Any ideas how to make a part behave like a slab/wall without listing it as a Catalog Item under Walls or Slabs in the DataGroup Catalog?
I am finding that only parts that are defined under Walls and/or Slabs in the DataGroup Catalog can be selected in the 'Catalog Selection' box for walls/slabs and therefore only these have that behavouir.
I am not sure if I understand your question completely, but I think that what you want are the Form Modeling tools. In ABD, there is a separate task in the interface for these form tools. There are Linear Form tools (like a Wall, but without wall DG data) and Slab Form tools (like a slab, but without slab DG data). You can select any Family/Part to use with these tools and even use compound parts as well.
I hope this helps,
Travis
Thank you Travis this is very helpful and works really well, exactly what I was hoping could be done. Sorry if my question was not very clear.
My next question is then:
If I have data in the DG Catalog that is being applied to the part then why when I give a form the family/part material assignment the data is not also 'assigned' to it?
Sorry for the delayed response. The DG data is not applied to the 'Part', it is assigned to the "form" which is also assigned a 'Part' (for walls/slabs the part is usually assigned by a DG property). If you place a generic form (linear form or slab form) that has a Part assigned to it, the part is only controlling the symbology (what it looks like in the model, when it is cut, in forward view, and rendering material, level, etc.). If you placed a generic form without DG data, but wanted it to have DG data you can "Add Instance Data" under the "Data" task in the interface, the icon with the "+". First select the catalog and catalog item of the data that you wish to assign to the form, and then select the form.
-Travis