Quick video
- Mimic Equipment Overview
- How to Mimic Equipment
- Using Mimic Equipment to Update Valves and Valve Callouts
- Turning Circles into Irrigation Equipment
- Using Mimic Equipment to Switch Pipe Classes
- Copy and Place a Head Using Our Clone Equipment Tool (Formerly Known as Match Equipment)
Whether you need to switch out one head or valve in your drawing, or hundreds at a time, our Mimic Equipmenttool (formerly known as Match Properties) will help make your life easy.
Mimic Equipment applies the properties of a "source object," such as a plant or irrigation component, to a "destination object" that's already in your drawing. For example, you can use this tool to turn one irrigation component into another component, a plant into another plant or into an irrigation component, etc. The destination object will be assigned all data associated with the source equipment, such as spray type, symbol, arc pattern, and pressure.
Looking for information on copying and placing heads using our Clone Equipment tool (formerly known as Match Equipment? See our Clone Equipment documentation.
Mimic Equipments is also a great tool for planting and site/hardscape design. For more information, see our pages on:
- Mimic Plant
- Mimic Object (site & hardscape)
Mimic Equipment also works on generic blocks (i.e., blocks that do not have data assigned to them).
Mimic Equipment Overview
Open the Mimic Equipment tool:
F/X Irrigation ribbon, Mimic Equipment flyout
Irrigation Head toolbar
F/X Irrigation menu, Mimic Equipment option
or type FX_MimicEquip in the Command line
How to Mimic Equipment
Quick video
When you select the Mimic Equipment tool, the Command line will prompt you to: Select source object
Click a plant or irrigation compent in your drawing whose properties you want to assign to one or more additional pieces of equipment – the source object.
In the example below, we will select one of the four visible irrigation heads as the source object.
The Command line will prompt you to Select destination object.
In our example, we'll select one of the three other heads in view.
The properties of the source head will be applied to the destination head.
The destination equipment doesn't just receive the same symbol as the source equipment. It also receives the rest of the source equipment's data.
With Mimic Equipment still active, you can continue to click additional pieces of destination equipment to assign them with the properties of the source equipment.
Note that Match Properties will work on any object or block in your drawing, so it can be extremely helpful in converting drawings created without the use of our software. Also, the Undo marker is set between each change, so you can easily exit the command and then Undo back each individual change as necessary.
Selecting Multiple Destination Objects
Once you've selected a destination object, you can draw a window encompassing all similar objects you'd like to turn into the source object.
In this example, we'll select the head on the right as the source object, then one of the reddish plant symbols to the left as the destination object.
We'll then draw a selection window encompassing all the plants in view.
Only the plants of the variety we've selected as the destination object will turn into the head.
Turning Plants into Irrigation Symbols
You might have an irrigation plan where you want to replace each of a certain variety of shrub or tree, or all your shrubs and trees, with an irrigation component such as a head. Here's how.
Mimic Equipment and Pipe Sleeves
Mimic Equipment tool now works on pipe sleeves.
To change out one pipe sleeve for another, open Mimic Equipment and select a sleeve with your desired size as the Source Object. Then select the sleeve whose size you want to change as the Destination Object. The sleeve will be swapped out for the first size you selected.
Using Mimic Equipment to Update Valves and Valve Callouts
We've engineered Mimic Equipment to update valve callouts as it updates the valves associated with them. To swap out one valve for another, open Mimic Equipment and select your source valve. Then select your destination valve.
In this example, we'll replace the 3/4" valve pictured below with the 1" valve type on the left side. With Mimic Equipment active, we'll select the 3/4" valve as the source object. We'll then select the 1" valve as the destination object.
The valve on the right is replaced by the 1" valve type, and its callouts is automatically updated to reflect the change from 3/4" to 1".
Turning Circles into Irrigation Equipment
We've added the ability to transform circles in your drawing into blocks, including irrigation equimpment such as heads or valves, using Mimic Equipment. For example, you may have drawn several circles using the native AutoCAD Circle tool in the locations where you want to place heads. Mimic Equipment makes it easy to switch out the circles for the equipment of your choice.
In this example, we'll turn the four circles pictured to the right into the head placed next to them.
Open the Mimic Equipment tool and select the piece of equipment you want to put in the place of the circles.
You'll be asked whether you want to apply the properties of the piece of equipment to all circles that share a layer with the circle you selected.
Click Yes to replace all circles on the layer with the selected component, or click No to only apply the change to the circle you selected.
If you click No, you can continue to select additional circles individually as long as the tool is still active.
All circles you selected will be transformed into the component.
In this example, we clicked Yes to apply the properties of the selected head to all circles on the layer.
Using Mimic Equipment to Switch Pipe Classes
Mimic Equipment also works on pipes in your drawing. For example, you may have laid out your laterals or mainline, only to find that you've mistakenly used the wrong class of pipe. Rather than deleting and re-drawing your pipes with the correct classes, you can use Mimic Equipment to switch them out in place.
First, save your drawing (in case you don't like the results of using Mimic Equipment on your pipes.
Next, place a section of pipe that you know is the correct class. Open Mimic Equipment, and click the pipe with the correct class when prompted to select a source object. When prompted to select a destination object, click a length of the pipe with the incorrect class.
From this point, you can draw a window across the entire drawing. All pipes of the same type as the one you selected as the destination object will be replaced with the correct class.
Copy and Place a Head Using Our Clone Equipment Tool (Formerly Known as Match Equipment)
With our Clone Equipment tool, you can grab one of your emitters and quickly place copies throughout your drawing. See our Clone Equipment documentation for more information.
