How to Use the Library Panel in BricsCAD BIM

Quick answer: The Library panel provides quick access to your BIM blocks and predefined items. Add any CAD model, customize its name and category for easy retrieval, and insert blocks by dragging and dropping them into your drawing.

Opening the Library Panel

Run LIBRARYPANELOPEN, or right-click a ribbon panel or toolbar and choose Library from the Panels list.

Control its content from the Option menu. With COMPONENTSPATH empty (all paths deleted), the default path, C:\ProgramData\Bricsys\Components, this confirms the same default covered on this hub’s custom window and door creation page, gets added back automatically the next time you close and reopen the Settings dialog.

Searching the Block Libraries

Type a search string into the search field; only matching blocks within the current category display.

Inserting a BIM Window into Your 3D Model

This same technique applies to most of the blocks in the Library panel. Every window and door in the block library is parametric, and their dimensions are editable during or after insertion via the Properties panel.

1. Click the Windows category tile in the Library panel.
2. Click a window thumbnail.
3. Hover the cursor over a wall in model space and click at the position you want (windows and doors can also be inserted while in Top View Mode, part of the Story Bar).
4. With Dynamic dimensions (DYN) on, set the window’s location using the DYN fields; press Tab to cycle through them, a locked field turns red.
5. Press Enter; the window inserts.
6. Optionally adjust its dimensions afterward via the Parameters section of the Properties panel.
7. Optionally adjust its position by selecting the window and clicking its dimension lines to edit them directly.

A red preview appears while copying, moving, or manipulating a solid with a subtractor, like a window, to help you place it precisely.

Working with BIM Blocks

Every block in the Bricsys BIM library has its Component type property set to BIM Block, and these behave much like regular blocks. Use CONVERTCOMPONENTSTOBLOCKS to convert deprecated Mechanical Components into BIM Blocks. Edit them with BEDIT, the same block editor covered elsewhere in this hub, and replace them with BLOCKREPLACE.

Important: BIM Blocks are compatible with BricsCAD V26 and later. Drawings containing them can still open in older versions, but inserting a BIM Block in BricsCAD V25 or older loses its BIM data.

To create a BIM Block yourself, classify it first with BIMCLASSIFY using the Drawing selection option, then use CREATELIBRARYBLOCK to add it to the components library.

Creating a Library Block

1. Open or create the drawing containing the geometry for your new block, then open the Library panel.
2. Choose which libraries to display from the panel menu.
3. Click the Add button, or run CREATELIBRARYBLOCK; the Add block to library dialog opens.
4. Select the entities you want, or choose Entire drawing.
5. Type a name for the block.
6. Optionally type a new category name, or choose one from the list.
7. Optionally click Show Options to set block creation options.
8. Click Create.

Managing User Library Blocks

1. Hover over the block’s thumbnail.
2. Click the Menu icon.
3. Optionally click File Open to open the block’s file, edit it, and save your changes.
4. Optionally click Delete, then confirm with Yes, to remove the block.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a BIM Block still work if opened in an older version of BricsCAD? The drawing itself opens fine, but inserting a BIM Block in BricsCAD V25 or older loses its BIM data.

How do I convert older Mechanical Components into BIM Blocks? Run CONVERTCOMPONENTSTOBLOCKS.

What’s the process for creating my own reusable BIM Block? Classify it with BIMCLASSIFY using the Drawing selection option, then add it to the components library with CREATELIBRARYBLOCK.

Can I edit an existing library block’s underlying file directly? Yes, hover its thumbnail, click the Menu icon, then File Open to edit and save it.