Best Practices for Creating Raceway Routes

Raceway Routes are the paths which ACP follows when generating conduit in an Interactive Study. The following articles guide you in the step-by-step process of creating raceway routes.

• Creating Raceway Routes

• Editing Segments

• Working with Clash Detection

This article focuses on the best practices for creating raceway routes, how you can avoid common issues encountered by users, and work within the current limitations in ACP.

General Guidelines

As you create raceway routes in your Interactive Study, here are a few things to keep in mind for an efficient workflow and to ensure that the routes are constructable.

PRO TIP

As you work through your project, especially large projects, it’s a good idea to create backup versions of your Interactive Studies.

1. Create a duplicate of the study at regular intervals.

2. Continue working in the duplicate study and leave the original as a save point.

About the Work Plane

When drawing segments in an Interactive Study, the Work Plane is the active horizontal plane where segments are placed by default. It can be set anywhere between the floor’s Top Plane and Bottom Plane.

As you move across your site, you should regularly adjust the Work Plane to match the elevation you're currently working at. This keeps new waypoints and segments landing at the right height, avoiding the need for extra correction later. Drawing routes vertically doesn’t require prior adjustment of the Work Plane, but treating it as an elevation control you actively manage rather than a fixed setting will save you time as you work through a study.

Here is some helpful information about the Work Plane:

• Double-clicking the Floor name crops the view from the Floor’s Bottom Plane up to its Work Plane.

• Unless drawn directly from an existing ACP Surface Connector Target, any waypoint and/or segment will be placed on the Work Plane by default.

  • The drawing plane or axis may be changed at any time using the Hotkeys.

• When drawing vertically, a purple square will appear anytime you intersect the Work Plane from above or below.

• The elevation of the Work Plane may be changed at any time. You can do this in one of two ways from the Edit Floor panel which appears when you click the floor name.

  • Manually enter the elevation in the Work Plane textbox.

  • Use the Sample height button to set the Work Plane elevation to the same height as any existing waypoint, segment, or ACP Surface Connector Target.

• Proposed Routes are always placed on the Work Plane, and automatically adjust when the plane’s elevation is changed.

Drawing order

Drawing raceway routes in the direction of the current may help you to keep routes realistic, as well as allow you to leverage the Proposed Routes feature to accelerate the entire design process.

The recommended order to draw raceways in your Interactive Study is as follows:

1. Connect the equipment into racks within the electrical rooms first

2. Draw the main racks throughout the building/scope.

3. Connect the electrical room racks (entry and exits) into the main racks.

4. Connect the rest of the feeder Sources and Destinations to the racks.

   • Since Proposed Routes continuously adjust as you draw, the more your main design intent is in place, the more accurate they'll be for the remaining Feeder conduit.

   • At this point, you may find some acceptable Proposed Routes and Proposed Segments which align with the design intent set in place by the segments you’ve already drawn.

     • These full proposed routes may be accepted directly from the Conduit Schedule.  

5. Finish connecting the Feeder Conduits together BEFORE working on the Home Run conduit.

   • At this point the chances that your Proposed Routes follow the design intent are that much higher.

Placing segments

Because ACP generates conduit racks based on the drawn routes, the segments you draw must be constructable to avoid odd routing, unknown parts, or route failure.

Remember the following when placing segments.

• Since the drawn routes become the location of the rack, segments which represent the main rack should be placed in locations where you would typically place a rack in the field.

  • Consider things like supportability (is there a wall, ceiling, or structure nearby to hang the rack from), clashing with existing site conditions, and clearance for maintenance access.

• Try to draw bends at standard angles where possible.

  • ACP will either generate the conduit using the non-standard bend placed, or in some cases may attempt to resolve a non-standard angle using standard bend angles, which can result in odd routing, non-standard bends in the generated conduit, or in rare cases, route failure.

• When connecting racks at elevation changes, account for the space needed for the largest bend radius of the rack.

  • Vertical Offsets should be placed at standard bend angles when tighter spaces will not allow for 90-degree bends.

  • Constructability isn’t considered when Proposed Routes are calculated.

    • Review the bends in the route before accepting Proposed Routes or confirming Proposed Segments to ensure that there’s enough space for the rack’s bend radius, adjusting the route as needed.

