Building a country house yourself always involves a long list of tasks, from the foundation to the smallest details. When it was time to install the water supply, I had to figure out the piping layout. The water enters from a well, and the system needs automation and a water heater — all of it has to be arranged neatly and connected with pipes.
I took the measurements, and already had a picture in my head of how everything should be connected. All that was left was to find a design tool. I searched online, but could not find anything suitable and simple: either heavy CAD systems with a long learning curve, paid services, or tools that simply did not do what I needed.
I am both a plumber and a programmer, so I solved the problem my own way: I wrote a small online application — a 3D pipeline editor.
Video: the country-house water supply layout in 55 seconds
The entire process, from taking measurements to soldering the pipes and getting the final result, is shown in this short video:
How I designed the piping layout
First, I added the existing components to the editor: the pipes and fittings that had already been installed at the country house. The distance-to-walls display was especially useful here, allowing me to position everything according to the measurements.
Then I built the actual project. I selected fittings from the catalog and dragged them onto the scene. The editor supports port snapping, so the parts automatically snap together along the axis. The catalog tag filter makes it easy to find the required diameter or fitting type: elbow, tee, coupling, or reducer.
Creating pipes is very convenient: simply drag from a fitting port, and the pipe follows the cursor.
Print the project — then head to the garage
Once the project is ready, I turn on the pipe-length display and print it out. Since the port positions already account for how far the pipe enters each fitting, all that remains is to cut the pipes to the lengths listed in the bill of materials and solder them together.
I export the bill of materials separately. It lists all fittings and pipes along with their quantities, making it easy to purchase the materials.
Then it is time for the garage: cutting the pipes, soldering, and assembly. In the end, everything turned out exactly as planned — the piping layout fit into place on the first attempt.
Why this works
The main advantage of a 3D project over trying to visualize everything in your head is precision. You can see the entire system in three dimensions, check that all the outlets face the right way, make sure nothing intersects, and calculate pipe lengths while accounting for how far they enter the fittings. Errors are caught before you buy the pipes and start soldering.
Give it a try — the 3D pipeline editor is free and works directly in your browser. If you have any questions or ideas for improvements, join the discussion — the chat link is available on the editor's home page.