Product(s):	OpenBuildings Designer
	Version(s):	CONNECT Edition
	Area:	Architectural Design
	Subarea:	Compound Slabs

Problem

I have a few custom Cast In Place (CIP) slab types that I've created in previous versions of OpenBuildings Designer. After upgrading to Update 9 I added my custom XML file containing these Catalog Items to the correct location in my new workspace, but they don't display in the Compound Slab dialog - all I see are the four delivered Compound Slabs. Is there something more I need to do?

Solution

Slabs created before OpenBuildings Designer Update 9, what we would now consider "legacy" slabs, store their data in a way that the new Compound Slab placement tool simply cannot read. While there common properties between the two, Compound Slabs store data in a layer by layer fashion vs. a single block of data for legacy slabs.

The simplest way to convert your custom legacy Slab catalog items so they are recognized as Compound Slabs is to use the Schema Upgade Utility. While this tool is designed to upgrade the schema of elements in the active DGN file to their current state within the DataGroup System, in this particular case it will also convert your legacy Slab data to Compound Slab data.

1. For best results, first create a new DGN file that contains at least once instance of each custom legacy Slab that you would like to convert to a Compound Slab.

2. Once this file is open, Choose File > Utilities > Data Utilities > Upgrade to open the Schema Upgrade Utility dialog and press the Upgrade icon as outlined in this wiki. 

3. The process will now scan the contents of your DGN file, and after recognizing the legacy Slab data will create a new CompoundSlab.xml file in the active workset's \Standards\DataGroupCatalogs\ sub-folder.

4. Once complete your custom Slabs should be available for placement as single layer Catalog Items in the Place Compound Slab dialog, and will also display in the Catalog Editor.

   

Note that you may need to modify certain property values in the Catalog Editor depending on how these legacy values apply to their new Compound Slab equivalents.