Effective design documentation is essential for safe, efficient, and compliant plant operations in today’s digitalized and highly competitive engineering landscape. AVEVA P&ID, a critical component of the AVEVA Plant suite, plays a pivotal role in enabling engineers and designers to create intelligent, standards-driven Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs). These diagrams are not just symbolic representations; they are smart, data-rich blueprints that drive the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) lifecycle of industrial plants.
In this comprehensive article by Multisoft Systems, we explore the AVEVA P&ID user training and its software from a user perspective, covering its features, applications, benefits, real-world use cases, and the learning path for mastering this powerful tool.
What is AVEVA P&ID?
AVEVA P&ID is a software solution developed by AVEVA, tailored for creating intelligent piping and instrumentation diagrams. These diagrams are foundational to engineering workflows in process plants, power plants, oil and gas facilities, and other heavy industrial domains. The software allows engineers to capture and manage the functional and design intent of process plants in a schematic format, offering a rich, data-driven representation of the piping systems and associated instrumentation.
Unlike traditional drafting tools, AVEVA P&ID offers rule-based design, intelligent object modeling, and integration with enterprise systems and downstream engineering tools such as AVEVA E3D, AVEVA Instrumentation, and AVEVA Engineering.
Key Features of AVEVA P&ID (User)
From the user’s perspective, AVEVA P&ID provides a host of capabilities that enhance productivity, design accuracy, and team collaboration:
1. Smart Object Modeling
Each element in the P&ID—pipes, valves, instruments, nozzles, etc.—is modeled as an intelligent object containing metadata such as specification, tag number, material, and process data. This enables advanced validation and integration with other tools.
2. Design Consistency through Rules
The built-in rule-based framework helps maintain consistency in design. For example, if a valve is assigned a certain pressure rating, the software can alert the user if a mismatch occurs downstream.
3. Integration with AVEVA Engineering & 3D Tools
The data-rich P&IDs created in AVEVA P&ID can be seamlessly integrated with AVEVA E3D and AVEVA Instrumentation, allowing consistent data flow from schematic design to 3D modeling and instrumentation.
4. Standards Compliance
The software supports both industry and company-specific standards, including ISO, ANSI, DIN, and others. This is essential for compliance and regulatory auditing.
5. Revision Control and Versioning
Users can track revisions, compare versions, and manage change orders efficiently, making collaboration across design teams and departments seamless.
6. User-friendly Interface
Built on a Microsoft Windows platform, the software offers an intuitive interface with familiar drawing tools, drag-and-drop libraries, and customizable menus.
User Workflow in AVEVA P&ID
The user workflow in AVEVA P&ID is designed to streamline the process of creating intelligent piping and instrumentation diagrams with accuracy and efficiency. It begins with project setup, where users configure standards, symbol libraries, and rules according to organizational requirements. Next, the user creates the P&ID using intuitive drag-and-drop tools to place equipment, pipelines, valves, and instruments, which are automatically recognized and linked through intelligent object modeling. Each component is assigned properties such as tag numbers, specifications, and operational data. Users can easily input and manage data through property sheets, ensuring consistency and completeness across the diagram. Throughout the design process, AVEVA P&ID User online training performs rule-based validation checks to flag inconsistencies or errors, allowing users to correct them in real time. Once the design is validated, users can publish the P&ID and generate reports such as equipment lists, line lists, and instrument indexes. The data from the diagram can also be seamlessly integrated with other AVEVA tools, such as AVEVA E3D and AVEVA Instrumentation, supporting collaboration across disciplines. This integrated workflow not only improves productivity but also ensures data consistency throughout the plant design lifecycle, making it easier for teams to manage changes, maintain quality, and deliver projects on time.
Benefits of Using AVEVA P&ID
Adopting AVEVA P&ID offers tangible benefits that enhance the efficiency and accuracy of plant design projects.
- With real-time validation, rule checking, and intelligent object management, the chance of human error is significantly reduced.
- Since the data model is shared across departments, inconsistencies between P&ID and 3D modeling are minimized, leading to fewer redesigns.
- The automation of routine tasks such as tagging, spec validation, and report generation accelerates project delivery.
- Multi-disciplinary teams can work on a unified data model, ensuring that changes in one domain are reflected across all relevant documents and models.
- The software’s adherence to global standards simplifies the process of auditing, quality assurance, and documentation for authorities and clients.
Industry Applications
AVEVA P&ID is used extensively across multiple industries:
- Oil & Gas: For designing process flow diagrams and ensuring safety in refinery operations.
- Power Generation: For managing steam and electrical flow within power plants.
- Pharmaceuticals: For compliance-centric design of cleanrooms and regulated environments.
- Chemical Processing: For managing complex process loops and material flow systems.
