Adding a New Pull in Toolbox

Adding a New Pull in Toolbox

Adding 3D and 2D Images for a Custom Pull

The following article instructs users on the process of creating a custom pull within the legacy Microvellum Component Cabinet Library. For information on how to create and implement custom pulls into your project using Microvellum Foundation Library, consult the following instructional article/video. 

To add a Custom Pull to a library, AND include a drawing, a drawing needs to be created or downloaded from an outside source, and saved in the Factory Database > Graphics > Hardware folder.
To locate the Microvellum Factory Data folder, select Help > Browse to Factory Data. The Graphics\Hardware folder is located therein. Save the .dwg pull with the name as it should appear in Toolbox.

Once the drawing has been saved in the Hardware folder, select the Microvellum Icon  in the top left of the Toolbox window > select Open > navigate to the newly added .dwg file and select it. 

Use the Rotate and Move commands to place the center of the drill hole at the origin (0, 0, 0) in the drawing pane. The image should appear similarly to Figure 01 (South East Orientation).


Fig. 01 – Creating the New Pull .DWG

From the position in Figure 01, move the drawing up by .01.

Save the drawing.

That takes care of the 3D image, now for the 2D counterparts. Switch to a top view and orient the pull to match the Hardware Folder's preexisting elevation images, see Figure 02.


Fig. 02 – Proper Orientation for Elevation Image

Type "Flatshot" and press Enter. If prompted to choose between "AcadSection" and "AcCoreSection," select AcadSection.


Fig. 03 – Choose an Application

Select Export to a File > browse to the file where the 3D image was saved > save this Elevation image with a unique name ending in "_Elev" > deselect Show for Obscured lines > select Create. See Figure 04 for this process exemplified.


Fig. 04 – Creating a 2D Elevation Drawing

Switch to a Left View and orient the image as it appears in Figure 05.


Fig. 05 – Proper Orientation for Horizontal Section Image

The Horizontal Section should be given the same name as the Elevation image, but end with "_SecH" instead of "_Elev."


Fig. 06 – Creating a 2D Horizontal Section Drawing

Switch to a Front View and orient the image as it appears in Figure 07.


Fig. 07 – Proper Orientation for Vertical Section Image

The Vertical Section should be given the same name as the Elevation image, but end with "_SecV" instead of "_Elev."


Fig. 08 – Creating a 2D Vertical Section Drawing

The Horizontal and Vertical Sections must be given the same names differing with the end tag of "H" or "V" respectively. This naming convention is used later on to call the drawings.

Create the Hardware Item

While in a Project, select Toolbox Setup > Project Specification Groups > Open Material File . 

A pull can also be added at the Library Level using Library Specification Groups instead.

Find a Pull in the Hardware Library similar in dimensions (distance between holes) to the new Pull being added. In this example, the pull being added is 192mm between holes. Right-click the selection and select Copy Selection to Project Level Material. Select OK.

Scroll up to the Project Level Hardware Material folder, and double-click the copy to open the Edit Material interface.


Fig. 09 – Edit Material Interface

Enter the name of the Pull in the Description box > enter the name of the 3D image in the Non-Associative Drawing Name box > enter any additional information > select OK.

Right-click the new Pull and select Hardware Machine Tokens. Expand the Machine Tokens. The X and Y coordinates should be 0, the same coordinates where the 3D image was saved. The End X parameter should match the Distance Between Holes. Edit these parameters so that the distance between holes matches the new space of the new pull. 

Edit these values in the formula at the top of the screen, see Figure 10. Deleting the formula and entering in a hard set value causes problems later on.

Fig. 10 – Modifying Existing Machine Tokens to Match New Pull

Select OK to exit the Material File.

Adding a New Pull to the Workbook

In newer libraries, a formula accesses the LookUpTablePullType to pull the names.  In older libraries, the tables share same worksheet as the variables, the List Pull Types Inch and List Pull Types Metric are lists separated by the pipe symbol, so inserting a whole row destroys the global variables to the left.  For older libraries, you need to go to those globals and manually add the new pull name to get them to show in the drop downs for selection.   


For newer libraries, from the Project Specification Group interface, select Open Workbook Designer . Select the "G" table and the LookUp Tables tab. Scroll down to the Pull section. Right-click in the numbered row to the left of the Pull section > select Insert > select Entire Row. 

Inserting an entire row in the Global Workbook is an action that can only be performed in newer libraries where all of the tables have been moved to their own worksheet.   


Fig. 11 – Insert Entire Row

This row needs to be populated with the information established thus far. Enter any name for the Pull Selection. The Pull Selection appears in the Pull Selection menu in Product Prompts (Figure 18). Enter the name given to the Hardware Material (Figure 09) in the Pull Name column.


Fig. 12 – Pull Name

Enter the Elevation Drawing name in the Elev Drawing Column and the Elev Sec Drawing Column. Do not include the .dwg extension.


Fig. 13 – Elevation Drawing

Enter the name of the Section Drawings (Figures 6 and 8) without the trailing "H" or "V" in the Cross Sec Drawing Column. The program automatically concatenates the "H" or "V," depending on which section is needed. This concatenation is the reason why it is so important that the section drawings have the same names aside from the final letter.


Fig. 14 – Cross Section Drawing

Enter the distance between holes for the Pull Length Column.


Fig. 15 – Pull Length

Enter -0.01 in the Y Origin Column. This dimension is the amount the pull was moved up from the origin.


Fig. 16 – Y Origin

Enter 0 in the Center Base Point Column.


Fig. 17 – Center Base Point

Save the changes made to the workbook.

Putting it all Together

Draw a product. From the Prompts screen, select the Door Drawer Front Options tab. For the Door Pull, select the newly created Pull Selection.


Fig. 18 – Pull Selection Created Above

Select the Drawer Front Options radio button, and select the new Pull Selection.


Fig. 19 – Drawer Front Options

Select OK. The Product should be drawn with the new Pull in place.


Fig. 20 – Product with New Pull

Draw an elevation drawing and a cross-section drawing. The 2D pull should be in place.


Fig. 21 – 2D Drawings with New Pull

The rotation of the elevation and section drawings may need to be modified in the Part Properties Interface.

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