PipeForge product overview

From field intent to fabrication layout

Build the pipe system first.

PipeForge gives piping teams a fast visual workspace for modular systems and skid layouts—route pipe, lock elevations and tie-ins, place fittings and supports, then hand structured information into the BIM and fabrication workflow already in place.

See the workflow Download the feature brief

Focused planning software, not engineering approval. Support capacity, stress, code, weld procedures, and final fabrication release remain with project engineering and QA.

PipeForge 3D workspace showing a modular piping skid layout — One model for routing, checking, and takeoffProduct interface

Field-first routingClick, drag, branch, rise, drop, and enter exact dimensions without navigating a full plant-design stack.

Tie-in referencesLaser centerlines and plumb references keep elevation and termination intent visible without entering the material totals.

Support fabricationStation, coordinates, centerline, BOP, and fabrication height populate before the separate support workspace opens.

One source of totalsCut lengths, weld count, BOM, checks, ISO, support list, and PCF are derived from the same geometry.

Built for fabrication teams

Designed around the handoff between field, BIM, and fabrication.

Process piping connects field measurements, design intent, detailing, metal fabrication, and prefabrication. PipeForge focuses on the information that needs to move cleanly between those groups.

Process piping

Joint-aware routing for real fabrication choices

Butt-weld, socket-weld, threaded, and grooved rules affect takeout, cut lengths, joints, BOM, and PCF. Job setup keeps size, schedule, material, rating, and joint type with the model.

Butt weldSocket weldThreadedGrooved

Prefabrication

A shorter path from layout intent to shop information

Exact lengths, elevations, tie-ins, branches, checks, weld count, and material totals update from the model. That gives detailers a structured starting point instead of a loose collection of marked-up notes.

Live cut listWeld countISO previewPCF bridge

Support structures

Support layout stays connected to the pipe

Place a support on a horizontal run and PipeForge records its pipe, station, coordinates, centerline, bare BOP, insulated BOP, and height from a named datum. Structural member choices stay in a separate fabrication workspace.

Pedestal / shoeU-bolt guideTrapezeClevis

Design-build

Make field intent reviewable before full detailing

A superintendent, foreman, estimator, or fabrication planner can establish the route and measurements. BIM specialists can then review structured geometry and focus on coordination, governance, and final deliverables.

Plan / 3D / splitPlant coordinatesDatum referencesPortable project file

The focused workflow

Five moves from job setup to reviewable handoff.

Set the job

Choose the pipe size, schedule, material, rating, joint type, and job support palette.

Lay the route

Place straight runs and fittings. Enter exact feet-and-inches dimensions as the layout grows.

Lock intent

Use constrained rise/drop, custom angles, laser elevations, plumb references, and named tie-ins.

Add supports

Capture station and elevation from the pipe, then detail the fabrication layout separately.

Review outputs

Check the BOM, cut lengths, weld count, support list, ISO preview, and PCF handoff data.

Support Designer

Useful measurements first. Structural detail second.

Support placement stays quick inside Pipe Design. The dedicated workspace opens only when fabrication detail is needed, so routing never turns into a structural-design form.

Automatic pipe/run association and station from the start of the run
Centerline, bare BOP, insulated BOP, datum, and fabrication height shown together
Job-selected angle, channel, W/H, S/I, HSS, rod, plate, material, and finish
Separate support BOM/CSV keeps structural members out of the piping BOM, ISO, and PCF

A fair comparison

Less software around the job—not less respect for the job.

Enterprise plant platforms solve a larger problem. PipeForge removes the unrelated project machinery when the immediate task is laying out one modular piping system.

Program	Primary job	Typical setup	Best fit
PipeForge	Modular pipe/skid layout, field intent, support measurements, and fabrication-planning outputs	One focused job setup; browser workspace; portable local project file	Fast early layout and field-to-fabrication handoff
AutoCAD Plant 3D	P&IDs, specification-driven plant models, orthographic drawings, isometrics, reports, and BIM workflows	CAD-manager templates, project paths, specs/catalogs, desktop toolset, and optional collaboration administration	Formal plant authoring in an AutoCAD-centered workflow
AVEVA E3D	Data-centric, multidisciplinary design for complex capital, marine, power, and process projects	Unified Engineering environment, licensing/access administration, standards, and cross-discipline project data	Global teams, deep coordination, change management, and lifecycle handover
Hexagon Smart 3D	Enterprise facility design, constructability, modularization, managed deliverables, and lifecycle models	Site/database servers, permissions, catalog/model/report databases, and project administration	Large owner/EPC programs with governed enterprise infrastructure
CADWorx / OpenPlant	Specification-driven plant authoring, formal isometrics, BOMs, multidisciplinary and digital-twin workflows	Desktop CAD/suite installation, catalog/spec setup, project templates, and companion applications	Design-office workflows that need formal plant deliverables and connected disciplines

Where PipeForge is easier

Opening a modular project, capturing tie-ins and elevations, routing pipe, checking fabrication totals, and recording support dimensions without entering an entire multidisciplinary environment.

Where the enterprise suites are stronger

Whole-facility engineering, simultaneous multidisciplinary coordination, governed master data, formal drawing systems, digital twins, and long-term asset information management.

Prove it on real work

One skid. One current workflow. Measured honestly.

Use a small working session to compare PipeForge with the current early-layout process. The team keeps its existing BIM, engineering, fabrication, and QA gates. PipeForge earns its place only if the pilot shows a cleaner handoff.

Review the workflow Take the brief to the team

Time from field measurements to reviewable routeMeasure

Missing or ambiguous fabrication dimensionsCount

Manual re-entry into the detailing workflowCompare

Revision turnaround after field changesTrack

Third-party PCF and downstream acceptanceGate

Evidence and boundaries

The pitch is grounded in public sources and the working product.

Pipe-support and fabrication sources

Competitor program sources

Competitor capabilities and requirements were checked against vendor documentation on August 17, 2026. This comparison describes workflow focus, not feature parity. No productivity, cost, safety, or error-reduction percentage is claimed without a controlled pilot. PipeForge is not presented as engineering software or as a replacement for the project system of record. External PCF acceptance remains a formal pilot gate.