Side-to-side connections

Because ACP Surface Connector Targets are in the center of the routable faces of Sources and Destinations, side-to-side connections are limited to locations where the Electrical Equipment involved shares the same size and mounting height. If the Targets don't line up, the resulting route may use a non-standard bend angle, causing ACP to place an Unknown Part in its place or to fail the route entirely.

In this case, it may be best to create the connection when the conduit is exported to Revit instead.

Use the steps below to keep track of which connections still need to be made:

• Deactivate the raceway in the Conduit Schedule.

• Add a note (for example, "side to side") so you remember to connect it manually in Revit after export.

Drawing Raceway Routes

Waypoints and segments are the building blocks of a raceway route, which connects the ACP Surface Connector Targets of a Source and a Destination. As you draw raceway routes, you can draw segments at angles to accommodate turns, elevation changes, and site obstructions.

Understanding the key characteristics of the following will be helpful as you draw raceway routes.

• Waypoints and Segments

• Standard Bend Angles

• ACP Surface Connector Targets

Waypoints and Segments

Remember the following as you work with waypoints and segments.

• Segments always start and end with a waypoint, but a waypoint can exist on its own.

• The first waypoint you place will always be on the Work Plane.

  • The connected segments will also be drawn on the Work Plane unless you change the drawing plane or axis using the Hotkeys.

• Waypoints and segments look different depending on their current state.

  • Recognizing them is helpful to understand their role in the raceway route, such as an open waypoint indicating a connection yet to be made or an assigned segment indicating it’s part of a complete raceway route.

• Multiple segments may be connected through a single waypoint.

• You can divide a segment by placing a waypoint where you’d like to divide it.

Connection indicators

To ensure that connections are made while drawing, wait for connection visual cues for both waypoints and segments to appear before clicking.

Standard Bend Angles

When drawing bends, such as for making turns or changing elevation, ACP automatically snaps to standard angles. By default, segments are locked to orthogonal angles, but standard bend angles (such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 22.5°, 15°, 75°, and 67.5°) may be used by holding down Shift.

• Drawing too quickly may prevent the bend angle from correctly snapping to the intended angle.

  • Wait for the draw tool to snap to the angle before clicking at another location to create the segment.

• Non-Standard bend angles may also be accidently created when moving raceways.

ACP Surface Connector Targets

The ACP Surface Connector Targets are where segments connect to Sources and Destinations in the site.

• They appear as purple arrows, such as , placed in the center of the routable faces of an electrical element.

• Hover over a Target’s connection point while in draw mode, and the Target will be highlighted in orange, indicating that a connection will be made to the Target when you click at that point.

Wait for it

Because the Model Viewer processes large amounts of 3D geometry, visual feedback (such as snap indicators or highlight states) may lag slightly. While waiting for visual feedback may feel slightly slow, ensuring each visual cue displays before taking your next action prevents routing mistakes and connection errors. Drawing too quickly may have unintended results.

Using Proposed Routes

The Propose Routes feature, which is enabled by default, shows the shortest possible route between a Source and its Destination.

About Proposed Routes

Here are some key details about Proposed Routes.

• They are made up of Proposed Segments which appear as broken lines in the Site.

• Proposed Routes are calculated to use existing segments, and are updated as additional segments are drawn.

• Proposed Routes adjust to the current Floor’s Work Plane.

• Because constructability is not considered for Proposed Routes, they will:

  • Follow odd paths such as segments being placed outside the building.

  • Not account for bend radius needed for the conduits in the rack.

  • Disregard obstructions in the background geometry.

    • The Clash Detection feature of the Rack Preview is designed to find where these clashes occur once a raceway route is completed.

Dos and Don’ts

While accepting Proposed Routes or individual Proposed Segments can be helpful to speed up the modeling process, it’s not advisable to rely on them entirely.

Below are some of the Dos and Don’ts when working with Proposed Routes.

• Don’t accept all Proposed Routes right away.

  • Manually draw segments for the main racks throughout the building and in the electrical rooms FIRST so the Proposed Routes adjust to include the drawn segments.

• Don’t accept any Proposed Route or Segment without reviewing it to ensure that it follows the intended route for the raceway.

  • Review the Proposed Route for constructability, ensuring there is enough space for the bend radius of the included raceways

• Don’t accept any Proposed Route or Segment if the Work Plane is set to a different elevation from where the segments should sit.

  • Set the elevation of the Work Plane prior to accepting Proposed Routes.

