To Create a Tool Catalog From Content Drawings

Use this procedure to create a new tool catalog based on existing standards from the styles in one or more drawings.

You specify the styles from which tools will be created and whether the new tools are organized in categories or palettes.

Note: Content Browser does not have to be open to create a tool catalog.

Danger: Converting large numbers of tools can slow down your computer considerably. Depending on your processor and amount of RAM, the conversion process can take a long time and the application may appear to be non-responsive. To avoid this, do not convert more than 3000 tools in one Tool Catalog Generator session. Instead, break up the source drawings, and use multiple instances of Tool Catalog Generator to achieve the conversion.

1. Click Manage tabCustomization panelGenerate Tool Catalog.
   

2. Under Catalog, select Create New Catalog.
3. Enter a name for the new catalog.
4. Click Browse to define the location of the catalog.

   By default, a new catalog is saved in C:My Documents.

5. Under Content Source, specify whether you want the new catalog to be created from multiple drawings in a folder or from a single drawing. Then, enter the path for the folder or drawing.
   Note: When you specify a folder as the catalog source, any nested folders are included in the new tool catalog.
6. Under Tool Organization, specify how you want the tools organized in the new catalog.
   • To organize the new tools by their source drawing, select Group tools by source drawing.

     This option is well suited for a tool catalog that is generated from a number of styles drawings. The resulting tools could be placed in categories or palettes named “Wall Styles - Concrete (Imperial)”, “Wall Styles - Brick (Imperial),” etc.

   • To organize the new tools by their object type, select Group tools by object type.

     This option is well suited if you want to merge styles from various drawings into palettes or categories. The resulting tools will be placed in categories or palettes named “Walls”, “Doors,” etc.

     Note: If both options are enabled, the catalog is first grouped by the drawings and then by the object type, generating categories from the drawings, and palettes from the object types. This is implemented because palettes cannot be nested. In this case the radio buttons for categories and palettes are disabled, and the Create tools in palettes option is selected for the catalog.
     Note: If neither of the two options is enabled, all new tools will be generated in the top category of the catalog.
   • To organize the new tools in categories, select Create Tools in Categories.

     If you select Group tools by source drawing, a category will be created for each source drawing. If you select Group tools by object type, a category will be created for each object type.

   • To organize the new tools in palettes, select Create Tools in Palettes.

     If you have selected to group tools by their source drawing, then for each source drawing a palette will be created. If you have selected to group tools by their object type, then for each object type a palette will be created.

7. Under Create tools for the following objects, select the object styles you want to appear as tools in the new catalog.

   By default, all available style types are selected. Use the Select All and Clear All buttons as necessary.

8. Click OK.

   A progress bar in the application status bar informs you of the progress of the catalog generation. This can take a few moments for a large catalog.

   Note: Each category and each palette is created in its own ATC file. The category and palette ATC files are stored in the Palettes or Categories subfolders within the folder where the new catalog is created.

   After creating a new catalog, you can add it to your Content Browser library.