Replacing Devices and Blocks in FireCAD

Overview

This guide covers replacing device types and block definitions in your drawing — whether you need to swap a device for a different model or replace block references with a different block definition.

Prerequisites

• A FireCAD project must be open
• Devices or blocks must be placed in the drawing

Replacing Devices with a Project Device

Use this when you need to swap devices for a different model from your project database:

1. Type ATREPLACE_DEVICES
2. Select the block references to replace (or pre-select them before running the command)
3. Adjust options using command-line keywords:
   • ALIGNMENT — Choose CENTER (center on original) or ORIGIN (align by origin point)
   • ROTATION — Choose AUTO (auto-adjust) or NONE (keep original rotation)
   • SCALE — Enter a scale factor (0 = use the target block's natural scale)
4. A device selection window opens showing available project devices
5. Select the replacement device
6. All selected blocks are replaced and labels update automatically

Replacing Block References

Use this when you need to swap blocks with a different block definition from the current drawing:

1. Type ATREPLACE_BLOCKREFS
2. Select the block references to replace (or pre-select them)
3. Adjust alignment, rotation, and scale options as needed
4. The Block Selection Dialog opens with a preview pane
5. Select the replacement block from the list
6. Click Apply (or double-click the block name)

Blocks on locked layers are automatically skipped to prevent accidental changes.

Resizing Blocks

To uniformly resize selected blocks:

1. Type ATRESIZE_BLOCKS
2. Select the blocks to resize
3. Enter the new scale factor
4. Blocks resize while maintaining their positions

Editing Assembly Devices

To modify internal components of an assembly device (panel, power supply):

1. Select an assembly device
2. Type ATEDIT_ASSEMBLY
3. The Assembly Editor opens
4. Add or remove components using the grid
5. Set card names for each component
6. Click Apply

Removing a component deletes its associated circuits, circuit devices, and device types.

Refreshing Block Definitions

After modifying block definitions in the database:

1. Type ATREFRESH_BLOCKS
2. Confirm the operation
3. All block definitions in the active drawing reset to their database defaults
4. Attributes reset to default positions and values
5. Labels regenerate automatically

Tips

• Use ATREPLACE_DEVICES when the replacement is a FireCAD-managed device with circuit templates
• Use ATREPLACE_BLOCKREFS for general block swaps that don't involve FireCAD device data
• After replacing devices, run ATRESET_CIRCUIT_TEMPLATES to update circuit and device type configurations
• The alignment option CENTER is usually best for same-category replacements; use ORIGIN when the new block has a different anchor point

Quick Reference

What's Next

• Building Circuits — Reconnect replaced devices to circuits
• Validating Your Design — Verify changes pass validation

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