How to use Speckle for Plant 3D

Step-by-step guide for publishing Plant 3D models to Speckle

Speckle currently supports versions: . The connector works on only.

Setup

1. Install the connector

   Install your connector
2. Open the Plant 3D connector

   1. In Plant 3D, select the Speckle tab in the ribbon.
   2. Select Speckle to open the Plant 3D connector.

   3. Select Sign in if you haven’t linked your Speckle account.
      

Why is the Speckle plugin not showing up after I installed the connector?

1. Make sure your version of is one of the supported versions.
2. Uninstall and reinstall your connector.

Note: Make sure you are not selecting Run as administrator when installing - this will install for the administrator user, and not your own user. Instead, double-click the .exe or right-clicking and then selecting Open to run the installer. Installation issues can also be caused by conflicting plugins.

If you’re still experiencing problems, please report it in our Community Forum and include the following information:

• Your application version
• Your Speckle connector version

What should I do if the plugin UI is empty or unresponsive, or if my application crashes?

If your connector window is floating, try docking it to your application to fix blank UI issues. For major issues, you can sometimes find a log file in your directory at AppData\Roaming\Speckle\Logs. Please report your problem in our Community Forum and include the following information: - Your application version - Your Speckle connector version - A copy of the log

Why can't I add a new account?

This can happen if our desktop service isn’t running. Desktop Service is used for authenticating new accounts. If it’s not running, search for Speckle Desktop Services in Windows search and run it.

How do I uninstall my connector?

All Speckle connectors are installed like any other program. You can uninstall them directly from your system’s Applications. For a full uninstall, you should also remove Speckle Desktop Services as well as your Speckle connector.

How do I update my connector to the latest version?

You can always download the latest version of the connector in the web app. If a new version of the connector is available, you will also see a notification in your connector UI.

Publishing a Model

1. Select Publish

   
2. Choose a project

   • Select an existing project - or select New Project to create one

   
3. Choose a model

   • Select an existing model - or select New Model to create one

   
4. Select objects to publish

   1. In your application viewport, select the elements you want to publish.
   2. Select Publish.

   

   

   3. Your model is now published to Speckle and is available to the rest of your team.

What types of Plant 3D objects can I publish to Speckle?

You can publish Plant 3D objects such as:

• pipes
• inline assets, including fittings and valves
• equipment
• P&ID objects, including assets and line segments

You can also publish supported AutoCAD drawing entities, including lines, curves, text, hatches, solids, meshes, and blocks. Plant 3D objects without a dedicated conversion are published using their available display geometry when possible.

Which Plant 3D properties are published?

Objects linked to the Plant 3D project database include their available project data, such as tags, nominal dimensions, and other fields associated with the object. These fields are grouped under P&ID in the object’s properties in Speckle.

Extension dictionary and other available object properties are also included. The exact fields depend on the object’s class and the data defined in your Plant 3D project.

How is Plant 3D geometry represented in Speckle?

Plant 3D objects are published with display geometry that can be viewed in Speckle. Composite objects are broken down into supported geometric parts while remaining a single selectable object with their Plant 3D properties attached.

How are published objects organized?

Published objects are organized by their Plant 3D drawing layers. Their original layer, color, and material information is included when available.

Why are some Plant 3D objects missing geometry?

The connector uses the display geometry available from Plant 3D. An object may publish without geometry if Plant 3D cannot provide geometry that the connector can convert. Its available properties may still be published.

Why is my new model name pre-filled?

New model creation defaults to your current drawing’s file name. You can edit the model name before publishing.

Why does my model have the wrong colors in the web browser viewer?

In the viewer, select the View Modes button in the side bar, and switch the view mode to Shaded. If you still don’t see your object colors, let us know in our Community Forum

Are bitmap or image-based material textures supported?

Image texture files are not supported. Speckle does not transfer bitmaps or other image maps (such as JPG or PNG files) embedded in materials from the source application.

Speckle does carry PBR-style material data in general—where a connector maps to it, materials can include properties such as base colour, opacity, metalness, roughness, and emissive colour. That is not the same as shipping texture images: you get numeric material parameters, not image assets used for wood grain, brick patterns, and similar in the authoring tool.

Different materials can still appear separately in the destination with distinct colours and PBR fields. What you see may look closer to a consistent shaded or PBR preview than to the full render-appearance with image maps in tools such as Revit or SketchUp. To use image textures in your target application, apply or remap them locally after you publish or load.

Why are some objects that I published missing from my model?

After you publish a Speckle model, click on the Report button to see any errors that may have occurred. Click on any item in the report to highlight that item in your application. Some objects may not be supported for publishing.

Loading a Model