About System Groups

System groups associate related systems without changing individual system properties. This enables you to connect different systems within a single drawing while maintaining display flexibility. You can define a system group to include any number of individual systems.

As an example, assume you want to connect a recirculating hot water line to a supply hot water line. You assign both system definitions to the same system group: non-potable water. When you draw the pipe runs, you can connect the recirculating line to the supply line and still have a connected pipe system. The following pipe run shows how the recirculating line (HWC) is connected to the supply line (HWS).

If 2 systems are not assigned to the same system group and you try to connect them, you are prompted to change the system of the connecting run to match the system of the receiving run. If you do not change the system of the connecting run, the appropriate fitting is inserted to connect to the receiving run, but the system is not connected. The connecting run is not a part of the system, so any changes you make to that system are not applied to the connecting run.

The following are examples of the benefits of grouping systems in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing modules.

• Mechanical: If you are designing a heating supply system, you can create a separate system for each zone of a building, and then group the individual systems together as one complete heating supply system for the building.
• Electrical: If you are designing a power supply system, you can create a separate system for each voltage rating within the building, and then group the individual systems together as one complete power supply system for the building.
• Plumbing: If you are designing a sanitary waste system, you can create a separate system for each floor of a building, and then group the individual systems together as one complete sanitary waste system for the building.

System groups can be created as needed, but it is recommended that you create them when creating systems.

Note: If dissimilar systems are allowed to connect and no system group has been defined, the connection is not valid. (If solution tips are turned on, a solution tip marker is displayed at the invalid connection. For more information, see Connecting Dissimilar Systems and Showing Solution Tips.) If you create a system group after you have laid out system components, the related invalid connections are dynamically updated to be valid.