Can I merge a catalog from anothere version into my existing catalog?

[RexLan]

I do not want to replace my existing catalog but I have items in another catalog from a different version I would like to add to it.  For example I have a couple of wall types in one catalog and I want them in the current catalog as well.

How can this be done?

Thanks

[Allan Chesney]

Hi Rex,

You cannot merge two catalogues as such but you can export items from one catalogue and import them to your master catalogue,

To do this you need to first connect your old catalogue (the one with the walls you want) by going to File / Catalogues / Open Catalogue. Select your previous Catalogue.

Next go to Catalogues / Export BIM. A dialog box will open with your Catalogue on the left and BIM template file on the right.

Expand the Catalogue by clicking the + in front of Elements and you will see all the Element groups including Walls. Expand the Walls element, click the wall you want and then click the Transfer button at the top between the two panels which will copy the wall and all its parts, colours etc to the BIM file. If you expand the Elements on the BIM side you will see your wall is there.

Repeat the process for all the Elements you want to transfer to your Master catalogue. You can transfer as many or as few elements as you want. You can also expand the Library and transfer Textures etc also. It is a BIM file such as this that I would use to give you a wall with the wall sheeting set to show on the plan view that you mentioned in another post.

When you have finished click OK, name the BIM file and note where you save it.

Now you reverse the process. Go to File / Catalogues / Open catalogue and open your Master catalogue.
Next go the File / Catalogues / Import BIM. The same Transfer dialog will appear  it this time the Transfer button arrow points the opposite way. Expand the elements on the BIM side and Transfer them to your Master catalogue.

There is another way to do this if you only have an item or two that you know you have used in an earlier project. Say you have a house with the wall you had previously. Open this project and convert  a copy if it was created in an earlier version. Now go to File / Catalogues / Save Element to Catalogue. The cursor will change to a box with a down arrow pointing into the box and a + sign to the left. Move the + sign over the wall you want and click it. You will get a message asking if you want to save this wall to the Catalogue. Obviously select Yes.  This works fine for Walls and other structural elements but, if you have imported 3DS or SKP objects, it will still do it but you may have difficulty finding where it has saved them, unless you set the element group during the original import and remember what it was. If you didn't, then the objects will probably be in Applainces, since that is alphabetically the first.

If in future you upgrade to a later version of the same base program, such as Personal Architect, Pro Architect or Envisioneer, you can connect it to your existing Master catalogue and use that instead of the catalogue that comes with the new installation. That will save you having to transfer files this way. V12-V16 catalogues of course will not work with V17 or later versions of TFP as these later versions are based on a different program, but they will work with Personal Architect and other Cadsoft based programs. Incidentally these later versions do have a merge catalogue option.

Hope you can follow all that.

Allan

[RexLan]

Thanks Allan.  My problem is that the items I want were created in a later version that my TFP V16 and the will not import.

So I was wondering if there was another way but it sounds like no.

[Allan Chesney]

What program were they created In?

[RexLan]

Envisioneer