  • Drawing a segment from a vertical segment snaps to existing its waypoint, even if it is higher/lower than the set elevation of the Work Plane, which could create elevation discrepancies if not properly set.  

PRO TIP

The best use for the Propose Routes feature is to individually accept a route’s component segment(s) when it aligns with the route you have in mind.

• Following the recommended drawing order allows you to leverage Proposed Routes this way.

  • Waypoints and segments influence the path taken by Proposed Routes, which automatically recalculate whenever you edit them.

• Once you’ve drawn enough segments to communicate to ACP the raceway route you intend, the Proposed Routes will naturally follow.

  • You may review and accept the entire route at this point with minimal risk of the route being non-constructible or oddly placed.

Working with the Rack Preview

Once the raceway’s Source and Destination connects with each other, the segments are assigned to the raceway route, and their Rack Preview is displayed in the Model Viewer.

The Rack Preview is the transparent rectangular box around the segment which visualizes the following:

• Rack Orientation

• Rack Dimensions

• Clash Detection

Rack Orientation

The Rack Preview indicates the orientation of the rack, showing the direction that the conduit will bend once generated. When you review the Rack Preview before generating a solution, ensure that the orientation is consistent for the entire raceway. If necessary, rotate the orientation of the rack.

Follow the steps below.

1. Select the segment with the incorrect orientation.

2. Click the Info button.

3. Click the Rotate button.

Resolve Twisted connections

If incorrect orientation is not resolved before generating conduit, the Twisted connections issue will appear. The conduit generated may unintentionally twist, creating bends that aren’t constructible.

To find and resolve twisted connections, follow the steps below.

1. Click the Issues button.

2. In the pop-up Issues window, click to expand the Twisted connections issue.

3. Select the waypoint(s) listed, such as , to jump to the point in the Site where the issue occurs.

4. Locate the rack with the incorrect orientation.

   • Trace the raceway route and review if the twist may be resolved or should be left as is.

5. To resolve the twist, rotate the orientation of the rack as indicated in the previous section.

   • Once the issue is resolved for a waypoint, it will be crossed out.

PRO TIP

A helpful way to think about orientation: picture the rack as a flat ribbon full of conduit. That ribbon can go up, or bend down, left, or right, but it can't cleanly twist on itself.

Rack Dimensions

As raceway routes are completed, ACP calculates the space needed for the various conduits included in each segment of the rack. The boundaries of the Rack Preview reflect this estimated space.

For the best results, review your raceway routes prior to generation.

Here are some things to remember as you do:

• Because multiple raceways may be assigned to a single segment, the width of the Rack Preview may vary from segment to segment depending on the number and size of conduit assigned. Often, the main racks will be the widest while the racks connected directly to Sources and Destinations will be the narrowest.

• By default the Rack Preview Width and Height updates automatically each time a raceway is added or removed from it.

  • You can set and lock either Height and Width in the Segment panel which appears when you click the Info button while the specific segment is selected.

PRO TIP

To easily check which raceway(s) is assigned to a segment, follow the steps below.

1. Select the segment within the Rack Preview.

2. Click the Info button.

3. In the Segment panel, select the checkbox of the raceway to highlight it in the Conduit Schedule.

Clash Detection

Another helpful feature of the Rack Preview is Clash Detection. It flags segments where the estimated space for the rack intersects with the surrounding geometry, allowing you to properly act on the clashes prior to generating conduit.

When working with Clash Detection, keep in mind:

• When clashes are detected, the full Segment and Rack Preview are highlighted in red.

• The Collision Geometry, such as , includes all Background Geometry categories except the Interior and Exterior Wall categories.

• To  clear clashes, you can do any of the following:

  • Move the affected segment

  • Redraw the route around the obstruction

  • Adjust the dimensions of the segment’s Rack Preview

• Because not all detected clashes need to be cleared, any clash may be ignored.

  • ACP will generate the conduit following the raceway routes as drawn, regardless of detected clashes.

PRO TIP:

Clashes may be isolated to specific portions of the segment by adding Waypoints to the segment.

For example: Segment is isolated from segment because of waypoint , without which the entire segment would be highlighted in red.

Modifying Raceway Routes

Raceway routes may still be modified once they’re placed. Using the tools in the Model Viewer, you can easily modify any existing segment or waypoint to resolve clashes, reassign raceways to manage rack size, or simply change the raceway route as design requirements evolve.

