Size based display of piping systems

1. A method for generating a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of a utility network performed by a computer system programmed to generate the CAD drawing by executing a CAD application, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user-input device, a command to add a component to the CAD drawing, wherein a representation of the CAD drawing is displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the CAD application executing on the computer system;

selecting, by the CAD application without requiring a user to redraft the CAD drawing, a first display representation to use in rendering a display of the component when a size associated with the component is greater than a user-specified size setting;

selecting, by the CAD application without requiring the user to redraft the CAD drawing, a second display representation to use in rendering the display of the component when the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting;

parsing, by the CAD application, the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is greater than the user-specified size setting;

displaying, by the CAD application, the component on a display screen using the first display representation;

receiving a modification that modifies either the user-specified size setting or the size associated with the component;

in response to receiving the modification, parsing, by the CAD application, the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting; and

displaying, by the CAD application, the component on the display screen using the second display representation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first display representation is a 2-line representation and conveys an actual physical size, shape, and position of the component, according to a scaled size specified for the CAD drawing.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display representation is a 1-line representation and conveys an end-to-end size and a physical shape of the component using a single line.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second display representation is a graphical 1-line representation and conveys a generalized routing and position of the component in the CAD drawing.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the graphical 1-line representations further conveys a representation of an inline element of the component, rendered at a user-specified size.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the utility network comprises a pipe network, electrical network, communications network, or HVAC network.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the size associated with the component is a diameter of the component.

8. A computer-readable storage medium, excluding a signal bearing medium, storing instructions for generating a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of a utility network, including the steps of:

receiving, from a user-input device, a command to add a component to the CAD drawing, wherein a representation of the CAD drawing is displayed in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a CAD application executing on a computer system;

selecting, by the CAD application without requiring a user to redraft the CAD drawing, a first display representation to use in rendering a display of the component when a size associated with the component is greater than a user-specified size setting;

selecting, by the CAD application without requiring a user to redraft the CAD drawing, a second display representation to use in rendering the display of the component when the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting;

parsing, by the CAD application, the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is greater than the user-specified size setting;

displaying, by the CAD application, the component on a display screen using the first display representation;

receiving a modification that modifies either the user-specified size setting or the size associated with the component;

in response to receiving the modification, parsing, by the CAD application, the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting; and

displaying, by the CAD application, the component on the display screen using the second display representation.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first display representation is a 2-line representation and conveys an actual physical size, shape, and position of the component, according to a scaled size specified for the CAD drawing.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the second display representation is a 1-line representation and conveys an end-to-end size and a physical shape of the component using a single line.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the second display representation is a graphical 1-line representation and conveys a generalized routing and position of the component in the CAD drawing.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the graphical 1-line representations further conveys a representation of an inline element of the component, rendered at a user-specified size.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the utility network comprises a pipe network, electrical network, communications network, or HVAC network.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the size associated with the component is a diameter of the component.

15. A computing device comprising:

a processing unit; and

a memory that includes instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to perform operations for generating a computer-aided design (CAD) drawing of a utility network, including the steps of:

receiving from a user-input device a command to add a component to the CAD drawing;

selecting without requiring a user to redraft the CAD drawing a first display representation to use in rendering a display of the component when a size associated with the component is greater than a user-specified size setting;

selecting without requiring a user to redraft the CAD drawing a second display representation to use in rendering the display of the component when the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting;

parsing the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is greater than the user-specified size setting;

displaying the component on a display screen using the first display representation;

receiving a modification that modifies either the user-specified size setting or the size associated with the component;

in response to receiving the modification, parsing the CAD drawing to determine that the size associated with the component is less than the user-specified size setting; and

displaying the component on the display screen using the second display representation.

16. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the first display representation is a 2-line representation and conveys an actual physical size, shape, and position of the component, according to a scaled size specified for the CAD drawing.

17. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the second display representation is a 1-line representation and conveys an end-to-end size and a physical shape of the component using a single line.

18. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the second display representation is a graphical 1-line representation and conveys a generalized routing and position of the component in the CAD drawing.

19. The computing device of claim 18 , wherein the graphical 1-line representations further conveys a representation of an inline element of the component, rendered at a user-specified size.

20. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the utility network comprises a pipe network, electrical network, communications network, or HVAC network.

21. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the size associated with the component is a diameter of the component.