Adding text, images, and shapes to your maps

You can add text, images, and shapes to your maps to indicate points of interest, or to represent entities on the map with something other than the standard look. These map objects can also function as map links.

Before you begin

Create a map for your graphical objects.

What you should know

You can assign custom graphical objects to entities normally represented by polygons, such as areas, intrusion detection areas, and zones. You can also assign custom graphical objects to alarms.

To add a text or an image to your map:

  1. From the Config Tool home page, open the Map designer task.
  2. Select a recent map or click Browse all maps to open an existing map.
    The selected map fills the Map designer workspace.
  3. In the toolbar, click one of the following tools to insert a graphical object:
    • Draw rectangle:
      Click and drag to draw a rectangle. Drag a handle to change its size. Note that you cannot change a rectangle into a different type of polygon.
    • Draw polygon:
      Click once for each endpoint, and click the first endpoint to close the polygon. Use Shift+click to add or remove a point between two points. Double-click a point to complete the polygon without closing it.
    • Draw ellipse:
      Click and drag to draw an ellipse. Drag a handle to change its size.
    • Insert image:
      Opens a browser for you to select an image file, and click to place it on the map.
    • Insert text:
      Click to place a text box on the map. Double-click the text box to enter the text. Use the widgets to adjust the appearance of the text.
  4. (Optional) In the Physical widget, select Block field of view and use the object to block camera FOVs on the map.
    NOTE: The Block field of view option is not available for ellipses.
  5. (Optional) Click Unassigned in the Identity widget to assign an entity to your map object.
    Map objects inherit their identity from the entity they represent. You do not need to assign an entity to the map object if you are only using it to indicate a point of interest. Map objects that are not assigned to an entity have no name.
    NOTE: Assigning an area with floors to a graphical object will automatically create links to those floors. Adding any links manually will override the automatic links to the floors.
  6. In the Map designer toolbar, click Save ().