PRO TIP:

Use hotkeys to quickly switch between modes and axes/planes when modifying raceway routes.

• For a list of hotkeys, click the Show hotkeys button at the top of the Model Viewer. 

Moving segments

Segments may be moved to adjust the route of the conduit, or to clear clashes with the site.

Because moving waypoints and segments also moves everything connected to them, other routes may be affected, like in the visualization on the right. This may result in non-standard bends, unknown parts and/or clashes with Background Geometry.

• Moving segments close together will not connect them.

  • To connect two segments together, draw a segment connecting them.

• Before you move any waypoint or segment, check if other routes will be affected.

  • If you’ve unintentionally moved a waypoint/segment, press Ctrl + Z to undo the action.

To move a segment without accidentally adjusting other segments in the rack, follow the steps below.

1. Split the segment you’d like to move by placing a waypoint(s) on it.

   • This waypoint splits the segment in two, and .

2. Delete the segment.

   • This detaches the segment from the segment.

   • Because the complete raceway route will then be broken, the Rack Preview will disappear.

3. Move the segment to the new location.

4. Draw any needed segments to reconnect the moved segment to the rack.

   • Press the Shift key as you redraw the segment(s) to use a standard angle.

   • Ensure that connection indicators appear before clicking to ensure a connection is made.

   • The Rack Preview will reappear once you’ve reconnected the segment to the rest of the rack.

The default axis for moving a segment is the horizontal axis (X or Y) perpendicular to it, which may not be the direction along which you need to move the segment.

• Use the Hotkeys to toggle to the correct axis to move the segment along.

Flatten to Work Plane

As you manually draw segments throughout your site, some may be accidentally placed at slightly different elevations from the main Work Plane. Short vertical segments may be required to bridge the elevation mismatch. You may notice the Proposed Segments adjust to include these short connections. However, using these short segments to connect the racks will sometimes result in non-constructible bends, and Unknown Parts will be placed in the generated solution.

Use the Flatten to Work Plane feature to resolve these elevation discrepancies, ensuring consistent rack heights, eliminating the need for short segments, and cutting down on preventable Unknown Parts.

Follow the steps below to use the Flatten to Work Plane feature.

1. Set the Work Plane to the elevation you want the orphaned segments to flatten to.

   • You can use the Sample height button to set the Work Plane to the same elevation as any existing waypoint, segment, or ACP Surface Connector Target in the Site.

2. In the Edit Floor panel, click the Flatten to Plane button.

3. In the pop-up window, enter the tolerance.

   • All orphaned segments within the set tolerance will be flattened to the Work Plane.

4. Click the Flatten button.

   • This moves all segments located within a specified buffer to the elevation of the current Work Plane.

   • You can then confidently connect the segments to the rest of the rack.

PRO TIP

To easily identify elevation discrepancies, check for elevation mismatches using the Info panel for a waypoint:

1. Select a waypoint in the segment you suspect is in a slightly different elevation.

2. Click the Info button.

3. In the Waypoint panel, check if the Position Z value is the same for a waypoint in the correct elevation.

Rerouting around obstructions

One of the ways to resolve clashes detected with the Rack Preview is to route around the obstruction. Often, moving the segment to an elevation where it doesn’t clash with the obstruction will resolve it. Depending on physical constraints, and design and project requirements, you can create either a vertical offset or a saddle.

Creating a vertical offset or saddle

Because segments automatically snap to the active Work Plane, setting it to the height where the rack should be offset allows you to draw the segments more accurately. This also helps ensure that segments connect with each other.

Follow the steps below:

1. (Optional) Place and adjust a Section Plane to get a better view of the clash.

2. Click the floor name to open the Edit Floor panel.

3. In the Edit Floor panel, adjust the elevation of the Work Plane.

   • The Work Plane is visualized as a thin horizontal gray plane throughout the building

     • Click to view animation.

       

   • This allows you to use the Work Plane as a guide on how far the rack should should be offset.

4. While in Draw mode, click on the obstructed segment at the point where the rack should be offset.

5. Toggle to the vertical drawing plane that runs along the axis of the segment.

   • Either the XZ-plane (hotkey C) or YZ-plane (hotkey X).

   • A horizontal line of the same color as the drawing plane will also appear at the elevation of the Work Plane.

