Irrigation design is a uniquely demanding and precise science. A software that can accommodate this rigorous engineering process isn’t just helpful – it’s imperative. Simplify your process for even the most complex designs using Irrigation F/X – a comprehensive irrigation design plugin for AutoCAD.

Spec Your pipe

Select a pipe class for your part of the world. Specify your lateral and mainline pipe categories from a dialog box in AutoCAD. You have complete control over stats like maximum flow velocity, pressure variation factor, and minimum pipe size. All data for your laterals and mainline will be automatically built into the pipe as your draw it.

Draw your pipe

Click a button, and draw a line to draw your pipe. Our piping tools are designed to “grab onto” heads, valves, and other irrigation equipment you’ve placed in your drawing.

Size your pipe

Instant sizing is the coup de grâce of our piping system. Just click a button and size your mainline or laterals. Pipe size callouts are added automatically.

Check for errors

Automatic pipe sizing is incredible, but automatic error checking is indispensable. Our Verify Laterals and Verify Mainline tools ensure that you’ve drawn, sized, and called out your pipes correctly.

Irrigation equipment symbols

Your installation includes an almost staggering number of irrigation symbols we’ve created for your use. Don’t see a symbol style you like? You’re free to use yours. Add your symbols to our library of symbol families, and place them as blocks from an AutoCAD dialog box.

Valve and pipe callouts

Call out your valves and pipes in a way that meets your standards. Our valve callouts and pipe labels are fully customizable – just open the source drawing, make your changes, and save. Or choose from a variety of default valve callout styles.

Schedules

Inventory your project equipment to your exact preferences, including as much – or as little – information as you want. Place a schedule directly in your drawings or in table format – or send it to a spreadsheet to edit to your liking.

Text styles

Our default system of Text Styles makes it easy to apply your standards to text in your drawings –like irrigation schedule and callout text. Customize fonts, point sizes, widths, and more.

Layers & colors

We give you complete control over the names, colors, linetypes, and lineweights of your AutoCAD layers. You can also customize all 255 colors used by AutoCAD as index colors for plotting. Edit each color to your standards, and you’ll draw and plot exactly the way you want.

Direct catalog access

Connect directly to each participating manufacturer’s catalog. No more flipping through paper catalogs, digging for the exact head you need – not to mention sifting through all the myriad options available for each piece of equipment. Just a few clicks, and you’re ready to start laying your spray or drip irrigation system. Design software that makes equipment specification this easy isn’t just valuable – it’s necessary.

Select an emitter type

Choose from a variety of emitter categories to start building your schematic zone. We’ve front-loaded each of our schematic categories with a distinct hatch color to represent that equipment in your schematic design.

Place your zones

Draw the areas where you plan to have coverage from the emitter type you selected. The software will instantly calculate and place an estimated flow rate for each zone, based on the square footage as well as the default pressure and precip rates we’ve assigned to that emitter type. Create as many zones for as many emitter types as you think you’ll use.

Edit the schematic categories, or create new ones

Need to tweak the precip and pressure rates for a given schematic zone? No problem. Just click a button and edit it. You can even add an estimated cost per square foot or meter for each zone. Don’t see the equipment you need? Just create a new category.

Instantly catalog your schematic drawing

You can place an inventory of your schematic zones just as you would for specific equipment. Just run an Irrigation Schedule and select the option for Schematic Areas. Include as much or little information as you want.

Your Schematic Schedule will list and describe all your schematic zones in detail, with color-coded hatch symbols for each schematic category you’ve used. It’s a quick and easy way to show your design intent and make any necessary changes before you start laying out your system.

Irrigation F/X is an AutoCAD plugin. That means you won’t have to learn a whole new software platform to take advantage of our irrigation design features. We essentially open up AutoCAD and drop in a new set of tools geared toward your profession. So although you’ll have some new tools and techniques to learn, you won’t have to start over. In fact, many of our tools incorporate some native AutoCAD features, essentially transforming AutoCAD into irrigation CAD software.

Just think of it as the most helpful upgrade of your existing AutoCAD platform that you can possibly imagine.

Laying pipe is as simple as drawing a polyline – except the pipe automatically grabs onto equipment.

Placing equipment is just placing a block – except it’s automatically embedded with manufacturer information and performance data.

Throw in instant scheduling, callouts, error checking, and pipe sizing – not to mention our details, planting, site amenity, and hardscape design capabilities – and you’ve got all the tools you can possibly need to design a site. And it’s all built right into your familiar CAD environment.

We don’t make AutoCAD any more complicated; we just enhance it with automatic calculations, error checking, “smart” blocks, and other tools that make your job easier, ensure accuracy, and save you inestimable amounts of time.