Manage Libraries

The Manage Libraries button opens the Library Settings window.

Here you can view the existing libraries, their locations, the access level and the time of the last update of each library.

By clicking the hamburger button next to a library, you can forget the corresponding library. Please note that in this case the library folder and its contents will remain on disk.

Also, here you can add a new library by clicking the Add Library button.

Upon clicking, it will bring up the Connect new library dialog.

Here you can add a library from one of the sources.

Local

Local libraries are stored on your computer or company network drives. These can be used for personal, group or office libraries.

After selecting the Local library source, the Library Location dialog will pop up.

Clicking the small button will bring up the folder browser dialog. By default, it will look in the

C:\Users\[UserName]\AppData\Local\C-Change Labs Inc\bimCAT\Libraries

folder, but you may pick any other location.

You can either pick a local folder or specify a network location here. If the selected directory contains any RFA or RVT files, bimCATwill try to add them to the new library right away. If not, an empty library will be created which you could populate with content later. All the new library items will be copied to this location.

After selecting a directory, you could also specify the new Library Name. It will be displayed in the Library Settings dialog and the Library column of the data grid.

After clicking the Add Library button, the bimCATLibrary Indexer application will analyze the library and automatically add all the family types it was able to locate inside. Please note, that every RFA file will be processed, but concerning the RVTs, the Indexer will only process the files which were previously prepared by the bimCAT.

After the library is added, it will show up in the Library Settings window.

The Location here is set to Local, while the Access is set to Manage. The latter means, that the user could perform any operations with the library content: view, import, edit, add or remove items.

All the family types found in the library folder will show up in the data grid together with the corresponding library name.

If the remote library is unavailable due to connection issues, the following message will be displayed in the Access column.

Also, the name of such library will be colored red in the Library table.

bimCAT Library

Open libraries hosted by bimCAT.org, containing pre-annotated families created by manufacturers and other professionals.

This allows to add one of pre-configured remote libraries from the bimCAT servers.

After clicking Connect, the remote library will be added to the list.

Please note that the Location for the remote library is set to Web and the Access - to Read. The latter means, that the user can only view and import the items from such library but is unable to edit, add or delete the library contents.

Also, in the case of remote libraries their files are not stored on the user's machine.

All the family types found in the remote library will show up in the data grid together with the corresponding library name.

Custom Remote Library

Connect to a bimCAT-compatible library available over the web. These are usually in-house libraries or commercial libraries. You will need to know the URL in order to connect.

If you have your own remote library configured or have access to a configured third-party library server, you can use this option to establish the connection.

After entering the URL, click the Find libraries button to automatically connect to the server and get the list of the available libraries. Then you could select the one to add and specify its name in the Library Browser.

This is not unlike the bimCAT Library, but the Access level here may differ depending on the server configuration.