6. Press and hold Shift as you draw the segment at a standard angle, then click when it snaps to the Work Plane.

7. Press Z to toggle back to the Work Plane.

8. Draw the horizontal segment of the offset.

   • To create a saddle

     1. Toggle back to the vertical drawing plane.

     2. Draw another segment to return to the original elevation.

     

9. Ensure the offset is connected to the rest of the rack.

10. Delete the segment replaced by the offset.

    • If the connection is successful, the Rack Preview will display on the new raceway route.

Connecting segments at different elevations

Conduit rack elevations may vary across building zones to accommodate structural constraints, trade coordination, and operational access. For example, main racks are typically placed near maximum ceiling height in main corridors to preserve headroom and clear overhead HVAC or piping runs; while conduit racks within electrical rooms may be placed lower to simplify cable pulling and termination, and provide access for servicing.

In making these connections, the snapping and visual cues in the Model Viewer removes the guess work to find the vertical transition point, as well as ensure that segments connect to each other.

Before proceeding with the next sections, use the Flatten to Work Plane feature to move segments which may have been mistakenly drawn at slightly different elevations to the correct Work Plane height.

• Only create 90° vertical offsets or vertical kicks to connect segments which are spaced far enough apart for ACP to successfully generate a bend.

Creating 90° vertical offsets

Racks in different building zones at varying elevations often connect to each other perpendicularly with a 90° bend.

To create a vertical 90° connection, follow the steps below:

1. While in Draw mode, snap to the open waypoint of the intersecting segment.

   • The elevation of the new segment will be drawn at the elevation of the intersecting segment.

2. Draw the new segment horizontally until it snaps parallel to the perpendicular segment.

   • The perpendicular segment will be highlighted in purple and a thin purple line will appear below it.

3. Toggle to the Z-axis by pressing the Z key.

4. Draw a vertical segment that connects to the perpendicular segment.

   • Wait for the connection indicator before clicking to ensure that it connects to the perpendicular segment.

   • If you followed the recommended drawing order, you may be able to utilize Proposed Routes to create the 90° vertical offset.

     • Use the Sample height button to set the Work Plane to the elevation of the intersecting segment.

Creating vertical kicks

While creating 90° vertical offsets is often the easiest way to connect perpendicular segments at different elevations, the size of the conduits and their subsequent bend radii often exceed the vertical space between the racks. When this occurs an angled kick may be placed to account for the additional space required for the bend.

It’s best to start with a 90° vertical offset when creating an angled kick. This provides a reference waypoint on the perpendicular segment which aligns perfectly with the intersecting segment, removing the guesswork and ensuring accurate connections between the racks.

Follow the steps below.

PRO TIP:

To avoid unintentionally snapping to a nearby waypoint instead of the standard angle you’d like to use, delete any waypoint on the intersecting segment.

1. Start drawing a segment from the reference waypoint on the perpendicular segment.

2. Toggle to the vertical drawing plane that runs along the axis of the segment.

   • Either the XZ-plane (hotkey C) or YZ-plane (hotkey X).

3. Press and hold the Shift key to access standard bend angles.

4. Hover along the intersecting segment until the angle you’d like to use appears, then click.

5. Delete the segments ( and ) which previously made up the 90° vertical offset.

Underground Routing

Underground routing for your project may be best created as a separate Interactive Study. This minimizes the Site Geometry for better Model Viewer performance, and allows for underground-specific Floor constraints.

Here are some additional tips for underground routing.

• Create a separate scope for the underground area.

  • This helps make the process of creating underground raceway routes more manageable and structured.

• Verify that all Sources and Destinations of raceways you intend to route in the study are within the scope.

  • Deactivate raceways in the Conduit Schedule if they’re not within the underground scope.

• Keep track of the different Work Plane elevations you use.

  • Use the Sample height tool to easily change the elevation of the Work Plane to the same elevation as any existing waypoint or segment.

• Route from the bottom of the Electrical Equipment down to the Work Plane, then route from point-to-point.

  • Underground space is typically unobstructed so you can create raceway routes without needing to create bends for navigating around obstructions.

  • You can disable the Snap to Angles checkbox to draw segments at any angle, without the snapping to standard bend angles.

• Pay attention to the orientation of the Rack Preview to avoid unintended twists when you generate conduit.