Checking the drawing

It is helpful to check a drawing for problems with ConnectCAD objects and Spotlight lighting devices and distributors, particularly when the design is in its final stages, or if you are about to number objects or perform other global operations.

The Check Drawing command runs a one-time check of the current status of the drawing. Problems are indicated with selectable markup objects.

The ConnectCAD Status command checks the drawing continuously as you work; issues are listed in order of severity from a status palette. You can dismiss issues that aren't a problem in the current situation.

During error checking, Spotlight lighting devices and distributors are treated as equipment items.

If the drawing has a circuit or an adapter that has been disconnected, an alarm icon displays immediately on the disconnected object.

Current status error checking

Command

Workspace: Path

Check Drawing

Design Suite: Entertainment > ConnectCAD Drawing

Spotlight: Spotlight > ConnectCAD Drawing

ConnectCAD: ConnectCAD > Drawing

Document context menu

Vectorworks can automatically check the drawing (the current layer or all layers) for problems with sockets, devices, circuits, signals, layout objects, and cable paths. Any issues can be color coded for easy identification.

To check the drawing:

Select the command.

The Check Drawing dialog box opens.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Sockets	Checks for duplicate socket names and duplicate instances of jackfield holes
Devices	Checks for duplicate device names
Circuits	Checks for duplicate circuit names and deleted or moved circuits
Signals	Verifies whether the signal type is the same between the connector types
Layout objects	Checks for duplicate equipment items, rack frames, equipment racks, layout rooms, lighting devices, distributors, and space objects used as rooms
Cable paths	Checks for cable paths that are not connected
Check items on	Select whether to check only the active layer, or all of the layers in the file

Select the drawing items to check and the color for the issue markup, and click OK.

When tracking down a problem, it's helpful to avoid repeating tasks which passed successfully; deselect those.

Drawing objects with problems are indicated by markup objects in a special class that allows them to be shown or hidden. In some cases, ConnectCAD markup objects mark specific areas. In the following example, error markup objects indicate sockets with duplicate names, and notify markup objects indicate circuits with incompatible signals.

When you click on a ConnectCAD markup object, the Object Info palette displays information about the issue.

Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Status Category	Displays the severity of the issue Error: A device or socket is duplicated, or socket names are duplicated; this must be resolved immediately Warning: A device name or circuit name is duplicated Notify: Signal types for two connected sockets are not compatible, or no equipment item exists for the device
Status Type	Indicates the check that the object failed
Problem	Provides a brief description of the issue
Information	Specifies the name of the object that failed a check

To navigate between duplicate markup objects, click on Previous Markup or Next Markup in the Object Info palette.

Resolve the issues, clear the markup (see Clearing drawing markup), and run the Check Drawing command again to verify.

Clearing drawing markup

Command

Workspace: Path

Clear Markup

Design Suite: Entertainment > ConnectCAD Drawing

Spotlight: Spotlight > ConnectCAD Drawing

ConnectCAD: ConnectCAD > Drawing

Document context menu

After running a drawing check (or the Compare Cable List and Drawing command) and resolving problem areas or determining that they are not an issue for the current schematic drawing, the highlighted markup can be removed.

To remove markup after a drawing check:

Select the command.

Continuous error checking

Command

Workspace: Path

ConnectCAD Status

Design Suite: Entertainment > ConnectCAD Drawing

Spotlight: Spotlight > ConnectCAD Drawing

ConnectCAD: ConnectCAD > Drawing

Window > Palettes > Web Palettes

When you open the ConnectCAD Status palette, Vectorworks continuously runs checks in the background to monitor the drawing for ConnectCAD errors and errors with Spotlight lighting devices and distributors. If errors occur during the design process, the palette displays them in the order of their severity.

To continuously monitor the drawing for errors:

Select the command.

The ConnectCAD Status palette opens. As long at the palette is open, Vectorworks checks for ConnectCAD errors and errors with Spotlight lighting devices and distributors.

If the drawing has no issues, the palette displays a message stating that no issues were found. If the drawing has issues, each row in the palette displays the ConnectCAD or Spotlight object(s) associated with an issue. Issues are sorted in the order of severity.

Click to show/hide the parameters. Click to show/hide the parameters.

Parameter	Description
Status	Displays icons that indicate the severity of the issue Error: A device or socket is duplicated; socket names are duplicated; or an equipment item name, a room name, rack name, rack frame name, or space name is duplicated or empty; this must be resolved immediately Warning: A device name is duplicated or empty, or a circuit name is duplicated Notify: Device display tags are duplicated or empty, signal types for two connected sockets are not compatible, no equipment item exists for the device, a drop point is not connected to a cable path, or the start or end of a cable path is not connected
Object	Identifies the type of ConnectCAD or Spotlight object that failed a check
Issue	Provides a brief description of the issue
Details	Specifies the name of the object that failed a check
View	Displays buttons that navigate to and temporarily highlight the objects associated with each issue : Zooms to the previous object; displays only when duplicate names or objects occur : Zooms to the object or objects involved in the issue : Zooms to the next object; displays only when duplicate names or objects occur
Resolve	Designates errors that should be resolved, and warnings and notifications that can be ignored : Indicates an error that should be resolved : Ignores an issue; the issue is grayed out and moved to the bottom of the list : Restores the visibility of an issue that was previously ignored