Expanding Design and Integration Capabilities in the Latest Renga Release
Renga team is thrilled to announce the release of the long-awaited new Renga Standard and Renga Professional versions, featuring a number of improvements: the ability to create insulation for pipe fittings and accessories, duct fittings and accessories; enhanced tools for working with groups of objects in 3D models and assemblies; new 'Regroup' command; the ability to Paste Link to DWG/DXF into the model and assembly space; improved API capabilities; and much more.
Read more on the latest Renga Standard and Renga Professional release further down.
Creating insulation for pipe fittings, duct fittings and accessories
We are happy to introduce a long-awaited and unique capability: the ability to create multi-layer insulation for pipe fittings and accessories, as well as for duct fittings and accessories. This new feature would be especially valuable for structural engineers and process engineers, as it allows to insulate all route elements, significantly simplifying schedules generation to track material consumption in a project. No more wasting time searching for alternative ways to create insulation for structural elements— you can use new command created specifically for this task.
To add insulation to fittings and accessories, simply select a multi-layer insulation material in the Parameters panel of the fitting or accessory. You can assign insulation when creating or editing fittings or accessories via schedules. Thanks to the program’s minimalist design, you can easily figure out how to create the required multi-layer material for insulation.
Figure 1a. Creating an insulation layer for pipe accessories
Figure 1b. Creating an insulation layer for pipe fittings
For a more detailed overview watch the video on VK and RuTube.
Managing objects of models, assemblies and drawings. Grouping 3D model and assembly objects
Renga team keeps on developing the tools for managing objects: we expanded the functionality of 'Group' and 'Ungroup' commands to include objects in 3D view and assemblies. It is now possible to group not only individual objects, but also existing groups.
Let’s look at how this functionality works using the example of engineering project. Imagine that you need to change the position of No. 2 receiver in a treatment plant (see video). In previous versions of Renga Standard and Renga Professional, when moving imported equipment models with routes connected to routing points, the object itself would move, but the routing points would remain in place. This created clashes in projects. To move an object along with its route connections, users had to manually select the unit and each routing point, which was extremely inconvenient, especially in large projects (Fig. 2a).
Figure 2a. One-by-one selecting of objects — the unit and each routing point
We resolved this issue in the new versions of Renga Standard and Renga Professional. You can now group routing points together with a required element into a single group using the 'Group' command. This makes it possible to move equipment models without breaking their links to associated pipeline routes. If you need to modify only a specific element within an existing group, simply ungroup it and adjust the required elements. You can then restore the group with a single click using the 'Regroup' command (see below). This approach significantly speeds up workflows and makes the design process more flexible and convenient.
Figure 2b. Grouping objects
For a more detailed overview watch the video on VK, RuTube.
Regrouping objects in drawings and models
As part of the continued development of group-related functionality, we added a new 'Regroup' command. It enables convenient editing of objects that belong to existing groups in drawings and 3D view.
To regroup objects, you first need to ungroup them. Then select the required element that previously belonged to the group and make the necessary adjustments. After that, apply 'Regroup' command via the Primary panel or by using Ctrl + Shift + J shortcut (see video).
For a more detailed overview watch the video on VK, RuTube.
Managing group properties
The main purpose of grouping is to combine multiple objects into a single group so they can be selected simultaneously and, for example, duplicated within a project. As an example, let's consider a connection node for fastening a metal column to a foundation, which consists of a group of two components: the column itself and the connection element (see Fig. 3). To make group workflows more convenient, we implemented the ability to assign additional properties to a group. These properties allow you to add specific notes or comments for colleagues. To do this, go to the 'Manage Styles' tab, and add the required property to the 'Groups' object type in the 'Object Properties' section, then enter the necessary information into that property (Fig. 3). You can use these properties later in filters for the 'Groups' object type.
Figure 3. Adding property to a group
Groups can also be included in schedules and exported to CSV format.
Pasting links to DWG/DXF files into model and assembly space
We continue to enhance the 'Paste link' capabilities for external file formats. Latest Renga release comes with the ability to paste links to DWG and DXF files into assembly space. This allows you to successfully use existing design assets and automatically display all changes directly in the model.
