Add the First Item to a Drawing

This topic describes how to insert a Fabrication CADmep item into a drawing, and position it in relation to a point in the drawing.

You can use the “Fix Relative” feature to position the first item in a drawing. This feature lets you position the first item at a specific point in the drawing, and at an elevation that suits the project.

To add the first item to a drawing, using the Fix Relative feature:

1. In the General Supply Service Pallet, click the Rectangular tab, then click one of the icons for a straight piece of duct.
2. On the Takeoff dialog that displays, set the width to 1000, the depth to 800, and then select the Relative option for the attachment method.
3. Notice that on the Dimension tab, the Length dimension is set to Auto, which means the item is getting its length from a specification contained in the main database.
4. Click OK on the Takeoff dialog.

   The straight piece of duct is now displayed on the cursor.

5. To experiment with the insertion options, type the letter “T”, and then press the Enter key, to observe how the insertion point toggles on the cursor.
6. Type the letter “X”, and then press the Enter key, and observe how the piece rotates at 90 degrees around the x axis.
7. Now try the “Y” and “Z” commands.
8. Click in the drawing to insert the item. When you do this, the Fix Relative dialog displays.

   

9. On the Fix Relative dialog, set the Z value to 2600, and set the drop-down menu to Level to Bottom.
   Note: When drawing on sections, you can set the Z value "Relative to the Section Datum" (finished floor level).
10. Click OK, and the first piece is inserted in the drawing.
11. With the cursor, hover over the item, and a tool tip displays various information about the item.