Copy family data into a read/write library

Use the Copy To command to enable editing of the family table and family properties for a family. The Copy To command copies a single family, set of families, or a category. The copying process creates a complete category structure in the destination read/write library. For example, copying a family in a sublevel category copies the whole category structure from the top-level category to the category level of the copied family.

After a Copy To family is created, the corresponding family is editable in the Merged View or in the view of the read/write library. Your edits saved in a read/write library can be migrated in new versions of Autodesk Inventor.

A Copy To family keeps link to a parent family and can be synchronized with the parent family by the Update Tool. The synchronization preserves all your edits made in the family table and family properties. To defer the synchronization of a Copy To family, suppress its link to parent.

Tip: The Copy To process copies the family data, but does not create a complete copy of families. Use the Save Copy As command to copy complete families.

1. Display the Content Center Editor dialog box. Click Manage tab Content Center panel Editor .
2. Find a category or family to copy.
3. Right-click the category or family, select Copy to, and select the destination library.
   Note: The copying time depends on how many families you copy. A large category can take several hours to copy. To stop the copying process, click Stop on the Copy To dialog box. The process finishes copying of the current family and terminates.

Editing restrictions for families copied by Copy To

• Parameter Mapping cannot be edited.
• If you change the template file, your template file is overwritten on family update (when the template of the parent family is changed).

Secondary Copy

• If you copy a family that is a copy of a primary parent family, the secondary copy creates a link to the primary parent, not the copied family. The Update Tool updates both the primary and the secondary copy by using data from the same parent family.
• If the primary copy of the family includes your modifications, modifications are kept only on the primary copy. They are discarded from the secondary copy on update.
• If more than one copy of a family is available in the Content Center configuration then the last-modified family is used in Merged View.
• Copy To command is not available for families with link to the parent created by Save Copy As command.