Altivo Blog
How to design long sections, export clean DXF and stop losing hours on hand drafting.
Underground cable long section — power and telecom cable routes
How to draw the longitudinal profile of a buried power or telecom cable route: minimum burial depth by voltage class, crossings, protective ducting, warning tape and a DXF export — in the browser, no CAD.
District heating long section — preinsulated pipe in profile
How to draw the longitudinal profile of a district heating network with preinsulated bonded pipe: two diameters (carrier and casing), cover to the casing crown, leak detection, crossings, the profile table and a DXF and IFC export — in the browser, no CAD.
Water main long section to DXF — step by step
How to draw a water main longitudinal profile: minimum cover vs frost depth, pipe centreline levels, valves and hydrants, crossings, the profile table and a clean dual-scale DXF export — in the browser, no CAD.
What is IFC, and how to export a utility network to BIM (3D model)
IFC is the open exchange format for BIM models. We explain what it is, why utility designers need it, and how to export your network from Altivo as a georeferenced IFC and 3D DXF.
Minimum sewer slope (gradient) by pipe size: the 1-in-DN table
Minimum gradient per DN for gravity public sewers using the 1-in-DN rule (Maguire’s Rule) — as a 1:DN ratio, % and mm/m. How it differs from UK 1:40/1:80 private-drainage falls and from self-cleansing velocity (EN 752).
How to draw a pipe long section (plan & profile) without building it in Civil 3D
Generate a utility long section — plan and profile, or "profile view" in Civil 3D — straight from your data, then finish the sheet in CAD: title block, revisions, annotations. A faster split of the work, not a CAD replacement.
Crossings and objects on the profile — how to add and edit them
Step by step: how to place utility crossings and objects (manholes, roads, buildings) on a long-section profile in Altivo, how to edit their parameters and how to delete them.
Online long section profile software — from data to DXF
How to prepare a utility long section in the browser: input data, levels, gradients, stationing, crossings, the profile table and DXF export for further CAD work.
Gravity sewer gradients in the UK: minimum and maximum slopes — BS EN 752 and Sewerage Sector Guidance
How to choose the slope of a gravity sewer in the UK: self-cleansing velocity, the 1/DN rule of thumb, minimum and maximum gradients, and which framework applies (BS EN 752 and the sewerage undertaker's DCG for public sewers; Building Regulations Part H for building drainage).
How to read a utility long section (longitudinal profile)
A practical guide to the long section of a water, sewer or gas network: ground line, pipe invert, gradients, stationing, the profile table and what a reviewer checks.
Sewer long section to DXF — step by step
From field coordinates to a CAD-ready longitudinal profile of a gravity sewer. A concrete walkthrough: import, gradients, manholes, drop connections, dual-scale DXF export.
Welcome to Altivo — designing networks has never been simpler
The first version of Altivo is here. Find out what you can do in our app today and how we plan to grow the toolkit for engineers.