Hangers & seismic bracing
Hangers and bracing can be placed one at a time or generated across the whole system, and the Studio shows you the numbers behind them rather than just drawing hardware.
| What | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|
| Hanger tool | 5 or H, or the SUPPLY toolbar group |
| Generate / normalise | Auto → Generate Missing Hangers · Normalize Hangers |
| Hanger settings | Side panel → Hangers tab |
| Bracing | Side panel → Seismic tab |
| Overlays | View → Seismic Zones of Influence · Pipe Weight Heat Map · Hanger Point Loads |
| Insert dimensions | Auto → Dimension Hanger Inserts |
Hangers
- Press 5 (or H) and click a pipe to place one.
- Right-click a pipe → Place Hanger on Pipe does the same from the pipe's own menu.
- Auto → Generate Missing Hangers fills the whole system at NFPA spacing.
- Auto → Normalize Hangers tidies an existing set back onto proper spacing.
- The Hangers pill in PIPE ADD-ONS generates them as you draw. Off by default, because bare pipe draws faster — backfill later.
Hangers drag with a live preview, and their grab behaviour is the reference the rest of the program copies.
The obstruction rules
Two NFPA rules drive most of what the Studio flags around hangers and structure:
- The 18-inch rule — a member more than 18" below the deflector is exempt, for members up to four feet wide.
- The 3× rule — for a member the head must clear, the required horizontal distance is three times the member's dimension, capped at 24" or 36" for horizontal members per NFPA 13 10.2.8.3.1.4(A). Columns are not capped. Right-click offers Three Times Rule (standard spray) and Four Times Rule (EC / residential) where the head type calls for it.
The spray umbrella panel explains, in plain language, both the violations and the passes — so you can see why a head cleared as well as why one did not.
Seismic bracing
The Seismic tab generates cross-main sway braces and branch-line restraints, and each brace carries live calculations rather than being a symbol. Turn on the Bracing pill in PIPE ADD-ONS to have braces generate on qualifying mains as you draw — it is the same switch as the panel's.
Three overlays on the View menu make the design readable:
- Seismic Zones of Influence — what each brace actually covers.
- Pipe Weight Heat Map — where the load is.
- Hanger Point Loads — the load at each attachment.
Tools → Seismic Bracing Overlays… gives finer control over all three.
Getting it onto the drawing
Auto → Dimension Hanger Inserts dimensions the insert locations for the field, and the Hanger Insert Plan layer view mode (View → Layer View Modes) shows just what that sheet needs.