Parts in a pipe network have relationships that follow a network paradigm. A pipe network, such as the one in Figure 13-24, can have many branches. In most cases, the pipes and structures in your network will be connected to each other; however, they don’t necessarily have to be physically touching to be included in the same pipe network.
Figure 13-24: A typical Civil 3D pipe network
Land Desktop with Civil Design and some other civil engineering–design programs don’t design piping systems using a network paradigm; instead, they use a branch-by-branch or “run” paradigm (see Figure 13-25). Although it’s possible to separate your branches into their own separate pipe networks in Civil 3D, your design will have the most power and flexibility if you change your thinking from a “run-by-run” to a network paradigm.
Figure 13-25: A pipe network with a single-pipe run
