About Disciplines and System Classes

Explains the concept of LINEAR disciplines and LINEAR system classes in the context of pipes, ducts and components.

Disciplines

Disciplines are the highest organizational elements in the program structure: examples are heating, cooling, waste water, potable water, ventilation or void planning.

Disciplines fulfill the following tasks:

  • provision of the appropriate functions in the construction tab
  • provision of the appropriate views in the project tab
  • provision of the appropriate system classes in the construction tab
  • provision of the appropriate libraries in the library tab
  • visibility control of pipes, ducts, components and architecture in the model

System classes

System classes serve to classify pipes, ducts and components. Examples are supply, return, cold water, hot water, circulation, extract and supply air.

Together with the discipline, they perform the following tasks:
  • visibility control of pipes and ducts (switchable according to system classes)
  • coloring of pipes and ducts
  • calculability of pipe and duct networks

Example: In order to determine whether a pipe is a cold or hot water pipe requiring different dimensioning criteria, the system class is used.

Application

In order to specify pipes, ducts and components, to which disciplines and system classes they belong, select the discipline and the desired system class before using the construction commands.

Background information

The Revit concept of the system types is used in the background. A system type is created for each combination of discipline and system class. Example: A system type with the name C_Supply is generated from the cooling discipline and the sypply system class for the supply of a cooling system. This is then assigned to the pipes created during construction. The components take this information from the pipes and ducts and are therefore also assigned to disciplines and system classes.

Note:

There is a risk of confusion between the Revit system classes and the LINEAR system classes as well as between the Revit disciplines and the LINEAR disciplines.