- Food & Beverage: For ensuring sanitary design in process and packaging plants.
Working with Project Templates in AVEVA P&ID
In AVEVA P&ID, project templates serve as standardized starting points that streamline the creation of new P&ID projects. These templates define the foundational structure of a project, including symbol libraries, drawing standards, title blocks, default tags, design rules, and attribute configurations. By working with project templates, users ensure consistency across all diagrams within a project, reduce setup time, and enforce company or industry standards.
When a user starts a new project, they can select a predefined template that aligns with their industry requirements—whether it's ISO, ANSI, DIN, or a custom corporate standard. The template also includes predefined layers, line types, color schemes, and specifications that control how components behave and appear. Using templates significantly improves productivity, especially in large projects involving multiple teams. It ensures that everyone works within the same framework, preventing inconsistencies and simplifying downstream processes such as report generation, 3D model integration, and change management.
Moreover, organizations can create custom templates tailored to specific clients or project types, making AVEVA P&ID a flexible tool for diverse engineering needs. In summary, mastering project templates is essential for any AVEVA P&ID user certification aiming to deliver efficient, standardized, and high-quality P&ID designs.
Exporting Data to AVEVA Engineering and E3D
One of the key strengths of AVEVA P&ID lies in its seamless integration with other AVEVA solutions, particularly AVEVA Engineering and AVEVA Everything 3D (E3D). This integration allows users to export intelligent schematic data directly from P&ID to downstream applications, enabling a consistent and unified data flow across the plant design lifecycle. When exporting data to AVEVA Engineering, users can transfer functional and design data—such as line lists, equipment tags, instrument indexes, and process parameters—into a shared engineering database. This ensures that all disciplines (e.g., process, piping, instrumentation) work from a single source of truth, improving collaboration and reducing duplication of effort. For AVEVA E3D, the export function allows the schematic data (from AVEVA P&ID) to serve as the foundation for 3D model creation. Designers can use the exported data to auto-route pipelines, position equipment, and ensure spatial coordination in the 3D environment. This results in faster 3D modeling, fewer design clashes, and easier validation against the original process intent.
Overall, exporting data from AVEVA P&ID to AVEVA Engineering and E3D is a vital step in achieving integrated digital plant design, enhancing accuracy, traceability, and project efficiency.
Certification and Career Benefits
Earning a AVEVA P&ID (User) certification opens career opportunities in the design and engineering domains of major industries. Certified professionals are preferred for:
- P&ID design roles in EPC firms
- Instrumentation and controls design
- Process engineering documentation
- Smart plant integration teams
Additionally, the ability to work across integrated AVEVA platforms adds long-term value to one’s career in digital plant design.
AVEVA P&ID vs Traditional CAD Tools
When comparing AVEVA P&ID to traditional CAD tools like AutoCAD, the difference lies in intelligence, efficiency, and integration. Traditional CAD tools are primarily drafting platforms that rely heavily on manual input, lacking the built-in logic and validation features required for modern plant design. Every component—be it a valve, pipeline, or instrument—must be drawn and labeled manually, increasing the risk of inconsistencies and human errors. In contrast, AVEVA P&ID uses smart object modeling, allowing users to insert intelligent components that carry metadata such as size, material, pressure rating, and tag numbers. This intelligence enables real-time rule-based checks to ensure design accuracy and compliance with industry standards. Furthermore, AVEVA P&ID offers seamless integration with other AVEVA tools like AVEVA E3D and AVEVA Instrumentation, ensuring that data flows consistently from schematic to 3D modeling and procurement stages. It also includes built-in revision control, automatic report generation, and compliance validation, which are either absent or cumbersome in traditional CAD systems. Ultimately, while traditional CAD tools can handle basic drafting, AVEVA P&ID elevates the process to a data-centric, collaborative environment ideal for complex and large-scale industrial projects, resulting in fewer errors, faster workflows, and better project outcomes.
Challenges Faced by New Users
While AVEVA P&ID is powerful, users may initially face challenges such as:
- Learning curve due to feature-rich environment
- Adapting to rule-based design compared to freeform CAD
- Need for understanding P&ID standards and symbology
However, with proper training and hands-on practice, users typically become proficient in a few weeks.
Conclusion
AVEVA P&ID empowers users to create intelligent, standards-compliant schematics that are vital for the successful design, construction, and operation of industrial plants. For engineers, designers, and drafters, mastering this tool translates to fewer errors, faster projects, and better collaboration across teams.
Whether you're in oil and gas, energy, pharmaceuticals, or manufacturing, AVEVA P&ID is more than just a drawing tool—it’s a strategic asset that drives plant performance, safety, and compliance. Enroll in Multisoft Systems now!