Catalogue Requirements - Symbol Keys

Each type of component has a two-dimensional symbol which is used to represent it on the isometric drawings. Each symbol is referred to by a text attribute, known as the symbol key (SKEY) attribute of a DTEXT element.

The overall relationship between a pipe component and its descriptive elements is shown by the following structure:

The chapter Symbol Keys of the ISODRAFT Reference Manual contains a complete list of the standard symbols and their associated symbol keys, grouped together by generic type (ELBO, FLAN, PCOM, VALV, etc.).

You can usually select any symbol listed under the relevant generic type. For example, the following symbol keys are valid for a CAP, refer to the CAP Symbol Keys section of the ISODRAFT Reference Manual:

KABW    KACP    KASC    KASW

If an incorrect SKEY is specified, a default rectangle will be drawn at the corresponding component position.

Note: It is essential to comply with the p-point configurations for the given symbol. The chapter, Symbol Keys of the ISODRAFT Reference Manual shows the configuration for each symbol.

The SKEY attribute of a DTEXT element is set by using the syntax:

SKEY symbolkeytext

where symbolkeytext is the symbol key attribute code enclosed between closing quotes. For example:

SKEY ’KABW’

The default SKEY symbols should be suitable for most applications. For specialised needs it is possible to redefine existing symbols, or to create new symbols, for some types of component. This is described in the Catalogue Requirements - Symbol Keys.