# Equipment groups

Source: https://meptools.com/tools/plant-room-studio/docs/groups/

A **group** bundles related equipment (for example a switchboard lineup) so you can move and
rotate it as a unit and keep an internal arrangement fixed. Groups are managed from the **Group**
verb and the Groups panel.

## Creating a group

Select the equipment you want, then **Create New Group** — or, from the panel, pick a **parent**
item (_"Click parent equipment — or Esc to cancel"_) and then click the **children** to add
(_"Click children to add — Enter when done, Esc to cancel"_). The panel shows each group and its
member count.

## Managing members

For any group you can:

- **Add members** — pick more equipment to include.
- **Remove members** — take equipment out; it stays on the canvas.
- **Delete group** — removes the grouping only; the equipment remains (_"Equipment stays on
  canvas."_).

## Moving and rotating

Move or rotate the whole group as a unit; members keep their relative positions.

## Editing the internal layout

**Edit layout** opens the group for internal arrangement: _"Move or rotate equipment to change
positions inside the group. External items are locked."_ Make your changes and **Save Changes**
(or **Cancel**). If the new arrangement introduces clearance problems, the tool warns you and you
can revisit the group later to resolve them.

## Groups and AutoFit

[AutoFit](/tools/plant-room-studio/docs/autofit) doesn't honour groups or placement-preference
relations, so running it **removes all groups and adjacency relations** from the document first.
**Undo** brings them back. If you need a group to survive, lock its members before running
AutoFit rather than relying on the grouping itself.

Groups are also an editor-only concept for IFC: exporting to IFC and importing it back does not
carry groups. See [Exporting](/tools/plant-room-studio/docs/exporting).