How can this be applied in practice? Let's consider specialists of adjacent construction disciplines developing a detailed support drawing in DWG format. During the design process, this support drawing is likely to change. Team members may need to create a simplified model of this support in Renga to account for its dimensions within the overall model.
Support is an assembly unit. If one of the team members pastes a link to the support drawing into the assembly, they will always have up-to-date dimensions available for modeling.
Without this functionality, they would have to manually paste the DWG drawing into the model, monitor whether colleagues have made changes to the file, and repeatedly unload the updated drawing into Renga. This increases the risk of missing updates and making modeling errors if changes are overlooked.
Figure 4. Step-by-step process of pasting link to DWG into an assembly
We are also happy to introduce a new capability for pasting links to DWG and DXF files directly into the model space. The idea is exactly the same as when pasting links into assembly space. How can this be applied in practice? For example, you have developed a standard floor plan of a building in DWG format, but expect further revisions. To save time, you can paste link to the existing floor plan and begin designing the model right away. As the project progresses, you can update the link to the file while continuing to refine the model, taking into account any changes made.
For a more detailed overview watch the video on VK, RuTube.
Creating additional scales for views, axonometric views, objects, and dimensions in drawings
We always strive to listen to our users' feedback, that's why we've implemented the ability to create custom scales in the latest Renga release. You can now set any convenient scale without losing proportions. This functionality will help solving more specific, specialized tasks. For example, if you need to prepare a set of drawings for delivery in A4 format, including plans and sections, you may need to fit several drawings into A4 format. . New custom scales functionality makes it much easier to arrange the required drawings on a sheet.
Figure 5a. Step-by-step scaling of views in a drawing
Figure 5b. Step-by-step scaling of views in a drawing
Displaying context menu without changing the current selection
After selecting objects, users typically open the context menu with a right-click to perform further actions. If cursor is positioned directly over one of the previously selected elements, the context menu applies to those objects. However, if cursor is outside the selected set, the selection gets cleared (Fig. 6a). This behavior can be labour-consuming, especially when working with small details such as reinforcement elements, where selecting a specific item among many similar objects is difficult.
Figure 6a. Context menu outside the selection area in the previous Renga version: example of isolated foundation reinforcement
Right-clicking with the Ctrl key displays the context menu for the currently selected items without changing their selection in the latest Renga version (Fig. 6b)..
Figure 6b. Context menu outside the selection area in the latest Renga version: example of an isolated foundation reinforcement
Enhancing the API: Renga development team has completed the task of implementing all structural elements via API and begins developing API for MEP system objects and drawing objects
It is now possible to create and edit beams and model lines, and modify their position within project via the API. This marks the completion of a major milestone: full implementation of all structural elements through the API. As a result, you now have comprehensive access to API tools for creating any type of structure.
We have also optimized the algorithms for obtaining model objects, significantly improving performance when working on large-scale projects. Thanks to these improvements, all operations involving Renga object models are now executed much faster.
Overall, working on projects has become even more convenient. Our team has also added new functions to initiate operations within projects: you can now start operations directly from the project interface via the API, call commands from other connected modules, and enable interaction between plugins—meaning one plugin can now invoke commands from another.
Users can now control how text is displayed for all types of buttons that can be embedded into the Primary panel and the action panel, providing greater flexibility when customizing user interfaces.
We started a major effort to further develop the API for MEP system objects. New Renga release allows to create various types of equipment, including sanitary and ventilation systems, as well as obtain insulation data. This helps ensure more accurate accounting of pipeline and system element parameters, improving both design precision and calculations.
In addition to expanding the API for MEP system objects, we've started working on extending API functionality for drawing objects. This update introduces the ability to link project objects with reference drawings, as well as to modify the position of these reference drawings and images within drawings. Such linking ensures that project objects are updated automatically when the corresponding elements in the reference drawings are repositioned.
Download our full trial version of Renga right now and experience all tools and functionality that will lead you to improved project outcomes.
By Daria Kolymberger and Elizaveta Tenyatova, Renga Software marketing managers..