Creating a Branch

Anthony Conte

February 19, 2026 15:17

Command

Command	Description
`ATBRANCH`	Create a branch circuit from a device on the active circuit

Prerequisites

A FireCAD project must be open
An active circuit must be selected in the Circuits palette
The active drawing must be part of the project

Overview

The ATBRANCH command creates a new child circuit (branch) that originates from a device on the active circuit. This is used for circuit topologies where a device acts as a passthrough, feeding a sub-circuit of additional devices.

Steps

Select the parent circuit in the Circuits palette
Type ATBRANCH in the AutoCAD command line
You are prompted: "Select a device on circuit '[Circuit Name]' to branch from:"
Select the device that will be the branch origin (passthrough device)
You are prompted to select devices to connect to the new branch
Select one or more compatible devices
Press Enter to confirm
The branch circuit is created with the selected devices connected

How It Works

A new circuit record is created in the database
The branching device becomes the origin of the new child circuit
Selected devices are connected to the new branch circuit
The branch inherits properties from the parent circuit's template
The branch appears as a child in the circuit hierarchy

Example

A common use case is a notification appliance circuit (NAC) where a power supply feeds several branches:

Panel → NAC Circuit
         └── Strobe 1 (passthrough)
              └── Branch 1: Strobe 2, Strobe 3
         └── Strobe 4 (passthrough)
              └── Branch 2: Strobe 5, Strobe 6

Tips

The branching device must already be on the active circuit
Branch circuits have their own sequence numbering independent of the parent
Use ATRELOCATE_BRANCH to move devices between branches
Use ATREMOVE_BRANCH to remove a branch and its connections

Related Commands

FireCAD is the industry-leading AutoCAD add-in for fire alarm system design — from circuit layout to wire routing to code-compliant reports.
Learn more and get started at getfirecad.com →

Inspect Point Integration — Fire alarm system device lists and bill of materials can be pushed directly from FireCAD into Inspect Point, eliminating manual data entry and ensuring every device is ready for inspection scheduling and ongoing asset management.
Learn more here →