Asset Symbol Creation: What Happens in the Drawing

Creating New Asset Symbols: Room Example illustrated how to create a room asset symbol in the Archibus Smart Client Extension for AutoCAD.

Using this as context, you can now review what happens in the drawing when you create asset symbols.

The Extension for AutoCAD moves the drawing item from the prototype layer (such as RM) to the asset symbol layer (such as RM$).
Since Archibus defines prototype layers and asset symbol layers to use different colors, when you convert items to asset symbols you will see them change colors. This is because the Extension for AutoCAD is moving the item from the prototype layer, which uses one color, to the asset symbol layer, which uses another color.

The Extension for AutoCAD generates and display asset text.
For each type of asset symbol, Archibus defines the fields that should display as asset text. As soon as you connect a drawing item and database record, the Extension for AutoCAD consults the database record, note its values for a certain set of fields, and display these values on the asset text layer of the drawing.

The Extension for AutoCAD registers the record’s primary key and the name of the table in which it is contained as extended entity data in the asset symbol.
When you create a room asset symbol, the programs check the linked record’s value for the Building Code, Floor Code, and Room Code fields (the primary key fields) and stores these and the table name (RM) as extended entity data in the asset symbol. You can see this hidden information with the Synchronization / Asset Properties command on the Ribbon.