DESIGN AND PRODUCTION SUPPORTING SYSTEM FOR COMPONENT ARRANGEMENT AND PIPE ROUTING

A design and production supporting system for component arrangement and routing comprises a three-dimensional (3-D) component mapping means based on two-dimensional logical connection information of plant components and 3-D arrangement space information. To the 3-D component mapping means, an interactive mapping means and an automatic mapping means are provided. The interactive mapping means has a means for displaying the components arranged on the assigned plane of the arrangement space in the 3-D space keeping connection relationship among the components and a means for interactively moving these components in the arrangement space with keeping connection relationship among the components by using the dragging method. The automatic mapping means has a means for distinguishing the arranged spaces from the non-arranged spaces and arranging the components on the non-arranged spaces, and a means for searching the shortest route of pipes, etc., for the arranged components.