe I'm making more work for myself trying to spot conflicts on flat sheets. Has anyone else made that switch and found it worth the learning curve?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sandra13d ago

Honestly, that learning curve is real but temporary. The upfront time to build the model pays back fast when you avoid field clashes. It just makes the coordination meetings way less painful.

terry_carter155d ago

Totally agree, it's like paying a tax on the front end to avoid the real pain later. The best part is how it changes the whole conversation in those meetings, from arguing about who's at fault to just solving the problem together. Once the team trusts the model, you can even start planning the install sequence in the software before anyone shows up on site. Makes you wonder how we ever got anything built right with just stacks of 2D drawings.

the_cameron14d ago

Heard the same thing from a guy on a hospital job last year. Switched to 3D for coordination and it was a game changer. You don't realize how many hidden clashes you miss in 2D until you see it all in space. The first project took longer to model, but every one after has been faster. It's worth the headache to learn.