In a recent forum post Tom Waltz, lead designer for the ABD UI, highlighted a conceptual thing about ABD's placement tools, i.e. the difference between graphics and data.
The slab tool that places a slab shaped graphic, with top, bottom and edges, is associated via the DataGroup with the metadata that tells the designer and end users that it's a particular kind of slab. That slab can be anything you like (gingerbread house anyone?).
The improved DataGroup UI helps by:
a) grouping types in DataGroup Catalog Editor :
b) making it easy to create and associate new Catalog Types with the generic tool:
c) showing them in the placement tool:
d) scheduling them in DataGroup Explorer: