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  6. Pipe Geometry: Adjust, Segment, Tap, Swap & Straighten

Pipe Geometry: Adjust, Segment, Tap, Swap & Straighten

Contents

GASWorkS provides a set of GDI commands for adjusting and reworking the geometry of existing pipe features. This article covers the Adjust Arc Pipe, Highlight Pipe, Segment Pipe, Straighten Polyline Pipe, Swap Pipe Ends, and Tap Pipe commands — used to reshape an arc pipe’s curvature, identify a pipe and review its status, divide a pipe into equal segments, remove vertices from a polyline pipe, reverse a pipe’s From Node and To Node order, and split a pipe at a specific location. Several of these commands change the graphic length of a pipe — check whether the Automatically Update Pipe Length graphics option is selected so the Hydraulic Length used in calculations stays consistent with the drawn geometry.

GDI Commands

Adjust An Arc Pipe

Adjusts the radius of an existing arc pipe feature.

  1. Select the Adjust Arc Pipe item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select An Arc Pipe prompt, move the mouse pointer to an arc-type pipe and left-click. The selected arc pipe will be highlighted.
  3. At the Adjust Curve prompt, use one of the following methods:
    Graphic — Move the mouse crosshairs to adjust the direction and radius of the arc in the GDI Display, then left-click. The arc is drawn between the two nodes with the drawn angle.
    Radius — Type “R”, an equal “=” sign, and a radius value in the Coordinate Values dimensional units on the GDI Prompt Line, then press Enter.
    Delta — Type “D”, an equal “=” sign, and a delta angle value in decimal degrees on the GDI Prompt Line, then press Enter.
    Semicircle — Type “S”, an equal “=” sign, and either “-1” for a counter-clockwise semicircle, “0” for a straight arc, or “1” for a clockwise semicircle between the From Node and the To Node, then press Enter.
  4. If the Automatically Update Pipe Length graphics option is selected, the Hydraulic Length of the pipe is recalculated. If not, a message may ask whether to update the pipe length — click Yes to update the value or No to preserve the previous value.

This command can be executed by selecting the Adjust Arc Pipe item from the GDI Command List or by typing ADJUSTARC on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • Moving an arc pipe end will also change its curvature. To avoid this, use the Move Pipe End command or grips.

Highlight A Pipe

Highlights a User-selected pipe feature and displays information about the pipe in the GDI Prompt Line.

  1. Select the Highlight Pipe item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select A Pipe prompt, move the mouse pointer to a pipe and left-click. The selected pipe will be highlighted.
  3. The “Last Selected” prompt displays the Facility Type status (“Active” or “Not Active”) and the Size/Type Code of the last selected pipe on the GDI Prompt Line.
  4. Select another pipe using the same method, or press the Esc key to end the command.

This command can be executed by selecting the Highlight Pipe item from the GDI Command List or by typing HIGHLIGHTPIPE or HILITP on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Segment A Pipe

Divides a 2-point pipe feature or an arc pipe feature into a User-specified number of individual pipe segments.

  1. Select the Segment Pipe item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select Pipe To Segment prompt, move the mouse pointer to a pipe and left-click. The selected pipe will be highlighted.
  3. At the Number Of Segments prompt, type a value on the GDI Prompt Line and press Enter.
  4. The selected pipe is divided into the entered number of equal-length segments, with nodes placed at the junction of each pipe segment.

This command can be executed by selecting the Segment Pipe item from the GDI Command List or by typing SEGMENTPIPE on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • This command does not support the segmentation of polyline pipes.
  • To segment a pipe at a specific point, use the Tap Pipe command.
  • To change a node’s location, use the Move Node command or grips.

Straighten A Polyline Pipe

Straightens a polyline pipe feature by deleting User-selected vertices.

  1. Select the Straighten Polyline Pipe item from the GDI Command List.
  2. At the Select A Polyline Pipe To Straighten prompt, move the mouse pointer to a pipe and left-click. The selected pipe will be highlighted. If the selected pipe is not a polyline, a message may be displayed — click OK to return to the prompt.
  3. At the Select Starting Vertex prompt, move the mouse pointer to a vertex and left-click. The selected vertex is highlighted in a different color from the pipe.
  4. At the Select Ending Vertex prompt, move the mouse pointer to another vertex and left-click. The selected vertex is highlighted in a different color from the pipe.
  5. A message asks whether to delete the selected and intermediate vertices. Click Yes to remove the selected vertices and any vertices between them, or No to return to the Select Starting Vertex prompt.
  6. If the Automatically Update Pipe Length graphics option is selected, the Hydraulic Length of the pipe is recalculated. If not, a message asks whether to update the pipe length — click Yes to update the value or No to preserve the previous value.

This command can be executed by selecting the Straighten Polyline Pipe item from the GDI Command List or by typing STRAIGHTENPIPE on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Swap A Pipe’s Ends (The From Node & To Node)

Swaps the From Node and To Node for a pipe feature.

  1. Select the Swap Pipe Ends item from the Edit Graphics branch of the GDI Command Tree.
  2. At the Select Pipe To Swap Ends On prompt, move the mouse pointer to a pipe and left-click.
  3. The original To Node becomes the From Node, and vice versa. If the selected pipe is a polyline, a message may be displayed after the process is complete, advising that the node order cannot be undone using the Undo command — click OK to clear the message.

This command can be executed by selecting the Swap Pipe Ends item from the Edit Graphics branch of the GDI Command Tree or from the GDI Command List, or by typing SWAPPIPEENDS or SWAPENDS on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The order of the From Node and To Node affects the modeling of compressors and regulators — the From Node must be the upstream node, and the To Node must be the downstream node. This command is useful if such features have been inserted backward into the model. Swapping the pipe ends does not affect any other pipe Hydraulic Types.

Tap A Pipe

Taps (splits or breaks) a pipe feature.

  1. Select the Tap Pipe item from the Edit Graphic branch of the GDI Command Tree.
  2. At the Select Pipe To Tap prompt, move the mouse pointer to a pipe and left-click. The selected pipe will be highlighted.
  3. At the Tap Location prompt, move the mouse crosshairs over a point on the selected pipe and left-click. If the selected location coincides with an existing node, a message may be displayed — click OK to clear the message and return to the prompt.
  4. If a new node is created and the Prompt For Data During New Feature Entry environment option is selected, the Node Data will be displayed in the Data Panel. Right-click to accept the default data values; if changes are made, click the Apply Data Values command button.
  5. A new node is placed at the point on the selected pipe, and the selected pipe is split into two segments connected to the new node.

This command can be executed by selecting the Tap Pipe item from the Edit Graphic branch of the GDI Command Tree or from the GDI Command List, or by typing PIPETAP or TAP on the GDI Command Line and pressing Enter.

Notes

  • The length of the new pipe segments will be equal to the prorated length of the original pipe. For example, if the original pipe is 100 feet long and the tap is 40 feet from one end, two pipe segments will be created: one of length 40 feet and one of length 60 feet. One of the two segments keeps the Record Number of the original pipe; the other is assigned the next available Record Number. All other data from the original pipe is copied to both new pipe segments.
  • To change the Pipe Data, use the Edit Pipe Data command or left-click the desired pipe feature to display the data in the Data Panel.
  • To change the Node Data, use the Edit Node Data command or left-click the desired node to display the data in the Data Panel.

Notes & Considerations

  • The Hydraulic Length is the value used for the pipe length in the GASWorkS calculations. The initial Hydraulic Length value equals the graphic length on the GDI Display. The Hydraulic Length value can be changed in the Pipe Data in the Data Panel or by the Edit Pipe Data command.
  • If the Allow Undo Of Data/Graphic Changes environment option is selected, click the Undo icon to restore the last data or graphic change. To access the option, select the Options & Settings item from the Utilities menu, then select the Environment data tab.

See Also

  • Adding Pipes & Nodes
  • Adding Equipment (Compressors, Regulators, Valves & Fittings)
  • Editing Customer, Node & Pipe Data
  • Moving Customers, Nodes & Pipes
  • GDI Utilities: Undo, Redo, Cancel & Housekeeping
  • Example: GDI Coordinates, Commands & Grips
  • Example: Selecting, Moving & Viewing Features
  • Example: Fittings, Panels & Palettes

FAQ

  • Why would I convert an arc pipe to a polyline pipe?

    Some GASWorkS editing tools can’t be used on arc-type pipes. Converting to a polyline pipe unlocks those commands while keeping the original shape — GASWorkS places a vertex at each degree of curvature along the arc and connects them with straight segments.

  • What’s the difference between converting one arc pipe and converting all of them?
    Convert An Arc Pipe To A Polyline Pipe lets you pick a single arc pipe to convert. Convert All Arc Pipes To Polyline Pipes runs the same conversion across every arc-type pipe in the model in one pass, and reports how many pipes were updated.
  • What kinds of background entities can be converted into a pipe feature?
    Only Arc, Line, and Polyline type entities — from either a DXF or a shapefile (SHP) background image. Other entity types in the background image can’t be converted directly to a pipe.
  • Do I need anything set up before I can convert DXF service lines to customers?
    Yes — the Facility Type you’re converting to must be set to “Active.” You can check or change that under Facility Settings in the Edit menu. You’ll also need a DXF background image with the service lines already attached.
  • What happens to the Color Legend when I convert it to User Text?
    It becomes a group of individual User Text features that you can manipulate with the standard User Text and Group commands, rather than the fixed Color Legend format. If a Color Legend Text already exists, you’ll be asked whether to delete it, keep it alongside the new one, or cancel.
  • I converted several DXF lines to pipes — why did it also ask me about node data?
    Converting a line can create new nodes at its endpoints. If the Prompt For Data During New Feature Entry option is turned on, GASWorkS shows the Node Data (and Pipe Data) for each new feature in the Data Panel so you can review or adjust the defaults before moving on.

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Updated on July 29, 2026

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