QCad User Reference Manual

30. Part Library

The part library of QCad is a collection of symbols and other drawing files that can be reused in your drawings. To insert an item from the part library, you need to show the part library browser first using the menu:

View - Toolbars - Library Browser

After that, the part library browser window is displayed as shown in Figure 64.

Figure 64: The Part Library Browser.

30.1. Inserting Parts

Options Toolbar:

Procedure:

The upper part of the browser shows a tree structure of all available part libraries. To show the contents of a folder, click on the name of the folder. Double-click on a folder to show its sub-folders.
Choose the item you want to insert from the lower part of the browser.
Click the 'Insert' button.
Before you place the item in your drawing, specify a scale factor and rotation angle for it in the options toolbar.
Now, place the item in your drawing with the mouse or by typing a coordinate in the command line.

Note that inserting a part from the library browser creates a block in your drawing for that part. If you need more than one instance of a part, please insert instances of the block from the block list of the drawing. Inserting the same part or symbol from the part library browser more than once will create multiple blocks in your drawing - something that should be avoided.

30.2. Extending The Part Library

You can easily extend the part library of QCad by saving any drawing into the directory tree in the 'library' folder of your QCad installation. Part library drawings are stored in the same format as any other drawing (DXF). Part library drawings should not contain blocks. When a part is inserted into a QCad drawing, a block is automatically created for the whole part.