This article includes details on the purpose of a Foundation Library update and how to perform an update.
Foundation Library builds older than version 24.0322 are no longer supported by Microvellum. If you require an update from an older library version, it is recommended to install a new library, and transfer over any custom products or data. Note that it is recommended to test your products in a Sandbox Environment before installing a new library and transferring over custom products, parts, or data.
Benefits of Foundation Library Updates
Performing Foundation Library updates are essential to keep up with the addition of new products, as well as new features that support future expansions. With each update, modifications and resolutions are made to the current features of the Foundation Library to improve user experience and combat defects in the software. All of the new additions and modifications are viewable within the release notes for that specific update.
If you are not using the current release of the Foundation Library, you may experience bugs that have been fixed and will want to consider updating. You may also want to consider updating if you are in between projects or are interested in new products or features.
Completing a Foundation Library update will overwrite the current library data. The software can go into the spreadsheets of your specification groups to add new products, add new subassemblies, and add new graphics. A backup of your library data will automatically occur when using the Library Update Utility, so just in case an undesired change to your data is made, an option to undo the update is available through the Library Restore Utility. An additional precaution we recommend to prevent your data from being overwritten is to create a category in the Database Explorer for your company to store custom products. The update will only overwrite data for Microvellum products, so creating this folder and renaming your products will prevent these files from being updated. An overview of the Database Explorer feature is available here.
Process for Updating the Foundation Library
To download a Foundation Library update, log into the Microvellum Portal, open the Software Management page, navigate to the “Software Access” section, click the "Library Data" tab, then select one of the update packages under the "Updates" dropdown.
Once the download is complete, it is suggested to place the zip folder on your desktop for easier access.
Follow the instructions found on the Library Update Utility knowledge base article to complete an update of your Foundation Library.