Large Plant Coordinates in SP3D

SP3D has a practical limit on size of a plant area due to graphics processing limitations. This is similar to UOR/53KM limit PDS has. SP3D supports global coordinates ranging from -50KM to +50KM along each of the axis (E, N and El). Users can enter coordinates up to any value, however graphics display starts distorting beyond these values due to rounding off during graphics processing. Please note that all coordinates are stored as double precision floating point numbers in the database. This means there is no limit on value of coordinates as stored in database. See picture below for recommended modeling range.

Plant Coordinates higher than +/- 50 km

Consider a scenario where Plant Monument (what some call as Site Datum) is larger than +/- 50 km. For example, Plant Monument is 600 km East, 250 km North, 0 km Elevation. Now, these coordinates do not fall in +/- 50 km from Global Origin of SP3D. Since it is recommended to model SP3D objects within +/- 50 km range from Global Origin, a coordinate system called Plant Coordinate System should be created at negative values of Plant Monument. In this case Plant Monument is at 600 km East, 250 km North, 0 km Elevation, Plant Coordinate System is created in SP3D at 600 km West, 250 km South, 0 km Elevation. See picture below,

Plant Monument (600 km, 250 km, 0 km)

As you can see above, Plant Monument is now at Global Origin.

Now lets assume that user wants to place pump at 620 km East, 275 km North, 0 km Elevation in a plant using actual plant monument. User will need to define workspace in SP3D such that Plant Coordinate system defined at 600 km West, 250 km South, 0 km Elevation is NOT INCLUDED in workspace filter definition. User should then set active coordinate system in pinpoint tool bar to Plant Coordinate System. Once this is done, SP3D will measure all coordinates with respect to active coordinate system i.e Plant Coordinate System in this case. Now user is able to place pump in SP3D using actual coordinates, i.e. 620 km East, 275 km North, 0 km Elevation. As you can see below, coordinates reported on pump properties as well as on pinpoint as actual coordinates of pump.

However, if coordinates of this pump are measured with respect to Global CS of SP3D, they are reported as 20 km East, 25 km North, 0 km Elevation, which are well within recommended range of +/- 50 km from Global CS. This workflow can be followed to model SP3D objects using actual coordinates and still keep objects within +/- 50 km range from Global Origin.

Output Drawings & Reports

When generating outputs from SP3D, Plant Coordinate System defined in SP3D can used to report actual coordinates of modeled objects by setting coordinate system on style tab of property or on view property of a drawing. Report can also use query parameters to report coordinates with respect to Plant Coordinate System.