Creating equipment items automatically

Command	Workspace: Path
Create Equipment	Design Suite: Entertainment > ConnectCAD Layout Spotlight: Spotlight > ConnectCAD Layout ConnectCAD: ConnectCAD > Layout

The Create Equipment command automatically creates an equipment item for each of the unique devices in the designated layer or layers, placing it on the active layer. The devices must have a Device Name. If an equipment item already exists for the device, it is not duplicated.

Equipment items are not created from virtual devices created with the Device Builder tool.

Before creating equipment items, you can assign each device to a layout room (see Creating a layout room) and/or an equipment rack (see Creating layouts) by specifying the device Location parameters (Room, Rack, and Rack U) on the Object Info palette (see Device parameters). When you create equipment items from the devices, the items are placed in the designated locations.

You can also assign locations to devices created from a worksheet (see Creating devices from a worksheet). If the worksheet already contains location data, when the equipment items are created, they are placed in the designated locations.

To automatically create equipment items and, if desired, place them in their assigned locations:

Optionally, assign each device to a location (layout room and/or an equipment rack; see Device parameters).

Navigate to the layer where the equipment items will be created.

Select the command.

The Create Equipment dialog box opens.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Equipment items are created for each unique device and placed in the specified locations on the current layer. Keep the following points in mind about equipment placement.

When equipment items are created, the Location parameters in the device's Object Info palette become read only. If the equipment items or devices are moved, the Location parameters are automatically updated.

If only a room has been specified, the equipment items are placed around the edge of the layout room. If the room is too small for all the equipment items, the items will overlap each other.

If a rack has been specified and a rack U position has been selected, the equipment items are placed in the assigned positions. If other equipment items already occupy the same position, the new equipment items are placed one rack unit below the rack.

If a rack has been specified but a rack U has not been selected, the equipment items are stacked below the rack. Starting at one rack unit below the rack, each new equipment item is placed one rack unit below the previous one.

If no location parameters have been specified, the equipment items are placed around the outer drawing area. Rack-mounting equipment is stacked vertically on the left of the drawing, and non-rack-mount equipment is placed in a horizontal array along the top of the drawing.

If needed, move the equipment items into the layout rooms and/or equipment racks or into the model layer to connect them to a drop point/cable route network; see Placing equipment.

If a specified room, rack, or rack U position does not exist, when you select the Create Equipment command, the Missing Locations dialog box opens and displays the devices that have not become equipment items and the missing locations (in red).

Do one of the following:

Click Create Anyway to create equipment items and place them in the drawing area. You can move the items into layout rooms and/or racks.

Click OK to ignore the missing locations. Equipment items are not created for the devices.

Placing a basic device or device symbol

Placing devices

Creating layouts