Aveva E3d 2.1 -
Creating or modifying a piping specification (Specon) in 2.1 requires a deep understanding of the underlying catalog structure. There is very little GUI hand-holding. Expect to spend days training a dedicated administrator just to manage bolt lengths and gasket thicknesses.
Even with a model containing tens of thousands of objects, panning, zooming, and view regeneration in 2.1 remained surprisingly snappy on standard workstation hardware (tested with an i7, 32GB RAM, and a Quadro P2200). The LOD (Level of Detail) management is robust. aveva e3d 2.1
Unlike later versions of E3D (2.2+) or the new E3D Design, version 2.1 lacks native cloud collaboration tools. If you have remote teams, you still rely on traditional database locking, which leads to "reservation clashes." Performance & Stability Generally stable. Crashes are rare if you have certified graphics drivers. However, I did experience occasional corruption of the user session file ( .uds ), requiring a manual delete from the temp folder. Auto-save recovery is present, but not as forgiving as modern software like Revit. Verdict AVEVA E3D 2.1 is a safe, reliable workhorse. It doesn't try to innovate in ways that break your workflow. If your company lives in PDMS but wants better 3D visuals and a less rigid modeling experience, this is the perfect upgrade. Creating or modifying a piping specification (Specon) in 2
, if you are a small EPC or a new user without dedicated admin support, the steep learning curve for spec management and drawlists may push you toward more modern, less hierarchical tools. Even with a model containing tens of thousands
Rating: 4.2/5 Best for: Mid-to-large scale EPCs in Oil & Gas, Power, and Marine industries. Overview AVEVA E3D 2.1 sits in an interesting period of the software’s lifecycle. It is mature enough to have ironed out the early bugs of the initial 2.0 release, yet it predates the heavy cloud and collaboration pushes of later versions. For teams migrating from the legacy PDMS (Plant Design Management System), version 2.1 represents a stable, graphical improvement that maintains backward compatibility while offering a modernized interface. What’s Good (The Pros) 1. The Graphical Leap from PDMS The most immediate difference is the graphics engine. Compared to PDMS, E3D 2.1 is night and day. The DirectX-based rendering allows for realistic lighting, shadows, and textures. Navigating a densely packed pipe rack feels less like a wireframe maze and more like a real plant. Clash detection is visually intuitive thanks to real-time highlighting.
Version 2.1 handles both parametric primitives (PDMS-style) and direct 2D/3D sketch-based modeling well. For structural steel modifications or creating custom equipment nozzles, the ability to sketch and extrude directly within the 3D view saves significant time.