Overview
Pins mark where an asset, asset group, section, component, or task sits on the 3D Digital Twin model. Placing, moving, and removing a pin all update the model immediately, and clicking a pin jumps straight to that item in the asset hierarchy on the left. Anyone walking a facility's 3D model to document equipment locations, or looking up equipment while viewing the model, works with pins from the Digital Twin view.
Accessing the Digital Twin
From the Lubrication Management sidebar, go to Asset Management > Assets.
Click the 3D button next to the view mode dropdown to open the Digital Twin.
NOTE: An asset, section, or component must already be pinned — or you're placing a new pin — for it to appear on the model. The 3D button is available regardless of which view mode (Card, Hierarchy, or Tree) the asset list is in.
How to Place a Pin
Steps:
With an asset selected and the Digital Twin open, use the pin picker bar at the bottom of the 3D viewer.
Switch between the Component Templates and Component Types tabs, and use the search box to find the one you want to pin.
Click Pin once on a card, then click a location on the model to place the pin — or click Pin multiple to place several pins from the same card in a row (click the model for each one, then click Done pinning when finished).
The pin appears on the model immediately; there's no waiting for a save to complete before it shows up.
NOTE: Click the chevron on the pin picker bar to collapse it down to a small "Pin Components" pill when you need more room to view the model.
How to Move or Remove a Pin
Steps:
Drag an existing pin to a new location on the model to move it, or select a pin and use its remove option to delete it.
Both actions apply to the model right away. If the save to the server fails, the pin's position (or presence) reverts automatically.
How to Navigate Using a Pin
Steps:
Click a pin on the Digital Twin.
The matching item is selected in the hierarchy on the left — an asset or asset group pin selects that asset or group; a section, component, or task pin selects its owning asset and reveals the specific item within it.
NOTE: In Card view, clicking an asset group's pin opens that group's editor directly instead of selecting it in the hierarchy, since Card view doesn't have a group row to select. Asset, section, component, and task pins behave the same way across Card, Hierarchy, and Tree view.
Clicking a component or task pin that isn't linked to any asset doesn't change the hierarchy selection, since there's no owning asset to select.
Using Selection History
The Digital Twin viewer keeps a back/forward history of pins you've selected, similar to browser navigation.
Steps:
Use the back and forward chevron buttons overlaid in the top-left of the 3D viewer to step through your previous pin selections.
Going back and forward restores both the hierarchy selection and the model's camera position from when that pin was selected. Selecting a different pin while in the middle of your history clears everything ahead of it, the same way browser back/forward works.
How to Pin Components Without an Asset
Steps:
From the Assets page, click the ellipsis (⋮) menu and select Pin Components Without Assets.
With no asset selected, use the pin picker bar at the bottom to pin component templates or types directly to the model.
The left sidebar switches to a dedicated list of components pinned to the model with no asset attached, so they can be found and linked later. New pins in this mode are placed from the bottom pin picker bar, not from this list.
How to Link Pinned Components to an Asset
There are two ways to link a component pin that isn't attached to an asset, depending on which side you start from.
From the unlinked-components list:
While in Pin Components Without Assets mode, check the box next to one or more components in the left-side list.
Click Link [count] to asset in the footer bar that appears.
In the panel that opens, search or browse the asset group tree to find the target asset, select it, and click Save.
From an asset you've already selected:
Select the asset you want to link components to, then click Link Components in the toolbar (only available when the model has unlinked component pins).
Click each unlinked pin on the model to add it to your selection.
Save to link all selected pins to that asset.
Both paths link the same underlying pin data — pick whichever direction is more convenient: start from the list of unlinked pins, or start from the asset you already have open.
Understanding Pin Behavior
Placement, movement, and removal are immediate: Pins update on the model right away rather than waiting for the server to confirm the change. A failed save is rolled back automatically, restoring the pin to its last known state.
Component Templates vs. Component Types: The pin picker's two tabs search different libraries — Component Templates are your saved, reusable templates; Component Types are the broader type categories. Search independently within whichever tab is active.
Selection history isn't a list: It's a back/forward navigation stack over pins you've clicked, not a panel of recently-viewed pins.
Use Cases / Examples
Use Case 1: Documenting equipment locations from a walkthrough
A reliability engineer walks the 3D model of a new facility area and pins each piece of equipment's component template as they identify it, using Pin multiple to place several instances of the same pump model quickly.
Use Case 2: Looking up equipment while reviewing the model
A technician reviewing the Digital Twin clicks a pin to jump straight to that asset's details in the hierarchy, checks its task history, then uses the back button to return to where they were on the model.
Use Case 3: Cleaning up components pinned before their assets existed
A planner who pinned components to the model before creating their asset records switches to Pin Components Without Assets, selects the still-unlinked pins from the list, and links them to the assets that have since been added.
Best Practices
Use Pin multiple for repeated equipment: When several identical components need pinning, use Pin multiple instead of reopening the picker for each one.
Collapse the pin picker when not placing pins: Free up viewing space by collapsing the bottom bar to its pill form while navigating the model.
Link orphan pins promptly: Components pinned without an asset only show up in the dedicated unlinked-components list — link them to their asset once it exists so they show up everywhere else the asset does.
Use selection history instead of re-searching: When backtracking between a few pins, the back/forward buttons are faster than reselecting each one from the hierarchy.
Troubleshooting
Issue: A pin I just placed or moved snapped back to its old position.
Solution:
This means the save to the server failed — the pin's position is automatically rolled back so the model doesn't show an unsaved change.
Try placing or moving the pin again; if it keeps failing, check your connection.
Issue: Clicking a pin doesn't select anything in the hierarchy.
Solution:
Confirm the pin belongs to a component or task that's linked to an asset — pins on unlinked components don't have anything to select.
If it's an asset group pin in Card view, expect the group's editor to open directly instead of a hierarchy selection — that's expected in Card view only.
Issue: A component I pinned doesn't show up when I search for its asset.
Solution:
Check whether the component was pinned without an asset attached — it will only appear in the Pin Components Without Assets list until it's linked.
Link it to the intended asset from that list, or from the asset using Link Components.
Summary
Pins on the Digital Twin mark where assets, asset groups, sections, components, and tasks sit on the 3D model, placed and managed from a bottom pin picker bar covering Component Templates and Component Types. Placing, moving, and removing pins apply immediately, clicking a pin selects the matching item in the hierarchy, and a back/forward history makes it easy to retrace previous selections. Components pinned before an asset exists can be pinned without one and linked afterward, either from the dedicated unlinked-components list or from the asset itself.