Equipment — MEP Tools
Place equipment from the built-in library, understand its properties, and add custom items.
Press E to open the equipment library, then drag an item onto the floor. Each item carries its own footprint, clearances, weight, and heat load — the same data the validator and the 3D model use.
Library categories
The library groups items by category. Labels below are the codes shown on the plan.
| Category | Items (label) |
|---|---|
| MV / transformer | RMU (MV switchgear), TX (oil transformer), TX-D (dry transformer) |
| LV distribution | MDB, SMDB, SMDB-W (wall), DB, MCC, PDU, RPP, ATS, CAP (capacitor bank) |
| Backup power | UPS, BAT (battery bank), GEN (generator), FUEL (fuel tank), GAS (suppression) |
| Mechanical | AHU, FCU, CRAC, chillers (CH-A/CH-W), ACCU, fans (EF/SF/JF), CT, HX, pumps (PUMP/FP/TP), tanks (WT/ET), CAL, PV |
| ELV / ICT | RACK (ICT rack), NET-W (wall rack), BMS, FACP, LEAK |
| Custom | Items you define yourself (see below) |
Item properties
Every library item defines:
- Footprint — width × depth × height, in millimetres.
- Clearances — required free space on the front, back, left, right, and (where relevant) top faces, in millimetres.
- Maintenance faces — the faces that need clearance access (front only for most panels; front and rear for ICT racks).
- Mounting — floor-standing (elevation 0 mm) or wall-mounted (default 300 mm above finished floor).
- Weight and heat load — for reference and future scheduling.
For example, the default MDB is 2400 × 800 × 2200 mm with 1200 mm front clearance and a front maintenance face; a default ICT rack is 600 × 1000 × 2000 mm with 900 mm clearance on both its front and rear faces.
These are library defaults, not certified values. Footprints and clearances come from typical manufacturer datasheets and are flagged as defaults in the tool. Verify every figure against your actual equipment schedule and your authority having jurisdiction before relying on the layout.
Placing, moving, and rotating
- Drag an item from the library onto the floor.
- Move with the pointer (the M tool) or nudge a selected item with the arrow keys.
- Rotate the selection 90° with Shift+R. Rotation is clockwise from above and carries through to clearances and the 3D model.
- Delete the selection with Delete.
Custom equipment
If a required item isn't in the library, add a custom item with your own footprint and clearances. It appears in the Custom category and is validated exactly like a built-in item.
Placement preferences
In the inspector's Placement Preferences (Optional) section, pick a target equipment item and whether this one prefers to sit to the left of or to the right of that target. It's a hint for automatic placement, not a hard constraint — a target can hold at most one preference on each side.
AutoFit fields
If you plan to run AutoFit, the inspector also carries fields its rule engine reads: Equipment class, Voltage band, and NEC condition, plus Whole-unit removability (In situ, Removable, or Vertical transfer). A removable item adds which side it comes out, its size while being moved, how it's moved (carried by hand, on a trolley or pallet truck, or lifted by crane or gantry), the clear floor each face needs, and any parts that come out on their own. Lock equipment holds an item fixed so AutoFit can't move it (it also blocks manual move, rotate, and delete).
Once equipment is placed, check clearances.
Equipment groups and IFC export/import: grouping is an editor concept only — an IFC round-trip does not carry groups. See Exporting.