# Understanding asset templates

{% hint style="info" %}
You can find all information on the topic of Assets in the chapter [↗ Asset modeling](https://docs.buildings.ability.abb/collection/english-v14/documentation/assets/asset-modeling-create-templates)
{% endhint %}

**Asset templates** are a kind of **“blueprint”** for assets. They determine which **Attributes** an asset has, for example **«temperature», «humidity», «illuminance» or the «number of people»**. These attributes define the values that can be monitored or controlled with an asset.

If you [↗ create a new asset](https://docs.buildings.ability.abb/collection/english-v14/documentation/assets/create-assets), you will be prompted to select an **asset template** . The asset created in this way then contains all **predefined attributes** of the template.

### **Why use asset templates?**

Manually creating assets can take a lot of time – especially when each asset needs to be equipped with specific attributes.

With **Asset modeling** you can **create templates for different asset types** and **reuse them as often as you like**.

### **Example: smoke detector**

A building contains **hundreds of smoke detectors**.

* **Without asset modeling** you would have to create each smoke detector individually and assign it the appropriate attributes.
* **With asset modeling** you create the asset template once **"smoke detector"**. This template already contains all relevant attributes. If you now create a new smoke detector, simply duplicate the template and only adjust **the specific properties** such as location or ID.

▷ *This saves time and ensures consistent management of your assets.* 🚀